Alyson MichalkaGrossberg, Josh (June 27, 2008). "Alleged Aly & AJ Stalker Arraigned". Archived from the original on July 3, 2008. Retrieved December 16, 2020. ( ; born March 25, 1989) is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and musician. Michalka rose to prominence with her starring role as Keely Teslow in the

Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...

sitcom ''

Phil of the Future ''Phil of the Future'' is an American science fiction comedy television series that originally aired on Disney Channel for two seasons from June 18, 2004, to August 19, 2006. It was created by Douglas Tuber and Tim Maile and produced by 2121 Pr ...

'' (2004–2006). She went on to appear in various films, such as '' Bandslam'' (2009), ''

Easy A ''Easy A'' (stylized as ''easy A'') is a 2010 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Will Gluck, written by Bert V. Royal, and starring Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, Thomas Haden Church, Patricia Clarkson, Cam Gigandet, L ...

'' (2010), ''

The Roommate ''The Roommate'' is a 2011 American psychological thriller film directed by Christian E. Christiansen and written by Sonny Mallhi. The film stars Leighton Meester, Minka Kelly, Cam Gigandet, Aly Michalka, Danneel Harris, Frances Fisher, and ...

'' (2011), ''

Grown Ups 2 ''Grown Ups 2'' is a 2013 American comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Adam Sandler, Fred Wolf (writer), Fred Wolf, and Tim Herlihy, and produced by Sandler and Jack Giarraputo. It serves as a sequel to the 2010 film Grown Ups (fil ...

'' (2013), '' Sequoia'' (2014), ''

Weepah Way for Now ''Weepah Way for Now'' is a 2015 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Stephen Ringer and starring Aly and AJ Michalka. Plot Elle and Joy are two sisters apart by two years. The two are singers and are living together away from the ...

'' (2015), and '' The Lears'' (2017). She had starring roles in

The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

comedy drama series ''

Hellcats ''Hellcats'' is an American cheerleading comedy-drama television series that originally aired on The CW in the United States from September 8, 2010, to May 17, 2011. Based on the book ''Cheer: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders'' ...

'' (2010–2011) and the CW crime drama series '' iZombie'' (2015–2019), along with the Hallmark Channel Original Movie, ''Sand Dollar Cove'' (2021). Michalka is half of the musical duo

Aly & AJ Aly & AJ is an American pop rock duo consisting of sisters Aly Michalka, Alyson "Aly" Michalka (born 1989) and AJ Michalka, Amanda Joy "AJ" Michalka (born 1991) from Torrance, California. They signed with Hollywood Records and in 2005, they rele ...

(briefly 78violet) alongside her sister, AJ.

Early life

Michalka was born in

Torrance, California Torrance is a coastal city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the metropolitan ...

, USA. She grew up in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

, and

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

with her younger sister, Amanda Joy "AJ", who is also an actress and musician. Her father, Mark, owns a contracting company, and her mother, Carrie, is a musician who performed with the

Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. This music is typically performed by Christians, Christian individuals. The extent to whi ...

band "JC Band". Her parents are divorced. Michalka has played the

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

since she was five and started playing the guitar at the age of 13. She started acting when she was five years old in church play productions her family attended outside Seattle, Washington and Thousand Oaks, California. She was raised as a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

.Grounded in Faith – Today's Christian

Career

Acting

In 2004, Michalka was cast in the role of Keely Teslow on the

's ''

''. The series premiered on June 18, 2004. In August 2006, Disney Channel ended the series after two seasons. She has also starred in the Disney Channel original movie ''Now You See It...'', and appeared in the TV movie '' Cow Belles'' opposite her sister. Michalka and her sister starred in several projects produced by the Disney Channel and

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

. In 2007, they appeared in the MTV film '' Super Sweet 16: The Movie'' based on the MTV series ''

My Super Sweet 16 ''My Super Sweet 16'' is an American reality television series documenting the lives of teenagers, usually in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom, generally with wealthy parents who throw lavish, excessive and expensive coming-of-age c ...

''. In August 2009, she co-starred in the

Walden Media Walden Media, LLC is an American independent studio that develops, produces and finances feature films and television series for the U.S. and global markets. Its films focus on stories of courage drawn from biographies, historical events, and li ...

film '' Bandslam''.Aly & AJ Writing New Songs, Plot Films
''Billboard''. January 10, 2008. In April 2010,

announced Michalka was cast in the main role of Marti Perkins on the

cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense Physical exercise, physical activity. It can be performed to motivate s ...

drama series ''

''. Despite a successful premiere, ratings dropped, and in May 2011, The CW announced the show was not renewed for a second season. In 2011, Michalka made a guest appearance on '' CSI: NY''. In 2010 and 2011 respectively, Michalka had major supporting roles in films ''

'' and ''

''. In 2013, Michalka appeared in the independent drama film, '' Crazy Kind of Love'', alongside

Eva Longoria Eva Jacqueline Longoria Bastón ( Longoria; born March 15, 1975) is an American actress, producer, director, and businesswoman. After several guest roles on television, she became recognized for her portrayal of Isabella Braña on the CBS day ...

Virginia Madsen Virginia Madsen (born September 11, 1961) is an American actress. She is the recipient of two Critics' Choice Awards, an Independent Spirit Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Gl ...

and Amanda Crew. In 2013, Michalka participated in a multi-episode role on the

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn that aired on CBS for 12 seasons from September 22, 2003, to February 19, 2015. The series originally starred Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper, a hedonis ...

''. In July 2014, she and her sister filmed the independent drama ''

'' in Laurel Canyon, California; Michalka also participated in the casting process and production for the film. The movie was written and directed by her husband, Stephen Ringer, and premiered at the

Los Angeles Film Festival The LA Film Festival was an annual film festival that was held in Los Angeles, California, and usually took place in June. It showcased independent, international, feature, documentary and short films, as well as web series, music videos, episodi ...

on June 16, 2015. Michalka had a recurring role on the CW series '' iZombie'' for the first and second season, and became a regular cast member for season three. On April 19, 2016, she was announced as a cast member for the comedy film '' The Lears'', an adaptation based on the Shakespearean play ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

''.

Music

Michalka and her sister AJ formed the musical duo Aly & AJ in 2004. They released their first album, ''

Into the Rush ''Into the Rush'' is the debut studio album by American pop rock duet (music), duo Aly & AJ, released by Disney-owned label Hollywood Records on August 16, 2005. The album features 14 tracks, including the singles "Rush (Aly & AJ song), Rush" and ...

'', on August 16, 2005. In September 2006, they released a holiday album, ''

Acoustic Hearts of Winter ''Acoustic Hearts of Winter'' is a Christmas album and the second studio album by American pop duo Aly & AJ. The album was released on September 26, 2006 in the United States, via Hollywood Records. The album was conceived as a project after com ...

'', featuring cover songs and two original songs. In July 2007, their third album, '' Insomniatic'', was released, featuring the Billboard top 20 hit single, "

Potential Breakup Song "Potential Breakup Song" is a song co-written and performed by pop rock duo Aly & AJ and is the first single from their third studio album, '' Insomniatic''. It was released on June 26, 2007, going on to top many video countdowns, and becoming ...

". The duo changed their name to 78violet and were set to release a fourth album in early 2010, but the project never materialized following their departure from

Hollywood Records Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by the Disney Music Group which focuses on pop, rock, alternative, hip hop and country genres, also specializing in recordings for a more mature audience not suitable for the flagship Wal ...

. Several years later, in the summer of 2013, they returned with new music, releasing their first single, " Hothouse", on July 8, 2013. In December 2015, they confirmed that they had returned to their original name, "Aly & AJ". In April 2016, they confirmed plans to release new music for an upcoming studio album. On June 2, 2017, they announced a new single, titled "Take Me". It served as the lead single from their EP, planned to be released on July 14, 2017. On May 7, 2021, they released '' A Touch of the Beat Gets You Up on Your Feet Gets You Out and Then Into the Sun''.

Personal life

In 2012, Michalka began dating independent film producer Stephen Ringer, whom she met on the set of '' Sequoia''. The couple became engaged in

Big Sur Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of the U.S. state of California, between Carmel Highlands and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Range, Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from th ...

, California, in July 2014. They married in

Portofino Portofino (; ) is a ''comune'' located in the Metropolitan City of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. The town is clustered around its small harbour, and is known for the colourfully painted buildings that line the shore. Since the late 19th centur ...

, Italy, on June 6, 2015. Michalka gave birth to their son on April 21, 2024.

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

Discography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Michalka, Alyson 1989 births Living people Aly & AJ 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American women singers Actresses from Torrance, California Actresses from Seattle American acoustic guitarists American child actresses American child singers American Christians American women pop singers American women singer-songwriters American film actresses American television actresses American women guitarists Liberalism in the United States Singers from Seattle Musicians from Torrance, California Guitarists from California Guitarists from Washington (state) Singer-songwriters from California Hollywood Records artists 21st-century American singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Washington (state)