Laura Marano

Laura Marie Marano (born November 29, 1995) Marano was one of the five original classmates in Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?. She starred in Without a Trace for three seasons and Back to You. Marano starred in the indie film A Sort of Homecoming, the Disney Channel Original Movie Bad Hair Day (both 2015), the fifth installment of the A Cinderella Story film series A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish, the Netflix original movie The Perfect Date (both 2019), and the Netflix interactive romcom Choose Love.

In 2015, she signed with Big Machine Records and released her debut single "Boombox" on March 11, 2016, and "La La" later that year. On October 5, 2018, Laura Marano released the single "Me" as an independent artist.

Early life Marano was born in Los Angeles, California. She is the younger daughter of college professor Damiano Marano and former actress Ellen (née Sweeney) Marano, who owns the Agoura Children's Theatre. Her father is of Italian descent. Marano was first introduced to acting at her mother's theatre. At age five, Marano began expressing interest in acting professionally to her parents along with her older sister Vanessa, who is also an actress.

Marano attended traditional school while she worked, even when she booked a full-time job on Austin & Ally, instead of doing school on set. "I go to an actual high school and my friends and everybody there have been so supportive," said Marano in 2013. "It's nice when I'm not working to go to that school and be surrounded by really supportive friends." In 2015 Marano enrolled at the University of Southern California majoring in philosophy, politics and law.

Career 2003–2010: Without a Trace and Back to You Marano's first acting role was when she was five years old. Since then, she worked for multiple productions at the Stage Door Theater. She has appeared in numerous commercials and had small roles on Ghost Whisperer, Medical Investigation, Huff and Joan of Arcadia. Her bigger roles in television have been in Without a Trace and other shows. She played the child role of Keira Knightley's character in the film The Jacket and had a small flashback role in the film Superbad. She was a regular cast member on the Fox game show, Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? and played the role of Gracie Carr on FOX's sitcom Back to You. Marano has since appeared in several episodes of The Sarah Silverman Program. Initially she was cast in the pilot episode, "Batteries", as the child version of Sarah Silverman, and the writers liked her so much they brought her back for a larger role as a girl Sarah coaches to win a beauty pageant ("Not Without My Daughter"). On the DVD commentary track, co-star Brian Posehn notes that Marano knew everyone else's lines better than they did. She also appeared in Dexter as the child version of Debra Morgan, and in Heroes as Alice Shaw, the child version of Diana Scarwid's character.

2011–2016: Austin & Ally and radio In 2011, Marano had her breakout role as Ally Dawson on the Disney Channel series Austin & Ally. "Me and You" debuted within the U.S. Billboard Kid Digital Songs chart at number thirteen before rising to the sixth spot, spending eleven weeks on the chart. "Redial" debuted at number nineteen before peaking at number eighteen, spending four weeks on the chart. On November 25, 2013, the song was released as a promotional single.

In 2014, Marano voiced Rachel in four episodes of Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja. She also appeared as Hammu in Fish Hooks and as Fangs in Liv and Maddie. Also in 2014, she appeared in a music video produced for British pop-rock group The Vamps and American singer Demi Lovato called "Somebody to You". In March 2015, Marano stated that she had signed a record deal with Universal's Big Machine Records. In the same year, Marano starred in Disney Channel's Original Movie, Bad Hair Day alongside Leigh-Allyn Baker, playing Monica Reeves, the film's main protagonist. The film was first released on February 6, 2015, on Disney Channel and had its premiere broadcast in the US on February 13. She also starred as the young version of Amy in A Sort of Homecoming, which tells the story of a girl who returns to her home town in Louisiana from her career in New York City. On January 10, 2016, Austin and Ally ended after four seasons.

On January 13, 2016, Marano debuted her own radio talk show on Radio Disney entitled For the Record with Laura Marano. The weekly one-hour show chronicled Marano's journey as she launched her music career, featuring interviews with a guest star in each episode. The show also provided listeners tips on how one can pursue a career in music. The show featured various guest stars including Nick Jonas, Ariana Grande, Meghan Trainor, OneRepublic, Troye Sivan and Zendaya. The first episode of the show, which aired January 12, 2016, guest starred her co-stars of Austin & Ally.

2016–present: Films and music On March 11, 2016, Marano released her debut single called "Boombox". The music video for the single released on April 4, 2016, and accumulated over 6 million views in a week. The video currently holds over 60 million views. It guest stars actor and comedian Ken Jeong, along with his daughter Zooey, and was directed by Cole Walliser. On April 30, 2016, Marano performed the single at the 2016 Radio Disney Music Awards, which aired on Disney Channel on May 1. Marano also performed the song on Today as Elvis Duran's Artist of the Month on May 31, 2016. Marano released her second single, "La La", on August 25, 2016. At the end of 2016, Big Machine Records made the decision to drop all of their pop artists, except for Taylor Swift. On May 18, 2017, it was announced that Marano had signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2017. In 2018, they parted ways, because the people who had signed her left Warner Bros.

On October 1, 2018, Marano announced in a Q&A video posted on her YouTube channel that she would be releasing new music as an independent artist. She named her own label Flip Phone Records, as Marano is known for still using a flip phone. On October 5, 2018, she released the single "Me" . In January 2019, she released the single "Let Me Cry" along with its music video. In February 2019, Marano performed at the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles and released the single "F.E.O.U.". On March 8, 2019, she released her debut EP, Me, featuring two unheard tracks and a new remix to "F.E.O.U.".

On April 12, 2019, Marano released "A Little Closer", as part of the soundtrack of the Netflix original movie "The Perfect Date", which also sees Marano playing the role of Celia. In June 2019, the Lie To Me music video came out, followed by the F.E.O.U. music video in October of the same year. On November 22, 2019, Marano released both "Me and the Mistletoe" featuring Kurt Hugo Schneider, her first original Christmas single, and the soundtrack of "A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish", which Marano stars in the movie.

On April 10, 2020, Marano released the single "When You Wake Up", followed by "Can't Hold On Forever" in May of the same year. In June 2020, Marano released the remixes to these past two singles, respectively featuring Mark Diamond and PLTO. In August 2020, the singer released a new single, titled "Honest With You", and during the same month, it was announced that her sophomore EP, titled You, would be coming out in fall of the same year, aiming for an October release. On September 18, 2020, the singer released a fourth single, "Can't Help Myself", along with the announcement of the release date of the EP, "YOU". On September 21, the singer announced her first virtual tour, The YOU Tour, which would take place during the month of October, with four unique live-stream shows every week, from October 3 to 24, with each concert being unique and with a different formulation. On January 22, 2021, the singer released the acoustic version of the single Something To Believe In, whereas the music video was released on February 19, 2021. On March 12, the remix of the single was released in collaboration with DJ AFSHEEN. On April 16, the remix of the single, Honest With You, with the Malaysian singer Alextbh, was released. On May 21, the remix of Can't Help Myself was released, featuring Jean Deaux and produced by Poe Leos and on the same day, the deluxe version of the EP, YOU, was announced.

On September 24, 2021, the singer released the single I Wanna Know What It's Like. On December 31, 2021, the single Dance With You was released, featuring the electronic duo Grey, whereas on January 20, 2022, the single "Worst Kind of Hurt", with singer-songwriter Wrabel was released. Both songs are part of the soundtrack of the Netflix rom-com, The Royal Treatment, in which Marano also stars, released in January 2022. In February, a live performance of Worst Kind Of Hurt featuring Wrabel was released on Marano's YouTube channel, whereas the music video for Dance With You was released in March. Moreover, Marano and Michael Trewartha from Grey performed the song on The Kelly Clarkson Show during the same month. In March 2022, the singer announced her first national concert tour, The Us Tour, set for summer 2022 and counting of 22 dates across the United States. On tour Marano performed several tracks on piano and with her band, which consisted of Mark Diamond on guitar and Ross Hodgkinson on drums.

Later that month, it was announced that Marano was to lead Netflix's interactive rom-com, Choose Love.

On July 31, 2023, Marano announced I May Be An Actress, but I Can't Fake How I Feel, her debut studio album which was released on September 15, 2023.

Philanthropy In August 2013, Marano was named the 2013 UNICEF's Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Ambassador, which encouraged children to raise money on Halloween to help children around the world. About the campaign, Laura said "I'm so excited to celebrate Halloween this year by encouraging kids to support UNICEF's lifesaving work. The Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign is a fun, easy way for kids to learn about world issues and to help other kids who are less fortunate." In August 2014, Marano was ambassador for the Disney and Birds Eye Vegetables campaign 'Step up to the plate'. The campaign's goal is to encourage children in the United States to explore healthy foods such as vegetables. In April 2019, Laura Marano hosted a fashion show for Childhelp during National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2003 Finding Nemo Additional voices 2005 Young Jackie 2006 Ice Age: The Meltdown Additional voices 2007 Superbad Young Becca 2015 Young Amy Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip Hotel Babysitter 2017 Lady Bird Diana Greenway 2019 The Perfect Date Celia Lieberman Netflix release Saving Zoë EchoAlso producer A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish Kat Decker Direct-to-video film 2020This Is The YearHipster Gal The War with Grandpa Mia Decker 2022 The Royal Treatment Isabella "Izzy" Netflix release; also co-producer 2023 Choose Love Cami Conway Netflix release 2025 You Herself Short film; also director, writer and producer Last Train to Fortune Amanda 2026 Original Sound Ryan Reed Above & Below Tatiana TBD Borderline Post-production Silk Theory Pre-production House of Holloway Grace Post-production; also executive producer

Television Year Title Role Notes 2003–2006 Without a Trace Kate Malone Recurring role (seasons 2–4) 2004 Joan of Arcadia Emily Episode: "Night Without Stars" 2005 Medical Investigation Brooke Beck Episode: "Tribe" 2005–2006 Scout Y Main voice role 2006 Ghost Whisperer Audrey Episode: "Friendly Neighborhood Ghost" Huff Amelia Episode: "Black Shadows" Dexter Young Debra Episodes: "Let's Give the Boy a Hand", "Father Knows Best" 2007 Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? Herself Judge/Mentor (season 1) 2007–2008 Back to You Gracie Carr Main role 2007–2010 The Sarah Silverman Program Heather Silverman / Young Sarah Silverman Recurring role 2008 Ni Hao, Kai-Lan Mei Mei Voice role; episode: "Kai-Lan's Trip to China" Gary Unmarried Louise Brooks Episodes: "Pilot", "Gary Gets Boundaries" 2009 Heroes Young Alice Shaw Episode: "1961" Little Monk Cousin Lauren Episode: "Little Monk and the Monk Cousin" 2010 True Jackson, VP Molly Episode: "Little Buddies" FlashForward Young Tracy Episode: "Blowback" Childrens Hospital Haley Episode: "Frankfurthers, Allman Brothers, Death, Frankfurters" 2011–2016 Austin & Ally Ally Dawson Main role 2014 Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja Rachel Recurring voice role (season 2) Fish Hooks Girl Hamster #2 Voice role; episode: "Algae Day" Liv and Maddie Fangs Special guest star; episode: "Howl-A-Rooney" 2015 Bad Hair Day Monica Reeves Television film Pickle and Peanut Veronica Voice role; episodes: "Gory Agnes", "Haunted Couch" Girl Meets World Ally Dawson Special guest star; episode: "Girl Meets World of Terror 2" 2016 Mère et Fille, California Dream Herself French television film; Cameo 2019 Super Simple Love Story Nellie Unsold television pilot (CBS) 2020 Day by Day Ellie Voice role; episode: "Ghost Light" Robot Chicken Evie, Linda, Titanic Waitress Voice role; episode: "Sundancer Craig in: 30% of the Way to Crying" 2021 Nickelodeon's Unfiltered Herself Episode: "Kickin' Carrots & Bubbly Tea!"

Radio For the Record with Laura Marano (2016), as Host, for Radio Disney

Discography Studio albums + List of albums Title Album details I May Be an Actress, but I Can't Fake How I FeelReleased: September 15, 2023 Format: Digital download, streaming Label: Flip Phone

Soundtrack albums + List of albums, with selected chart positionsTitleDetailsPeakchartpositionsUS USOST Label: Flip Phone Format: Digital download, streaming You Released: October 2, 2020 Label: Flip Phone Format: LP, digital download, streaming Us Released: July 8, 2022 Label: Flip Phone Format: Digital download, streaming

Singles As lead artist + List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions, showing year released Title Year Peak chart positions Album NZ Hot "Boombox" 2016 — "La La" — "Me" 2018 — Me "Let Me Cry" 2019 — "F.E.O.U." — "A Little Closer — "Everybody Loves Christmas" — A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish "Me and the Mistletoe" (featuring Kurt Hugo Schneider) — "When You Wake Up" 2020 — You "Can't Hold On Forever" — "Honest with You" — "Can't Help Myself" — "Something to Believe In" 2021 — "I Wanna Know What It's Like" — Us "Dance with You" 39 "Worst Kind of Hurt" 2022 — "Breakup Song" — "This Time Last Year" — I May Be an Actress, but I Can’t Fake How I Feel "Bad Time Good Time" — "Arrow" 2023 — "Boundaries" — "The Valley" — "Brand New Heart" — "All I Want Is You" — "Powerless"(with Abigail Barlow) — I May Be an Actress, but I Can’t Fake How I Feel "Someday" —"Boombox" (remix with emlyn) 2026 —

As a featured artist + List of singles as a featured artist, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name Title Year Peak chart positions Album NZ "Weekend" 2018 —

Promotional singles Title Year Peak chartpositions Album "Words" 2010 — "I Love Christmas"(with Ross Lynch) 2013 50 (US Holiday) Holidays Unwrapped

Other charted songs + List of singles, with selected chart positions Title Year Peak chartpositions Album "Me and You" 2013 6 Austin & Ally: Turn It Up "Parachute" 6 "Redial" 18 "You Can Come to Me"(with Ross Lynch) 2014 12 Disney Channel Play It Loud "The Me That You Don't You See" 18 "Austin & Ally Glee Club Mash Up"(with Ross Lynch, Calum Worthy and Raini Rodriguez) 10

Guest appearances Title Year Other artist(s) Album "Shine" 2012 Disney Fairies: Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

Music videos Title Year Director(s) Ref. "Words" 2010 Catherine Kimmel and Peter Waldman "For the Ride" 2015 Érik Canuel "Boombox" 2016 Cole Walliser "Miraculous Ladybug" (Theme Song) "Me" 2018 "Let Me Cry" 2019 Noah Kentis "Lie to Me" Cole Walliser "F.E.O.U." Izac Rappaport "Me and the Mistletoe" Paul Khoury and Wesley Quinn "Something to Believe In" 2021 Izak Rappaport "Honest with You" (Remix) Cole Walliser "Worst Kind of Hurt" (Live Video) 2022 Betawave Media Group "Dance With You" Cole Walliser "Arrow" 2023 Robert Marrero "Boundaries" "The Valley" "Someday" Vanessa Marano "You (Baggage)" 2025 Laura Marano and Vanessa Marano

Guest appearances Title Year Artist(s) Director(s) "Heard It on the Radio" 2012 Ross Lynch Matt Stawski "Somebody to You" 2014 The Vamps and Demi Lovato Emil Nava "Freya vs. Ravenna" 2016 Princess Rap Battle Whitney Avalon

Live performances and tours

Musical theater

Headlining tours The Us Tour (2022)

Concerts Laura Marano at The Roxy (2019) The You Tour: A four-date live stream tour (2020) Sundays with Laura and You: A seven-date live stream concert series (2021) A Good Time with Laura Marano (2023)

Awards and nominations