Dana Davis (born October 4, 1978) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

voice actress Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...

, and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire ...

known for playing Monica Dawson on the NBC series '' Heroes'' (2007), Chastity Church on the

ABC Family The American cable and satellite television network that is now known as Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through several different owners (and six different name changes) during its h ...

television series ''

10 Things I Hate About You ''10 Things I Hate About You'' is a 1999 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Gil Junger and starring Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Larisa Oleynik. The screenplay, written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirs ...

'' (2009–10) and Carmen Phillips on the TNT series '' Franklin & Bash'' (2011–2013). She is an accomplished voice actress whose credits include '' Star vs. the Forces of Evil'', '' She-Ra and the Princesses of Power'', and the role of Kit on ''

Craig of the Creek ''Craig of the Creek'' is an American animated television series created by Matt Burnett and Ben Levin for Cartoon Network. The show's pilot episode debuted directly on the official app on December 1, 2017. The series premiered online on February ...

''.

Biography

Davis was born in

Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and ...

, and attended Davenport North High School. She is a trained

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

ist and attended

Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. It is located on the west side of the city near Playa Vista. LMU is the parent school to Loyola Law School, which is located ...

where she earned her

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

Music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

in 2006. Davis appeared alongside

teen actress The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in movies or television. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associated t ...

Hilary Duff Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including seven Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, four Teen Choice Awards and two Young Artist Awards. She began her acti ...

in '' Raise Your Voice''. She has also appeared in ''

Veronica Mars ''Veronica Mars'' is an American teen noir mystery drama television series created by screenwriter Rob Thomas. The series is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, and stars Kristen Bell as the eponymous character. The series pr ...

'', ''

That's So Raven ''That's So Raven'' is an American television teen sitcom that was created by Michael Poryes and Susan Sherman, and aired on Disney Channel for four seasons between January 2003 and November 2007. The series centers on Raven Baxter (Raven-Sy ...

'', '' The O.C.'', ''

Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore) and Alexis Bledel ( Rory Gilmore). The show debuted on October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flag ...

'', '' Point Pleasant'', ''

Pushing Daisies ''Pushing Daisies'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Bryan Fuller that aired on ABC from October 3, 2007, to June 13, 2009. The series stars Lee Pace as Ned, a pie-maker with the ability to bring dead things back to life ...

'', and '' Hidden Palms''. In July 2007, ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' announced that Davis would be joining the second season of the TV series '' Heroes'', as Monica Dawson, who was described as a "young hero" willing to "give up everything to help the people around her". The character is the niece of

D.L. Hawkins ''Heroes'' is an American superhero drama television series created by Tim Kring that aired on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006, to February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover that they have sup ...

and first cousin of Micah Sanders. She has the power of muscle mimicry, meaning she can master instantly any physical skill she witnesses. Davis played the role of Peyton in the hit film '' Coach Carter'' (2005) alongside Ashanti. She also starred as Lisa Hines in '' Prom Night'' (2008). Davis played Chastity Church in the

series ''

'' (

Gabrielle Union Gabrielle Monique Union-Wade ( Union; born October 29, 1972) is an American actress. Her career began in the 1990s, when she made dozens of appearances on television sitcoms, prior to landing supporting roles in 1999 teen films ''She's All That ...

played the character in the

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

) appearing in all 20 episodes. According to series creator

Carter Covington Carter Covington ( 1973) is an American television show creator, writer, story editor and producer. He is known for his screenwriting on two television series which aired on the ABC Family network: ''Greek'' and ''10 Things I Hate About You''. ...

, Davis asked out of her contract after the 20 episodes to explore new career opportunities, so Chastity was written out as transferring to a new school; the show was cancelled shortly after the episode aired.'10 Things I Hate About You': What would have been in season two
/ref>

Books

Davis uses "Dana L. Davis" as her pen name, while retaining "Dana Davis" for her acting roles. She is the author of ''Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now'', a contemporary young adult novel published by Harlequin Books in April 2018. Her second novel, ''The Voice In My Head'', was published by

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News C ...

and released on May 28, 2019. Her third novel, ''Roman and Jewell'', was published by Inkyard Press and released in January 2021. Davis's fourth novel, ''Someone You Used to Know'', was released on October 18, 2022 by Skyscape Publishing.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Dana 1978 births Living people Actors from Davenport, Iowa Actresses from Iowa African-American actresses American film actresses American television actresses American violinists Loyola Marymount University alumni 21st-century American actresses 21st-century violinists African-American women musicians 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women African-American novelists