Sara Paxton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sara Paxton | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Sara Paxton | |
| Born | April 25, 1988 (age 18) | |
| Origin |  Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California |
|
| Genre(s) | Pop | |
| Years active | actress (1997-Present) singer (2004-Present) |
|
| Label(s) | Epic Records (2007-Present) | |
| Website | http://www.sarapaxton.com | |
Sara Paxton[1] (born April 25, 1988) is an Emmy Award-nominated American actress and singer. She grew up in California and began acting at an early age, appearing in many minor roles in both films and television shows, before coming to wider renown in 2004, after playing the title role in the series Darcy's Wild Life. Paxton has also starred in the films Sleepover, Aquamarine and Return to Halloweentown, and is branching out into music, with a CD, The Ups and Downs, due for release in 2007.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Personal life
Paxton was born in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California to what she has described as "a very mixed family".[2] Her father, Steve Paxton, who is distantly related to actor Bill Paxton, is a businessman of Irish and other European descent.[2] Her mother is a dentist from Monterrey, Mexico, and as a result Paxton speaks some Spanish, although not fluently.[3] Paxton's mother is Jewish and her father converted to Judaism upon marrying her mother.[4][5][6] An only child, she grew up in the San Fernando Valley and attended a public high school, graduating in June of 2006.[7]
In 2006, Paxton applied to the University of Southern California's film studies program, but was rejected.[7] She has noted that she would like to major in business administration with a minor in history and to start a production company.[8]
[edit] Career
Paxton began appearing in television commercials at a young age. Her first film role was a small part in the 1997 Jim Carrey comedy, Liar Liar. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, she appeared in a number of minor television and film roles, including a part on the soap opera Passions, a regular role on the series Greetings from Tucson, and a guest starring role on the Disney Channel show, Lizzie McGuire, playing an ex-president of Lizzie's school. In 2003, Paxton starred in R.L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse, a short 3-D film attraction that still plays at several theme parks across the United States.
Paxton's first major role was in the teen-oriented film, Sleepover, which opened in July 2004 to negative reviews and low box office revenue;[9][10] during the same summer season, she appeared in several episodes of the series, Summerland, playing Sarah Borden, a mentally troubled teen who experimented with drugs and sex with Jesse McCartney's character. Paxton was subsequently cast in the lead role of the Discovery Kids television series, Darcy's Wild Life, playing Darcy Fields, a girl who works at a rural veterinary; the series, which aired from 2004 to 2006, often featured Paxton's music track, Take A Walk. Paxton received an Emmy nomination for the role in 2006.
In 2005, Paxton began working on the Australia-filmed Aquamarine, in which she played a mermaid, opposite Emma Roberts and JoJo, whom she befriended while filming;[2] the film opened on March 3, 2006 and grossed approximately $7.5 million in its opening weekend.[11] Reviewers of the film compared Paxton, whose inspiration is Goldie Hawn, to actress Reese Witherspoon, saying that she has an "infectious, nutty energy".[2] Paxton recorded a song for the film's soundtrack titled Connected.
Paxton hosted The Secret Life of Water, the first episode of the series Planet H2O, which premiered in April of 2006 on public television stations. In May of the same year, she made an appearance on the television series Pepper Dennis, playing a teen actress. Paxton, who sees herself as an "evolving actress",[7] most recently appeared in Return to Halloweentown, replacing Kimberly J. Brown in the fourth installment in Disney Channel's Halloweentown series; she dyed her hair brown for the role. The film aired on October 20, 2006. During the summer and early fall of 2006, Paxton filmed The Party Never Stops: Diary of a Binge Drinker, a Lifetime Television film about college-age binge drinking. Paxton has described it as "very different" from her previous roles, and has specified that she was looking for a role that would be a "challenge".[8] The film aired in March of 2007.[12] Paxton's next film role is in Sydney White, a college-set comedy starring Amanda Bynes and Matt Long; filming began on February 12, 2007 in Orlando, Florida.[13]
Paxton's debut music CD, The Ups and Downs, featuring the single Here We Go Again, is due for release by Epic Records at some point "in the future"; as of March 2007, Paxton has not completed work on it.[14]
[edit] Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Sydney White | Rachel | pre-production |
| 2007 | The Party Never Stops: Diary of a Binge Drinker | Jessie Tanner | made-for-television; scheduled for March |
| 2006 | Return to Halloweentown | Marnie Piper/Young Splendora Agatha Cromwell | made-for-television |
| Aquamarine | Aquamarine | ||
| 2004 | Sleepover | Staci | |
| 2004 | Summerland | Sarah Borden | |
| 2004- 2006 |
Darcy's Wild Life | Darcy Fields | |
| 2003 | Haunted Lighthouse | Ashley | 4d short film |
| 1998 | Soldier | Angie | |
| 1997 | Liar Liar | Child at Party and School |
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Album Cover | Album Information |
|---|---|
 |
The Ups and Downs
|
[edit] Soundtracks
- 2004 "Take A Walk" (from Darcy's Wild Life OST)
- 2006 "Connected" (from Aquamarine OST)
- 2006 "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (from DisneyMania 4)
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Paxton's birth certificate lists no middle name, despite the sometime reported middle name of "Emily". See the California Birth Index, 1905-1995. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At Ancestry.com
- ^ a b c d "All is going swimmingly for Aquamarine star Paxton", Kalamazoo Gazette, 2006-03-17. Retrieved on January 12, 2007.
- ^ Latino Leaders. "Sara Paxton: discovering "Darcy's Wild Life"", LL CULTURE: In the Arts, 2006-02-01. Retrieved on January 12, 2007.
- ^ Bloom, Nate. "Celebrity Jews", The Jewish News Weekly of Northern California, 2007-04-05. Retrieved on April 5, 2007.
- ^ Jones, Jen (3/07). "Sara Paxton". JVibe. 14-17. Retrieved on 2007-04-05.
- ^ Paxton, Sara (2005-11-25, 2005-12-11). Sara's Blog. Sara Paxton Official Website. Retrieved on January 12, 2007.
- ^ a b c "Sara Paxton loved wearing the fins in Aquamarine", Scripps Howard News Service, 2006-06-16. Retrieved on January 12, 2007.
- ^ a b Reid, Michael D.. "Sara Paxton brings the party", Times Colonist, 2006-09-08. Retrieved on January 12, 2007.
- ^ Sleepover. Rotten Tomatoes (2004). Retrieved on January 12, 2007.
- ^ Sleepover. The Numbers (2004). Retrieved on January 12, 2007.
- ^ Aquamarine. The Numbers (2006). Retrieved on January 12, 2007.
- ^ Reuters (2006-09-25). Sara Paxton set to "Party" on at Lifetime. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-01-12.
- ^ Morgan Creek Productions (2006-01-03). Amanda Bynes Set to Star in the New Comedy 'Sydney White' for Morgan Creek Productions. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-01-12.
- ^ Steinberg, Lisa (2007). SARA PAXTON LIFE OF THE PARTY. Starry Constellation Magazine. Retrieved on March 10, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Sara Paxton at the Internet Movie Database
- Sara Paxton at TV.com
- Oregon Herald interview
Categories: 1988 births | American actor-singers | American child actors | American female singers | American film actors | American television actors | Hispanic American actors | American voice actors | Jewish American actors | Jewish American singers | Mexican American actors | Mexican American singers | Mexican Americans | Living people | People from the San Fernando Valley
