Bridgit Mendler

Bridgit Mendler
General Information
Nickname(s)	Brid Bridge Bridget B Bib
Gender	Female
Born	December 18, 1992 (age 31) Washington D.C., United States
Occupation	Actress, singer, songwriter, producer
Years active	2004–present

Bridgit Claire Mendler (born December 18, 1992) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. Mendler has a degree in Anthropology from the University of Southern California. In 2004, she began her career in the animated Indian film The Legend of Buddha. As a teenager, she starred in the films Alice Upside Down, The Clique, and Labor Pains. In 2009, she signed with Disney Channel and played Juliet van Heusen on Wizards of Waverly Place. Following the positive reception to her character, she landed the role of Teddy Duncan on the Disney series Good Luck Charlie, which ran from April 2010 to February 2014. In 2011, she appeared in Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas, the film based on the series.

Mendler starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie Lemonade Mouth, in which her character Olivia performs numerous songs. Two singles were released from the soundtrack featuring her vocals, with both charting on the US Billboard Hot 100. In 2012, Mendler released her debut album Hello My Name Is..., which featured a pop sound, It debuted at number 30 on the US Billboard 200, and has sold over 200,000 copies. Her debut single off the album, "Ready or Not", became an international Top 40 hit. The song was certified gold in Norway; platinum in New Zealand, the United States, and Canada; and peaked at number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was announced that her second single would be "Hurricane". The video premiered on April 12, 2013 and was shot in London. "Hurricane" has been certified gold in the United States.

On November 18, 2016 she released Nemesis, her second EP along with the singles: "Atlantis" and "Do You Miss Me At All". She is now working on her second studio album which has already released two singles: "Temperamental Love" with Devontée and "Can't Bring This Down" with Pell.

Early life

Mendler was born in Washington, D.C. She has a younger brother named Nick. She moved with her family to Mill Valley, California at the age of eight. It was there where she first expressed interest in acting and began working in plays. When she was eight years old, Mendler began taking part in local roles in both dramatic and musical theatre, and became the youngest performer in the San Francisco Fringe Festival. When she was 11 years old, she hired an agent to help her get acting jobs. On the decision, she stated, "I was 11 when I did a play out in Northern California and I really enjoyed it and I decided that I wanted to pursue a career, so I got an agent and did commercials and voice-overs and that sort of thing."

Career

2004–08: Career beginnings

Bridgit Claire Mendler was born in Washington, D.C. on December 18, 1992. She moved with her family to the San Francisco area town of Mill Valley at age eight. It was there where she first expressed interest in acting and began working in plays. On the decision, Mendler stated "I was 11 when I did a play out in Northern California and I really enjoyed it and I decided that I wanted to pursue a career and so I got an agent and did commercials and voice-overs and that sort of thing." She became the youngest performer in the San Francisco Fringe Festival.

Acting career

2006–09: Breakthrough film roles

In 2004, Mendler got her first acting role in the animated Indian film The Legend of Buddha, in which she portrayed Lucy. When she was 13 years old, she got an acting role as a guest star on the soap opera General Hospital. She portrayed the dream child of character Lulu Spencer, in which the two have an argument on Mendler's character's birthday. The scene, lasting just under a minute, is later revealed to be a dream. That same year, Mendler was the voice of the character Thorn in the video game Bone: The Great Cow Race, which was based on the Bone comic series. In 2007, Mendler made her film debut in the film adaption of the Alice series, titled Alice Upside Down. Mendler starred alongside Disney Channel actress Alyson Stoner and Lucas Grabeel. Mendler portrayed the antagonistic role of Pamela, who is the rival of Stoner's character, Alice. For the film's soundtrack, Mendler provided backing vocals on the song "Free Spirit", performed by Stoner. Also in 2007 Mendler auditioned for Sonny with a Chance for the role of Sonny Munroe, but Demi Lovato was chosen. In 2008, it was announced that Mendler would play the role of Kristen Gregory in the film adaption of the popular teen novel series The Clique by Lisi Harrison. Mendler had the role of Kristen, a girl who attends OCD on a scholarship, and works hard to keep her good grades.

She also had begun working on a film with actress and singer Lindsay Lohan titled Labor Pains, which kept being pushed back due to various conflicts and problems. Though initially slated for a theatrical release, the film did not receive one in the US and was instead released as a TV film on ABC Family in 2009. The film did, however, receive a theatrical release in countries such as Russia, Romania, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Ecuador, and Mexico. The film drew 2.1 million viewers, a better-than-average prime-time audience for ABC Family, and per the network, was the week's top cable film among coveted female demographic groups. She had a supporting role in the film Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.

2009–12: Good Luck Charlie

In 2009, Mendler became a recurring character in the Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place. Mendler portrayed the role of Juliet Van Heusen, a vampire who later forms a romance with David Henrie's character Justin Russo. This lasts till the series finale. Mendler would go on to appear in eleven episodes total for the series, spanning from 2009 to 2012 when the series ended. In 2010, Mendler became the star of the Disney Channel Original Series Good Luck Charlie, centering on a teenage girl who makes videos for her baby sister to watch as she gets older. The series premiered on April 4, 2010, and was met with a positive critical reception and viewership. In the third season, Disney Channel announced that the series would feature a same-sex couple. This decision caused a protest from the conservative group "One Million Moms" asking Disney Channel not to air the episode. One of Disney's spokespersons told TV Guide the episode was "developed to be relevant to kids and families around the world and to reflect themes of diversity and inclusiveness." Disney aired the episode as planned. Other people including actors Miley Cyrus and Evan Rachel Wood expressed their support.

In 2011, she starred as Olivia White, the lead role in the Disney Channel Original Movie Lemonade Mouth, watched by 5.7 million viewers on its premiere night. Mendler performed numerous songs for the film's soundtrack, which was released on April 12, 2011 by Walt Disney Records. The first single released from the soundtrack, titled "Somebody", was released on March 4, and peaked at number 89 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The second single, "Determinate", charted in numerous other countries and peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100. In an interview with Kidzworld Media, Mendler confirmed that there will not be a sequel to Lemonade Mouth, commenting: "There’s not [going to be a sequel to Lemonade Mouth] unfortunately. We had such a great experience working on the movie, and they tried to figure something out for a sequel, but everyone at Disney felt like the movie had completed its story in the first movie. It was a great experience, and I loved working with the cast members and still see them frequently." In 2011, Mendler had the supporting role of Appoline in the straight to DVD film Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2. Mendler recorded the song "This Is My Paradise" for the film, which was released as a promotional single on January 11, 2011 with a music video directed by Alex Zamm.

On March 31, 2011, it was confirmed that Mendler had signed with Hollywood Records, and had begun working on her debut album. Also in 2011 Mendler also starred the Disney Channel Original Movie Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas!, which premiered on December 2, 2011. The song "I'm Gonna Run to You" was co-written and performed by Mendler, and was also featured in the film and released as promotional single on November 12, 2011. Mendler later co-wrote and sang the Disney's Friends for Change Games anthem called "We Can Change the World", released as her third promotional single on June 11, 2011. In 2012, she guest starred in the television series House as Callie Rogers, a homeless runaway teenager with a mysterious illness. She also made a guest cameo in Canadian teen drama Degrassi in the Season 11 episode "Don't Panic (1)" as Clare and Alli's friend Emily Quagmire, in their civics class; she can also be seen in the show's opening sequence sitting on Jake's red truck alongside Alli and Clare. She voiced the lead role of Arrietty in the American English dub of The Secret World of Arrietty, and she recorded a song "Summertime" for the movie which was released as a promotional single on February 2.

2012–15: Hello My Name Is... and Undateable

In Summer 2012, Mendler confirmed that the title of her official debut single was "Ready or Not", written by Mendler herself, Emanuel "Eman" Kiriakou and Evan "Kidd" Bogart. The song was released for digital download on August 7 and for radio airplay on August 21, 2012. "Ready or Not" peaked at 49 in the United States and 53 in Australia, but at number seven in the United Kingdom and within the top twenty of the charts in Belgium, the Republic of Ireland and New Zealand. The song received platinum certification in the United States and Canada and Gold in Denmark, New Zealand and Norway. Mendler ventured on her first headlining tour, Bridgit Mendler: Live in Concert, supporting her first studio album. The tour primarily reached only North America and she played at state fairs, music festivals and Jingle Ball's concerts series. Mendler's debut album, Hello My Name Is..., was released on October 22 by Hollywood Records and all the songs were written by Mendler with collaborators, included 12 tracks in standard version and 15 in deluxe edition. Mendler was also involved in its production. The album peaked at number 30 on the Billboard 200 and sold less than 200,000 copies in the country.

Internationally "Hello My Name Is .." debuted in a few countries as Poland, Australia, United Kingdom, France and Spain. Mendler's vocals have been compared to Lily Allen, Cher Lloyd, Jessie J and Karmin. She released two promotional singles on the album: "Forgot to Laugh" and "Top of the World". On February 12, 2013, her second single, "Hurricane", was released for radio airplay. The song peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 in the United States. On April 2 Mendler released a remix single version and, on June 21, a EP remixed. Also in June Mendler debuted her second tour, the Summer Tour, reaching only the United States. In April 30 she released the extended play Live in London, by Universal Music, recorded at a special performance in the United Kingdom. It on Mendler's VEVO On November 16, 2013 was premiered the music video for acoustic version of "Top of the World", directed by Matt Wyatt. She recorded it on her own, independent of Hollywood Records, and filmed in Griffith Park, in Los Angeles.

On June 28, 2014, Mendler began the second leg of her Summer Tour, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. On that date, she sang one of her new songs, "Fly to You", about a relationship that was said to be on the rocks but worth fighting for. On July 5, she performed another new song, "Deeper Shade Of Us", with disco influences. On November 25, 2014, Mendler was announced as a member of the main cast of the NBC comedy series Undateable in season two. She portrays the character Candace, an unlucky and undefeatably optimistic waitress, who becomes part of the main group. During the season, Candace and Justin, played by Brent Morin, were dating. After initial reports in July 2015, On July 2, it was confirmed that Mendler left Hollywood Records earlier this year. NBC renewed with Mendler for the third season that consisted entirely of live episodes, premiered in October 15.

In early 2015, NBC renewed with Mendler for a third season that consisted entirely of live episodes that premiered in October 15. In the season Justin proposes to Candace during a Backstreet Boys show and she accepts. On November 13, 2015, minutes before air time, a decision was made to pre-empt the then-upcoming live program due to the November 2015 Paris attacks. The next week, the live episode references were made about the attack as a tribute. Following the third season, it was announced that NBC had cancelled continuation of the series.

2016–present: Nemesis and Thin Ice

In 2016, Mendler produced her second studio album. Mendler discussed some of the producers and songwriters she was working with for the new album, including Mitch Allan, Dan Book, Alexei Misoul, Augie Ray, Beloryze, TMS, Ina Wroldsen, and Steve Mac. On August 4, 2016, Mendler announced the title of her new single, "Atlantis", featuring Kaiydo, which was released on August 26, 2016. The EP, Nemesis, was released on November 18. In October 2016 Mendler was cast as Ashley Wilkenson on the fifth season of the CMT television series Nashville. On February 3, 2017, Mendler announced her new single, "Temperamental Love" featuring Devontée. The music video was featured the Youtuber Jam in The Van. On February 10, Mendler was cast in lead role of Fox comedy television pilot Thin Ice, created by Elizabeth Meriwether.

Philanthropy

In 2010, Mendler became ambassador to First Book, a campaign to encourage reading and gives books to children in need. In 2011 she became part of Disney's Friends for Change, a pro-social "green" initiative of charity for environmental issues encouraging fans to take action. As campaign theme that year Mendler released a promotional single on June 11, "We Can Change the World", raising $250,000 for the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund. She also participated of the Disney's Friends for Change Games, an Olympic-based televised games aired on the Disney Channel, getting $125,000 donation to UNICEF as Yellow Team captain and also competing for $100,000. But her team lost to the World Wide Fund for Nature. In 2012 Mendler won the honorary award Common Sense Media as Role Model of the Year for her work against bullying. Mendler was the third young artist to win the award, which usually honors environmentalists and scholars. She also attended the annual UNICEF acoustic concert in New York to raise donations for charity in January 2013. In July 2012 Mendler became ambassador of the campaign Give With Target with Target Corporation to raise funds to reform schools in the United States. The campaign aims to get $1 billion by 2015. To start the Target campaign, they invested $5 million and distributed $25,000 grants to 100 in-need schools for the school year. Mendler said about the incentive: “I’m excited to partner with Target on their Give With Target campaign and celebrate the start of a new school year with kids across the country. It's so important for all kids to have everything they need for a successful school year”. In August she got $5 million donated by The Walt Disney Company and more $2 million donated by people at Facebook.

She was featured in a March 2013 public campaign Delete Digital Drama with the Seventeen Magazine to end cyberbullying. About the campaign she said "Being bullied is something I experienced in school and it is not fun...I love working to end cyberbullying. People don't have to push back as much as they would in real life. People need to realize bullying has just as much of an impact online because words are so cutting and difficult to deal with". In May 2013 Mendler traveled to the United Kingdom to fundraise for Comic Relief, given the aim of making her laugh with their jokes for a £1 donation. The campaign aimed to raising £100,000 and give families hope. About this work, she said: 'I love supporting something that is so positive and fun for people to get involved in and where people can really do something to help out." She also worked with Acuvue being a mentor to help Katie, a winner of the 2013 Acuvue 1-Day Contest, get closer to her dream of making a difference. On October 8 Mendler hosted the event We Day of Free The Children Foundation, a campaign that helps build schools for underprivileged children of Canadian and American cities. Also for Free The Children Foundation she was godmother of We Create a Change to help needy children.

On November 16, 2013, Mendler participated of the World Challenge Marathon for Save the Children Foundation, a charity race to helps children with health problems.In March 2014, Mendler traveled to region of El Quiché, Guatemala to participate in the other project of Save the Children that helps underprivileged children in developing countries. On April 8, she released the Baby Sit In, that asks for teens to help give parents a break and give babies a healthy start to their life. Mendler said "It’s an easy way for kids to help little ones everywhere get a healthy start and an opportunity to learn just by doing something they do most weekends anyway". Mendler represented the institution during the charity congress Save the Children's annual Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C.. Carolyn Miles, the Save the Children's president, thanked Mendler publicly for humanitarian work: "We are thrilled to have Bridgit on board. Her passion for helping children truly came through when she met with families and kids during her visits to the remote communities in the deserts of California and Guatemala's western highlands".

Filmography

Main article: Filmography

Discography

Main article: Discography

Personal life

Relationships

In October 2019, Bridgit announced via her Instagram that she had married her long-term boyfriend Griffin Cleverly.

On March 27, 2012, Shane Harper said in an interview with Officially the Hottest that he was dating Mendler. Harper told the interviewer that they became friends early in Good Luck Charlie and began dating in May 2011. In an interview with Cambio in September 2012, Mendler stated that it took two years between her meeting Harper and beginning to date him. In March 2013, Mendler said in an interview with the Daily Mail that the fact her boyfriend is also her on-screen boyfriend on Good Luck Charlie doesn't disturb the relationship: "I think it makes it easier, especially when it's a person who you've worked with for a long time." To Classicalite, Mendler talked about dating Harper, and said it took time for them to begin something, because she needed time to think. She said, "We knew each other for a while, were friends for a long time. I think everybody was very respectful about it and wanted to make sure that it wouldn't be weird." In November 2015, Mendler revealed that she had ended her relationship with Harper.

Education

In 2012 Mendler joined the anthropology class at the University of Southern California. She decided to study art after two members of her band joined her at USC. In an interview with Brian Mansfield of USA Today, Mendler said: "My plan right now is just to do one class at a time and see how that goes. I'm just going to study something that will be interesting and doable from the road and just take care of my general education courses for now. I want to know something outside of what I do." In 2013, she chose anthropology and studied Medieval Visual Culture, and medical Anthropology. To the University Star, Mendler said the USC was important so that she doesn't have a formulaic career: "I think seeing that college life and what that would've been like, it does make you wonder what sort of lifestyle that would be, but I'm really grateful for what I have, and I think it's cool that, because my career path is not as formulaic, I can kind of decide when I want to take time off to do certain things." In 2016 she graduated as an anthropologist. Mendler has doctorate plans, inspired by her mother, doctor of public policy.

Public image

Mendler has a clean and honest image and has thus far avoided trouble and scandals. She was listed as an "annoying" artist by Top Ten because she was excessively "correct". Mendler was included in sixteen by Billboard as the next big artist in 2012. In 2013 she also appeared in the list of thirteen. She was also chosen as one of the ten hottest young female artists by Forbes Woman. In 2012, Mendler was chosen as role model of the year by Common Sense Media, a non-profit organization that honors innovative minds from the worlds of entertainment, public policy and technology and rewards mainly teachers, scientists and philanthropists. She was honored for her charity work in anti-bullying actions, improving the lives of families by providing a trustworthy role model and creating a positive impact in the world. Mendler was the second young artist to win the award, after Miranda Cosgrove.

Gallery

"Give me the highs and lows baby." To view the Bridgit Mendler gallery, click here.

Official accounts

• Bridgit Mendler on Facebook
• Bridgit Mendler en Twitter
• Bridgit Mendler on Instagram
• Bridgit Mendler on YouTube
• BridgitMendlerVEVO on YouTube (see also BridgitMendlerVEVO)
• BridgitMendler on SoundCloud