Bailee Madison (born October 15, 1999) is an American actress and singer. Born in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...
, Madison began acting at just two weeks of age, appearing mostly in
television commercial
A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...
s for the first few years. Her film debut, as
May Belle Aarons in the fantasy drama ''
Bridge to Terabithia'' (2007), brought her early praise. She gained wider acclaim for starring in the war drama film ''
Brothers
A brother (: brothers or brethren) is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingl ...
'' (2009), for which she was nominated for the
Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer
The Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer (Actor/Actress) is one of the awards given to people working in the film industry by the Critics Choice Association (CCA), formerly Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA). It has been aw ...
. She had commercial success with starring roles in the comedies ''
Just Go with It
''Just Go With It'' is a 2011 American romantic comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Allan Loeb and Timothy Dowling, and produced by Adam Sandler, Jack Giarraputo, and Heather Parry. It is a remake of the 1969 film '' Cactus Flower ...
'' (2011) and ''
Parental Guidance'' (2012), though the critical reception of these films was mostly negative.
Madison transitioned to television in ensuing years, first with recurring roles in ''
The Haunting Hour: The Series'' (20102012), as young
Snow White
"Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', numbered as Tale 53. The original title was ''Sneewittch ...
in ''
Once Upon a Time
"Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 in storytelling in the English language and has started many narrative ...
'' (2012–2016), and as a teenager with multiple mental health issues in the drama series ''
The Fosters'' (20142015). She played the leading roles of Hillary Harrison in ''
Trophy Wife
A trophy wife is a wife who is regarded as a status symbol for the husband. The term is often used in a derogatory or disparaging way, implying that the wife in question has little personal merit besides her physical attractiveness, requires subs ...
'' (2013–2014) and Grace Russell in ''
Good Witch'' (20152021). Madison gained further praise and resurged her status as a scream queen with her leading role as Imogen Adams in the
Max
Max or MAX may refer to:
Animals
* Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog
* Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE)
* Max (gorilla) ...
slasher horror series ''
Pretty Little Liars
''Pretty Little Liars'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery teen drama television series created by I. Marlene King, which aired on Freeform (TV channel), Freeform from June 8, 2010 to June 27, 2017, based on the novel series Pretty Little L ...
'' (20222024), a spinoff of
the eponymous original series. She subsequently debuted her solo music career with the release of the
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Pop music, a musical genre
Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop! (British group), a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Album ...
single "Kinda Fun" (2024).
Early life
Madison was born in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...
,
to Patricia Riley (nee Williams) and Daniel Hotte. The youngest of seven children, she has four brothers and two sisters. Her elder sister,
Kaitlin Vilasuso, is also an actress. Her father is Canadian, and through him Madison has
citizenship by birth
''Jus soli'' ( or , ), meaning 'right of soil', is the right of anyone born in the territory of a state to nationality or citizenship. ''Jus soli'' was part of the English common law, in contrast to ''jus sanguinis'' ('right of blood') assoc ...
.
Madison began her career when she was two weeks old, appearing in an
Office Depot
The ODP Corporation is an American office supply retailer headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. The company operates 922 retail stores in the United States under the Office Depot and OfficeMax brands, as well as e-commerce sites and a business ...
commercial. Since then, she has appeared in several national commercials for major companies including
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
,
SeaWorld
SeaWorld is an American theme park chain with headquarters in Orlando, Florida. It is a proprietor of marine mammal parks, oceanariums, animal theme parks, and rehabilitation centers owned by United Parks & Resorts. The parks host shows st ...
, and
Cadillac
Cadillac Motor Car Division, or simply Cadillac (), is the luxury vehicle division (business), division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Its major markets are the United States, Canada and China; Cadillac models are ...
.
Career
2010s

In 2010, Madison starred in her first leading role in the supernatural horror film ''
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark''. She starred alongside
Katie Holmes
Kate Noelle Holmes (born December 18, 1978) is an American actress. She first achieved fame as Joey Potter on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003).
Holmes made her film debut with a supporting role in Ang Lee's '' The Ice Sto ...
and
Guy Pearce
Guy Edward Pearce (born 5 October 1967) is an Australian actor. List of awards and nominations received by Guy Pearce, His accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, and nominations for an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a British Academy Film Aw ...
, portraying the role of Sally Hurst, a lonely withdrawn child who is sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend.
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
'' gave the film stars out of 4, calling it "a very good haunted house film" and adding that it "milks our frustration deliciously."
In 2011, Madison portrayed Maxine Russo in some episodes of ''
The Wizards of Waverly Place'' at the time when
Max Russo was turned into a girl.
In 2013, Madison began playing Hillary on the TV sitcom ''
Trophy Wife
A trophy wife is a wife who is regarded as a status symbol for the husband. The term is often used in a derogatory or disparaging way, implying that the wife in question has little personal merit besides her physical attractiveness, requires subs ...
'', replacing Gianna LePera who played the character in the pilot.
In 2014, she began playing the recurring role of Sophia Quinn in the
ABC Family
American cable television, cable and satellite television network Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes dur ...
drama ''
The Fosters''.
In 2015, she began playing Grace Russell, the daughter of Cassie Nightingale, in the Hallmark series ''
Good Witch''. Madison continued in the role until the end of the fifth season in 2019.
In 2017, it was announced that Madison would star in an adaptation of Rachel Bateman's novel ''
Someone Else's Summer
''Someone Else's Summer'' is the debut novel of Rachel Bateman. The novel was published in 2017 and follows seventeen year old Anna as she completes her older sister Storm's bucket list.
Plot
Anna is a seventeen year old cheerleader and lifegua ...
''.
In 2018, Madison portrayed the role of Kinsey, a rebellious child in the
slasher film ''
The Strangers: Prey at Night.'' She starred alongside
Christina Hendricks
Christina Rene Hendricks (born May 3, 1975) is an American actress and former model. With an extensive career on screen and stage, she has received various accolades, including two Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Critics' Choice Awards, as ...
and
Martin Henderson
Martin Henderson (born 8 October 1974) is a New Zealand actor. He is known for his roles on the American medical drama series '' Off the Map'' as Dr. Ben Keeton (2011), the medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' as Dr. Nathan Riggs (2015–20 ...
, as her parents. Although the film received a mixed response from critics, Madison's performance was praised and was relatively successful at the box office.
2020s
In 2021, Madison played the female lead in a teen Christian musical drama, ''
A Week Away
''A Week Away'' is a 2021 American Christian musical romance film directed by Roman White. The film was written by Alan Powell, Kali Bailey, and Gabe Vasquez. The film's songs were produced and mixed by Adam Watts and co-produced by Cory Clark ...
'', alongside
Kevin Quinn. Netflix released the film on March 26. The following year, she played Imogen Adams in the
HBO Max
Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...
horror-thriller series ''
Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin'', a spin-off of ''
Pretty Little Liars
''Pretty Little Liars'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery teen drama television series created by I. Marlene King, which aired on Freeform (TV channel), Freeform from June 8, 2010 to June 27, 2017, based on the novel series Pretty Little L ...
'', to critical acclaim. In 2024, Madison signed a deal with Red Van Records, releasing her first single, "Kinda Fun", on January 12, and her second single, "Chiller", on July 26.
Personal life
Since 2019, Madison has been in a relationship with Blake Richardson, from the band
New Hope Club
New Hope Club were a British pop trio formed in 2015, consisting of Reece Bibby, Blake Richardson, and George Smith. Their debut EP, ''Welcome to the Club'', was released through Steady Records/Hollywood Records on 5 May 2017; the band rele ...
.
Other ventures
Since 2010, Madison has served as the national youth spokesperson for
Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation
Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (previously known as Alex's Lemonade Stand and currently abbreviated as ALSF) is an American pediatric cancer charity founded by Alexandra "Alex" Scott (January 18, 1996 – August 1, 2004), who lived in Connecticu ...
, a childhood-cancer charity organization that encourages kids to fundraise and spread awareness of pediatric cancer by running their own lemonade stands.
["Young actress Bailee Madison sells lemonade for charity, celebrates Girl Scouts 100th anniversary with new role"](_blank)
FoxNews.com, June 12, 2012. In January 2018, Madison's first novel was published, ''Losing Brave'', a
young-adult mystery which was co-written with Stefne Miller. Since November 2018, she has co-hosted the podcast ''Just Between Us'' with her sister
Kaitlin Vilasuso.
Filmography
Film
Television
Music videos
Discography
Singles
Awards and nominations
Publications
* ''Losing Brave'' (January 24, 2018) (co-written with Stefne Miller)
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Madison, Bailee
1999 births
Living people
21st-century American actresses
Actresses from Florida
American Christians
American child actresses
American film actresses
American television actresses
American voice actresses
Actresses from Fort Lauderdale, Florida