Biography
Date of Birth
10 December 1985, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Birth Name
Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman
Nickname
Rae
Rave
Height
5' 2" (1.57 m)
Mini Biography
Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman was born on December 10, 1985 in Atlanta, Georgia and raised in Ossining, New York to Lydia Louise Pearman (née Gaulden) & Christopher Blaize Pearman. While they lived there, Raven signed with the Ford Modeling Agency, who sent her out on an audition for a movie called Ghost Dad (1990), which also starred the legendary Bill Cosby. She was deemed too young for the role since was only 3 years old, but Cosby could see she had talent. They asked Raven to come back to read lines, and she did so well that she got a starring role as Olivia on the last three seasons of The Cosby Show (1984). After the show finished its run, she decided to try something new: singing. In 1993, she became the youngest person ever to sign with MCA Records. She also went back to acting with a starring role in Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (1992) alongside Mark Curry, and a small role in the TV mini-series Queen (1993). After another small role in the feature film The Little Rascals (1994) and the role of Goldilocks in the TV series Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (1995), "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper" ended.
Raven's singing career was doing well and she landed a role in Doctor Dolittle (1998) alongside Eddie Murphy and a made-for-TV movie, Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (1999). She also starred in Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), but she was not available to do Zenon: The Zequel (2001). However, the Walt Disney Company, which made the Zenon movies, wanted her back to do a pilot for a new Disney TV show called "Absolutely Psychic," in which she would be a supporting character. She impressed them so much that they they made the show about her and changed the name to That's So Raven (2003). After the show was a hit, she did the made-for-TV movie The Cheetah Girls (2003) and recorded a new album. A movie based on "That's So Raven" may be in the works.
Trivia
Graduated from Atlanta's North Springs High School in June 2004.
While a contestant on The Weakest Link (2000), she couldn't answer what the "P.O." in "P.O. Box" meant, and answered 100, when asked to give half of 1,000.
She plans to attend culinary school
Enjoys all different types of music, from 50 Cent to Avril Lavigne and Björk.
Once shared an apartment in Los Angeles with her friend Lindsay Lohan.
Won the Favorite Female TV Star at the 2004 Kids' Choice Awards.
Daughter of Christopher B. Pearman and Lydia Gaulden.
The city of Winnfield gave her the Key to the City and declared December 20, 1989 to be Raven-Symoné Day.
At 18, she was rated 2003's 8th-hottest teen female star.
She went to Alpharetta's Webb Bridge Middle School.
Has been singing since age 4.
Left The Cheetah Girls to resume her solo singing career.
As of 2005, the youngest person ever to be signed by MCA records.
The first song by Missy Elliott to be played on the radio was sung by Raven.
Loves to watch South Park (1997).
Performed on Broadway at age five.
Was number 84 on VH-1's The Greatest: 100 Greatest Kid Stars (2005).
Was ranked #17 in E's 50 Cutest Child Stars All Grown-Up. (2005).
She is African-American.
Campaigned for the role of Effie White in Dreamgirls (2006) but Jennifer Hudson, who went on to win a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance, was cast instead.
She has two homes, one in L.A., and one in Atlanta, Georgia.
She has 3 pets: Zeus, a Conier; Dr. Dolittle, a Yorkie; and Czar. a Briard.
Is currently filming College Road Trip (2008). [July 2007]
New York, NY, USA: Starring as Deloris Van Cartier in "Sister Act" in Broadway. [March 2012]
Is in talks for a Cheetah Girls sequel [January 2006]
Born on her mother's birthday, December 10th.
Best friends with Adrienne Houghton.
Raven-Symoné temporarily retired from acting when she was 27. After getting hired to co-host "The View" she returned to acting. Raven-Symoné is studying fine arts at Academy of Art University.
Raven-Symoné came out as a lesbian in 2015. She dated AzMarie Livingston until 2015.
She has played the same character (Raven Baxter) in three different series: That's So Raven (2003), Cory in the House (2007), and Raven's Home (2017).
Dated AzMarie Livingston from May 2012 to October 2015.
As a child, she took art classes every weekend.
Trademarks:
Her cute smile
Her deep laugh
Quotes
I find it funny that people now come up to me and say, 'Wow, you are absolutely gorgeous. I'm like, 'I was beautiful before I lost weight. Egotistically speaking, I thought I was amazing.'
Everybody takes breaks, and I decided to take mine. I wanted a chance to wake up at two in the afternoon and not be a subject of entertainment. I wanted to be a human being. At certain times and certain years, I felt like the Energizer bunny. That gets old very quickly.
It's difficult to not be able to just be yourself without criticism in any position, whether you're in high school, college, or this industry.
It's important for young people to know that they are made the way they are made and they're beautiful and that's how they're supposed to be.
I'm not perfect. This is how I was raised. If I wasn't in the industry, I'd be the same person.
I love to see the smiles on people's faces when you cook for them. I love to go to different restaurants. I want to cook because I know this acting isn't going to last forever, and I want something to fall back on. It's another way to make people smile.
I believe you should be comfortable in your skin no matter what you go through - emotionally or whatever - as long as you're healthy.
I think our society is all about judgment, which is so rude and disrespectful.
I'm not one for a public display of my life.
I am obsessed with my hairstyles.
I went to public school, elementary through high school. I went to homecoming, to football games, pep rallies, I got detention, I got an F. I've done it all.
I've definitely had obstacles in my career - my whole entire career - to stay a certain weight, to get smaller than I have been, but I look at my family, I look at where I come from and that's not really in our genes.
I used to breed poodles. I liked them because they were fluffy and so cute - and honestly, they make a lot of money when you sell them!
I have a responsibility to not look crazy in public. I don't want to be the person where later in life when I have kids, to say, 'Don't do this' and my kids go, 'But Mom, you did it.'
The way we function in society - it doesn't make sense sometimes because it's all based on how you look and then how badly you should feel after you eat the food we just advertised. And then when someone in the public eye goes up or down, it's like a major moment.
I'm definitely addicted to purses.
Be very professional because it will get you a lot further. You have to treat people with the same respect whether they're signing your checks or cleaning up after you.
Behind closed doors, I'm a crafty person.
Singing is just another outlet to express what I feel and to show everyone who I really am. I really don't talk about my personal life that much in interviews because that's my life, but with music, the way I write explains who I am.
[About retiring from acting at age 27] "I realized there had been a plan for me since I was a baby. There was a bucket list that I didn't create, but I just kept checking things off. So I added, 'I want to be the youngest person in my world to retire.' "
[on life with AzMarie Livingston] "I refuse to binge watch shows with anyone unless it's my partner because I need to watch it when I need to watch it. Right now, I can't watch the rest of Suits because I gotta wait for her. I'm like, 'I want to watch it now!' "
