Bridgit Mendler

Bridgit Mendler relied solely on her natural acting talent and bubbly personality to emerge as one of the Disney Channel's biggest discoveries. Mendler bounced around as a supporting player on some of the network's most popular teen shows until she landed a starring role on "Good Luck Charlie" (Disney Channel, 2010- ), a series that marked the return of the family sitcom. Mendler played a teenager who documented her suburban family's life on camera for her baby sister to watch when she grows up. Mendler further cemented her status as a suitable successor to former teen queen Miley Cyrus when she starred in "Lemonade Mouth" (Disney Channel, 2011), where her relatable charm and squeaky clean image made the young actress a role model in her own right.

Bridgit Claire Mendler was born on Dec. 18, 1992 in Washington D.C. The future star moved to Northern California, just outside San Francisco, when she was eight years old. Mendler began to express an interest in acting as a young girl, and pursued an entertainment career by the time she was 13. She landed her first onscreen role in 2006, appearing on the popular daytime series "General Hospital" (ABC, 1963- ). Her Hollywood career took off shortly after her daytime soap debut, whereupon she was cast in the family film "Alice Upside Down" (2007) opposite Luke Perry, as well as the teen comedy "The Clique" (2008), about a young woman who tries to fit in with the most popular group of girls in her middle school.

Mendler's career went full speed ahead in 2009 with a role in the Betty Thomas-directed "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel," the follow-up to the hit family film, "Alvin and the Chipmunks" (2007). That same year, she co-starred opposite former Disney darling-turned-tabloid queen Lindsay Lohan in the comedy "Labor Pains." Mendler was cast as the younger sister to Lohan's character, a woman who fakes her own pregnancy in order to save her job. Mendler also reportedly auditioned for the lead role on "Sonny with a Chance" (2009- ), a Disney Channel series about a young Midwesterner who moves to California after winning a featured spot on her favorite TV show. The role eventually went to singer and actress Demi Lovato, who the network touted as "The Next Big Thing."

Disney Channel, however, took note of Mendler's star potential. In 2009, the network cast her in a recurring role on its hit comedy "Wizards of Waverly Place" (2007-11) as a young vampire who falls in love with a teen wizard (David Henrie) living in New York. That same year, she was cast as a love interest for another heartthrob, Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers. Mendler played a girl who inspired the rocker to write a song about her on an episode of "Jonas" (Disney Channel, 2009-10). Mendler finally landed a starring role on a new Disney Channel sitcom in 2010, "Good Luck Charlie." The series revolved around a suburban family who grows after the birth of their fourth child, Charlotte (aka "Charlie"). Mendler played the eldest child Teddy, who videotapes life around their home and gives on-camera advice to her baby sister. "Good Luck Charlie" also starred comedians Leigh Allyn Baker and Eric Allan Kramer as the parents, and Jason Dolley and Bradley Steven Perry as her troublemaking brothers. The show focused on bringing the family sitcom back to the small screen, but it also launched Mendler - who performed the theme song "Hang in There Baby" - as a Disney Channel breakout star. In 2011, Mendler starred in the TV film "Lemonade Mouth," about a group of high school students who meet in detention and form a band.