Madison Pettis

Madison Michelle Pettis was born on July 22, 1998,^[2][3][4] and is from Arlington, Texas.^[5] Her father Steven Pettis is African-American and her mother Michelle Dallava is of Italian, Irish, and French ancestry.^{[6][7][8][better source needed]} She has an older brother named Steven Jr.^[9][10]

Pettis was first noticed when her mother entered into an annual cover search held by FortWorthChild, a local parenting magazine.^[11] Early in her career Pettis appeared on Barney & Friends^[5] as Bridget, in 2005 and 2006, in which she sang, danced and acted.

Pettis won her first major role in 2006 when she was cast as Peyton Kelly, the long-lost daughter of Dwayne Johnson's quarterback character, in the 2007 Disney film The Game Plan.^[12][13][14] In 2007 Pettis was cast as Bailey Bryant, the sister of Corbin Bleu's character, in the 2008 film Free Style.^[15][16] In 2008, she had a small role in Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!, and had a role in A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa.^[17] She also had a small role as Lorena in the 2008 Will Smith film Seven Pounds. Pettis starred in the 2008 direct-to-video film Mostly Ghostly: Who Let the Ghosts Out?, and its 2014 sequel Mostly Ghostly: Have You Met My Ghoulfriend?,^[18] playing the role of ghost Tara Roland.

Pettis starred in Cory in the House as Sophie,^[19] the president's daughter, and appeared in one episode of Hannah Montana playing the same role. She portrayed Isabelle Tyler in an episode of The 4400. She was the 2007 Disney Channel Games commentator, and had a voice role in the Disney Channel animated series Special Agent Oso. In 2009, Pettis appeared as herself on the syndicated version of the game show Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?

In 2011, Pettis landed two main roles: the voice role of Izzy on the animated series Jake and the Never Land Pirates;^[20] and Allie Brooks on the Canadian television series Life with Boys.^[21] In 2012, she began a recurring role on the Disney XD series Lab Rats.^[22] On October 19, 2014, Pettis confirmed via Facebook that she would be guest starring in The Fosters.^[23][24] In 2015, she was cast in a voice role in the Disney Channel animated series The Lion Guard and its television movie precursor The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar.^[25]

Pettis is a staunch supporter of military families; her older brother, Steven Pettis Jr., has served in the United States Army. She was "discovered" at age five when her mother entered her into a cover search for a local parenting magazine, FortWorthChild, in her hometown of Arlington, Texas. In addition to her brother Steven, she has a sister, Antoinette Mia Pettis, who is also a model and actress.^[26][27][28]

She was the youngest entertainer ever invited to tour with the USO, traveling globally to support U.S. troops and their families. She has a known allergy to dairy products. Pettis often describes her style as evolving, ranging from "boho-inspired" with floral prints to "edgier" looks featuring leather jackets and boots. She has served as a brand ambassador and model for several fashion lines, including NFL Apparel and Love Pastry. Before her acting career took off, she was heavily involved in dance, at one point taking 10 different dance classes per week.^[29]

Her most notable public relationship was with NBA player Michael Porter Jr.; the two dated from late 2016 through mid-2017. While she has been linked by various media outlets to other young stars like Jaden Smith or Cameron Boyce, she has generally remained private about her dating status since 2017.^[30][31]