Sasha Pieterse

Sasha Pieterse Sheaffer (; born February 17, 1996 ) is a South African-born American actress and singer. She is known for portraying Alison DiLaurentis in the Freeform series Pretty Little Liars (2010–2017), and its spin-off Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, in which she achieved global stardom and critical acclaim.

After early recognition for her roles as Buffy Davis in Family Affair (2002–2003) and as Marissa Electricidad / Ice Princess in the film The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl (2005), Pieterse played minor roles in various other films and series. She later rose to prominence with her role in Pretty Little Liars. Upon the success of Pretty Little Liars, Pieterse starred in films such as Disney Channel's Geek Charming (2011), teen comedy G.B.F (2013), indie film Burning Bodhi (2015), drama films Coin Heist (2017) and The Honor List (2018), and the psychological thriller film The Image of You (2024).

Pieterse participated in the 25th season of Dancing with the Stars (2017). In addition to acting, Pieterse has ventured into music and modeling. She served as a judge in Beat Bobby Flay and Sugar Rush Christmas (both 2020).

Early life Pieterse was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on February 17, 1996, to Sean and Zizi. Pieterse's family is of Afrikaner descent and moved to the United States in 2001. She was raised in Las Vegas, before moving to Los Angeles. She became accustomed to a career in entertainment at an early age, as her parents were a professional acrobatic dance team who performed internationally. She appeared in an advertisement for Wenner Bread Products at five years old, and later appeared on a national billboard for hair salon franchise SuperCuts and modeled for Macy's Passport fashion show. Pieterse appeared in numerous magazines, including on the covers of BELLO 's "Young Hollywood" issue (December 2014), TeenProm (2015 issue), Seventeen (August 2016), Social Life (August 2019).

Film and television At the age of six, Pieterse got her start in television, co-starring in 2002 as Buffy on The WB's remake of the CBS sitcom Family Affair. She guest starred in the Stargate SG-1 episode "Grace" with Amanda Tapping as a little girl named Grace. In 2005, she appeared on an episode of House titled "Autopsy", portraying Andie, a young girl with terminal cancer. That same year, she made her film debut in The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D as Marissa, the Ice Princess, and also appeared as Millie Rose for two episodes of the short-lived TNT series Wanted, alongside her former Family Affair co-star, Gary Cole.

Pieterse appeared in the 2007 film Good Luck Chuck, playing a young goth girl who places a curse on the titular character. She played the younger version of Sarah Michelle Gellar's character in the 2007 film The Air I Breathe, along with such co-stars as Kevin Bacon, Forest Whitaker, and Emile Hirsch. She also played a leading character in the Hallmark original film Claire, also released in 2007.

Pieterse was 13 years old in late 2009, when she was cast in the Freeform teen drama television series Pretty Little Liars (2010–2017) as Alison DiLaurentis, the former "queen bee" of her high school clique. She had a regular role in the series from the first four seasons, until later became a main role in the fifth season, with one of the five girls. Since its debut, the series has received mixed reviews from television critics, but remained a success for Freeform, garnering a large fandom. Pieterse reprised her role as Alison, in the spin-off series titled Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists on Freeform in 2019. On Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, she portrayed the grown-up version of Alison who is working as a teaching assistant at Beacon Heights University. In September 2017, Pieterse was announced as one of the celebrities to compete on the 25th season of Dancing with the Stars. She was paired with professional dancer Gleb Savchenko. They were the fourth couple eliminated, on October 16, 2017, finishing in 10th place.

On August 16, 2021, Deadline announced that Pieterse had been cast in Netflix's film adaptation of Annie Barrows’ New York Times bestselling book series Ivy + Bean alongside Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jane Lynch and Nia Vardalos. In July 2023, Deadline Hollywood reported that Pieterse had been cast in psychological thriller film The Image of You (2024), starring in a dual roles of twin sisters of Anna and Zoe. Her second single, "R.P.M", was released on June 13, 2013.

Pieterse's third single, "I Can't Fix You", was released on July 12, 2013. On December 10, 2013, she released her fourth single "No", an upbeat track about "standing strong in your convictions" and saying no when an unfaithful, lying ex-boyfriend asks for a second chance.

Other ventures Pieterse's cookbook Sasha in Good Taste: Recipes for Bites, Feasts, Sips & Celebrations was published by Dey Street Books, an imprint of HarperCollins on October 8, 2019. San Francisco Book Review wrote that the book is "full of good ideas".

Pieterse has a lifestyle website called "Sasha in Good Taste".

Personal life On December 22, 2015, Pieterse became engaged to her long-term partner Hudson Sheaffer. They were married on May 27, 2018, at Castle Leslie in Glaslough, Ireland. On May 27, 2020, Pieterse announced that she and Sheaffer were expecting their first child. Their son was born in November 2020. As of 2022, the family resides in Nashville, Tennessee.

At the start of season 25 of Dancing with the Stars, Pieterse revealed that she was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, which causes symptoms such as irregular periods and weight gain.

Pieterse speaks Afrikaans, English, and French.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 2005 Marissa Electricidad / Ice Princess 2007 Young Sorrow Good Luck Chuck Young Anisha Carpenter 2011 X-Men: First Class Teenage girl Cameo 2013 G.B.F. Fawcett Brooks 2014 Inherent Vice Japonica Fenway 2015 Burning Bodhi Aria 2017 Coin Heist Dakota Cunningham 2018 The Honor List Isabella Walker2022Ivy + Bean: The Ghost That Had to GoMs. Aruba-TateIvy + Bean: Doomed to Dance 2024 The Image of You Anna / Zoe

Television Year Title Role Notes 2002–2003 Family Affair Buffy Davis Main role 2004 Stargate SG-1 Grace Episode: "Grace" 2005 Wanted Millie Rose 2 episodes House Andie Episode: "Autopsy" 2007 Claire Maggie Bannion Television film CSI: Miami Beth Buckley Episode: "Stand Your Ground" 2009 Without a Trace Daphne Stevens Episode: "Wanted" 2009–2010 Heroes Amanda Strazzulla Recurring role (season 4) 2009 Heroes: Slow Burn Web series; recurring role 2010–2017 Pretty Little Liars Alison DiLaurentis Main role 2011 Medium Marie DuBois (age 14) Episode: "Me Without You" Geek Charming Amy Loubalu Television film 2014 Hawaii Five-0 Dawn Hatfield Episode: "Pe'epe'e Kanaka" 2016 Sing It! Destiny Wood Episode: "Destiny Is Calling!" 2017 Dancing with the Stars Herself Contestant (season 25) 2019 Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists Alison DiLaurentis Main role Epic Night Shook Web series; 2 episodes 2020 Beat Bobby Flay Herself Celebrity judge; episode: "Pretty Little Fryer" Sugar Rush Christmas Guest judge; episode: "North Pole"2024A Carpenter Christmas RomanceAndrea MetcalfLifetime television film; also executive producer

Music videos Year Title Artist Role Notes 2013 "Rewind" Skye Stevens Love Interest "R.P.M." Sasha Pieterse Reckless Driver Girl Also executive producer 2014 "Hey! (The Last Party Ever)" The New Average Girl 2026 "Get In Girl" Meghan Trainor Friend

Awards and nominations Year Association Category Work ResultRef. 2003 Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Young Actress Age Ten or Younger Family Affair Best Ensemble in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) 2011 ShoWest Awards Breakthrough Performer of the Year Pretty Little Liars 2014 Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Female Breakout Star 2015 Independent Spirit Awards Robert Altman Award Inherent Vice MTV Fandom Awards Ship of the Year Pretty Little Liars Teen Choice AwardsChoice TV: Scene Stealer 2016 2017 Choice TV Actress: Drama Choice TV Ship