Vanessa Morgan

Vanessa Morgan Mziray (born March 23, 1992 ) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Beatrix "Bird" Castro in the MTV teen drama series Finding Carter, as Amanda Pierce in the Family teen comedy series The Latest Buzz, and as Sarah in the Disney Channel / Teletoon film My Babysitter's a Vampire and the television series of the same name. From 2017 to 2023, she played Toni Topaz in the CW teen drama series Riverdale.

Early life Morgan was born in Ottawa, Ontario. Her mother, Catherine, is Scottish and her father, Loyar, is Tanzanian. Morgan is the youngest of three children. She has two older siblings: an older sister and an older brother. Morgan began singing at the age of six. She sang at community events and telethons, performed for Childhelp, and was a regular guest entertainer for the College of the Desert scholarship foundation. She was spotted by a Hollywood agent in 1999 and earned a scholarship at a Hollywood acting academy. In 1999, Morgan won America's Junior Miss pageant and won first place vocalist at the National Date Festival. In 2000, she won first place in the African-American Vocal Competition.

Career Acting Morgan made her acting debut in the VH1 film A Diva's Christmas Carol in 2000 and another appearance in the film Frankie & Alice in 2010. She became known in 2007 for her role as Amanda Pearce in the Family teen comedy series The Latest Buzz as well as performing the theme song for the series. She also played Marion Hawthorne in the 2010 Disney Channel film Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars.

The following year, Morgan played Sarah in the Teletoon / Disney Channel film My Babysitter's a Vampire, as well in the television series of the same name. Morgan also appeared in the 2011 Disney Channel film Geek Charming.

In 2013, Morgan appeared on Degrassi: The Next Generation for two episodes.

In 2014, Morgan had a recurring role on the MTV show Finding Carter, playing Beatrix "Bird" Castro.

In 2017, she joined the main cast of the fantasy drama series The Shannara Chronicles as Lyria for the second season on Spike. Morgan was then cast in the recurring role of Toni Topaz in the CW teen drama series Riverdale. On May 2, 2018, it was announced that Morgan would be a series regular for the show's third season.

Since 2024, Morgan has played Max Mitchell, a street-smart thief lead role in the Canadian comedy-drama series Wild Cards.

Other work Morgan competed in the first season of the CTV reality competition series The Amazing Race Canada with her sister, Celina Mziray. They finished the race in third place.

Personal life On July 3, 2019, Morgan became engaged to professional baseball player Michael Kopech. They were married on January 4, 2020. On June 19, 2020, Kopech filed for divorce. On July 24, 2020, Morgan announced she was pregnant. As of December 2020, the divorce case was pending. In 2021, Morgan gave birth to a son. Morgan and Kopech officially divorced in 2021. In 2024, Morgan gave birth to a daughter fathered by Canadian basketball player James Karnik. Morgan announced her engagement to Karnik on December 24, 2024.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes 2000 A Diva's Christmas Carol Young Ebony Television film 2007–2010 The Latest Buzz Amanda Pierce Main role 2010 Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars Marion Hawthorne Television film Frankie & Alice 16-year-old Frankie Film; credited as Vanessa Morgan Mziray My Babysitter's a Vampire Sarah Television film 2011–2012 My Babysitter's a Vampire Sarah Main role 2011 Geek Charming Hannah Mornell 2012 A.N.T. Farm Jeanne Gossamer / Vanessa LaFontaine 4 episodes 2013 Degrassi Vanessa 2 episodes Saving Hope Ricki Wilkins Episode: "Why Waste Time" The Amazing Race Canada Herself/Contestant Season 1 contestant, 3rd place 2014 Guilty at 17 Leigh Television film The Night Session Brittany / Intruder Short film 2014–2015 Finding Carter Beatrix "Bird" Castro Recurring role 2015 Some Assembly Required Jazlyn Sims Episode: "Award Show in a Box" 2017 The Shannara Chronicles Lyria Main role (season 2) 2017–2023 Riverdale Toni Topaz Recurring role (season 2), main role (season 3–7) 2018 Pimp Destiny Film 2019 Lip Sync Battle Herself Episode: "Andy Grammer vs. Vanessa Morgan" 2022 Margaux Lexi Film 2024–present Wild Cards Max Mitchell Main role

+ Music videos Year Title Artist(s) 2008 "Stand Up!" Herself 2018 "Be My Joker" Herself 2019 "Higher Love" Kygo and Whitney Houston

Discography Released Song(s) Album 2018 "Be My Joker" N/A 2018 "In", "The World According To Chris", "You Shine (Reprise)", and "A Night We'll Never Forget" Riverdale: Special Episode – Carrie the Musical (Original Television Soundtrack) 2019 "Candy Store", "Big Fun", "Dead Girl Walking", "Seventeen", and "Seventeen (Encore)" Riverdale: Special Episode – Heathers the Musical (Original Television Soundtrack) 2019 "Call Your Girlfriend" Riverdale: Season 3 (Original Television Soundtrack) 2020 "Wicked Little Town", "Random Number Generation", "Tear Me Down", "Wig in a Box", "Sugar Daddy", and "Midnight Radio" Riverdale: Special Episode – Hedwig and the Angry Inch the Musical (Original Television Soundtrack) 2020 "Cherry Bomb" Riverdale: Season 4 (Original Television Soundtrack) – EP 2020 "Sleep When I'm Dead" N/A 2021 "After Dark" N/A

Awards and nominations