Renee Olstead
born on 18/6/1989 in Houston, TX, United States
Renee Olstead
Renee Olstead is an American actress and singer. Active since childhood as an actress, she is best known for her roles on the CBS sitcom Still Standing and on the drama The Secret Life of the American Teenager as Madison Cooperstein. In addition, she has recorded four studio albums, primarily of jazz music.
Early life and career
Olstead was born in Kingwood, Texas, to Christopher Eric Olstead and Rebecca Lynn Jeffries. Olstead is of Norwegian ancestry.[1][2][3] As a child actress, she made films and commercials from age eight onwards. She also attended Centre Stage theatrical school and is mentioned on their website's list of alumni.
From 2002 to 2006, she appeared in the TV sitcom Still Standing as middle sister Lauren Miller. Olstead was presented with the Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy) - Supporting Young Actress for Still Standing in 2002. She also had a small part in the 2004 film 13 Going on 30. She co-starred in the ABC Family series The Secret Life of the American Teenager, about fifteen-year-old Amy Juergens's struggle through her unexpected pregnancy and how it affected her peers. Olstead played the character Madison Cooperstein, one of Amy's best friends.
In 2004, Olstead released a self-titled album of jazz songs and pop standards for Warner Bros. Records to good reviews. Since her previous releases had limited distribution, this album was considered her official debut. She subsequently performed in Berlin during the Live 8 concert on July 2, 2005.[4]
Olstead also recorded with trumpeter Chris Botti on his 2005 album To Love Again: The Duets and appeared on the 2006 DVD Chris Botti Live with Orchestra and Special Guests. Her singing style is influenced by such great jazz vocalists as Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. Reportedly, her musical talent was discovered by composer David Foster, who produced her 2004 album. She later performed with him on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
A follow-up album entitled Skylark, also produced by Foster, was originally announced for release in 2005, but it was subsequently pushed back several times, with release dates in the summer of 2006 and early 2007 being mentioned on online retailers such as Amazon.com. It was then scheduled for a June 2008 release, but was delayed once again.[5] It was finally released on January 27, 2009, nearly four years after it was originally announced.
On September 14, 2011, as the result of a criminal complaint initially made by actress Scarlett Johansson, the FBI announced it was investigating the alleged hacking of celebrity cellphone and email accounts and the dissemination of explicit nude photographs of Johansson and approximately 50 other celebrities, including Olstead. As a result of the investigation, 35-year-old Christopher Chaney of Jacksonville, Florida, was arrested in October 2011.[6] During the trial, Olstead testified that she attempted suicide after the nude photographs were leaked, adding that she had never before considered suicide before the hacking.[7] Chaney was sentenced to 10 years in prison in December 2012.[7]
Olstead most recently starred as Kaitlan in the 2013 supernatural thriller The Midnight Game[8] and as Jess Felton in the 2014 technology-themed thriller film Unfriended.[9]
Personal life
Renee is married to pianist Tommy King, and legally took his last name.[10]
Olstead is a vegan.[11] She appeared in a PETA ad, Fish Are Friends Not Food, urging her fans to become vegan themselves.[12][13] In 2012, Olstead joined PETA's campaign to free the elephant Mali from captivity at the Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden, where she has been alone for the last three decades.
Discography
- Stone Country (2000)
- Unleashed (2000)
- By Request (2002)
- Renee Olstead (2004)
- The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004)
- Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008)
- Skylark (2009)
- A Tribute to Billie Holliday (various artists) (2009)
- Without You-EP (2014)
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1995 | Streets of Laredo | Marci Fant | TV miniseries |
1995 | Deadly Family Secrets | Emily Pick | TV movie |
1996 | Ceftin Wiz Kids | Katie | TV movie |
1996 | Santa, NASA & the Man in the Moon | Renee Olstead | TV movie |
1996 | Cadillac Ranch | Young Mary Katherine | |
1997 | Out There | Megan Tollman | TV movie |
1997 | The Usher | Little Girl | Short film |
1998 | Touched by an Angel | Bits | Episode: "Doodlebugs" |
1998 | Reunited | Ami Beck | 5 episodes |
1999 | The Insider | Deborah Wigand | |
1999 | Chicken Soup for the Soul | Lauren | Episode: "Where's My Kiss, Then?" |
1999 | End of Days | Amy | |
1999 | Providence | Little Girl | Episode: "Home for the Holidays" |
2000 | Geppetto | Featured | TV movie |
2000 | Space Cowboys | Little Girl | |
2002 | My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star | Selma | Episode: "Fame" |
2002 | She Spies | Amy Divornak | Episode: "Poster Girl" |
2002–2006 | Still Standing | Lauren Miller | Main role, 86 episodes |
2003 | Scorched | Girl Scout | |
2003 | Fillmore! | Lucille (voice) | Episode: "South of Friendship, North of Honor" |
2004 | 13 Going On 30 | Becky | |
2007 | Super Sweet 16: The Movie | Sky Storm | |
2007 | Point of Entry | Melinda | TV movie |
2008–2013 | The Secret Life of the American Teenager | Madison Cooperstein | Main role, 89 episodes |
2011 | Bling Ring | April | TV movie |
2013 | The Midnight Game | Kaitlan | Feature film |
2014 | Unfriended | Jess | Feature film (originally titled Cybernatural) |
2015 | The Murder Pact | Annabel | TV Movie |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Nominated Work | Result | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2003 | Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama): Leading Young Actress | Still Standing | Nominated | |
2006 | Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy): Supporting Young Actress | Still Standing | Won |
References
- ^ Marit AaVebenstad. "Veslevoksen jazz-prinsesse". VG.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "En vaskeekte barnestjerne". dagbladet.no.
- ^ "LIVE 8 Concerts – Live 8". live8live.com. Archived from the original on 2007-11-16.
- ^ "Video interview: David Foster on Tom Green's House Tonight". www.davidfoster.info.
- ^ "Computer hacker who leaked nude photos of Scarlett Johansson 'will be ordered to pay her $66,000 and spend five years in jail'". Daily Mail. London.
- ^ a b "Christopher Chaney, so-called Hollywood hacker, gets 10 years for posting celebrities' personal photos online". Retrieved 2017-01-16.
- ^ "Play The Midnight Game at Home". Dread Central.
- ^ "Unfriended". BD.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-07-25. Retrieved 2015-07-24.
- ^ "Why I Decided To Go Vegan". The Huffington Post.
- ^ "Renee Olstead PETA2 Ad Says Fish Aren't Food". vegetarianstar.com.
- ^ "'Secret Life' Star Urges Fans to Get Hooked on Kindness and Go Vegan". Benzinga.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Renee Olstead. |
- Renee Olstead on IMDb
This article uses material from the article Renee Olstead from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.