Kyla Alissa Pratt (born September 16, 1986) is an American actress. She is best known for providing the voice of Penny Proud in the first

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 ...

animated series, ''

The Proud Family ''The Proud Family'' is an American animated sitcom created by Bruce W. Smith that aired on Disney Channel for two seasons from September 15, 2001, to August 19, 2005. The series centers on the life of the titular family, including the show’s ...

'', and portraying Breanna Latrice Barnes in

UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that operated from 1995 to 2006. It was originally a joint venture between Chris-Craft Industries (later sold to News Corporation)'s subsidiary, United Television, ...

's '' One on One''. After playing Maya Dolittle, the daughter of

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He had his breakthrough as a standup comic before gaining stardom for his film roles; he is widely recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. H ...

's character in the films '' Dr. Dolittle'' and '' Dr. Dolittle 2'', Pratt became the main character in the spin-off series of the franchise which included '' Dr. Dolittle 3'', '' Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief'', and '' Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts''. Pratt has also been in the films ''

Fat Albert ''Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids'' (often referred to simply as ''Fat Albert'') is an educational American animated television series created, produced, and hosted (in live action bookends) by comedian Bill Cosby, who also lent his voice to a nu ...

'', '' Hotel for Dogs'', and '' The Proud Family Movie''. From 2012 to 2014, she appeared in the series '' Let's Stay Together''. She was formerly a part of

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

's '' Black Ink Crew: Compton'' and the cast of '' Call Me Kat'' on

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

and is currently reprising her role as Penny in ''The Proud Family'' revival '' The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder'' on

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 ...

Early life

Kyla Alissa Pratt was born on September 16, 1986, to Kecia Pratt, a school teacher, and Johnny McCullar, a basketball player. She is the oldest of five children.

Career

Acting career

Pratt began acting at age eight, appearing in commercials for an interactive computer game and

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

. In 1997, she appeared in an episode of ''

Walker, Texas Ranger ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' is an American action fiction, action Crime drama, crime television series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis. It was inspired by the film ''Lone Wolf McQuade'', with both the film and the series starring Chuck Norr ...

'' titled "The Neighborhood", in which she portrayed Kyla Jarvis, a ten-year-old girl who miraculously recovers after accidentally being shot in a

drive-by shooting A drive-by shooting is a type of assault that usually involves the perpetrator(s) firing a weapon from within a motor vehicle and then fleeing. Drive-by shootings allow the perpetrators to quickly strike their targets and flee the scene before l ...

in her gang-ridden neighborhood, and reveals that she saw heaven where she met a guardian angel who gives her an important mission from God. With Walker's help, Kyla Jarvis spreads the angel message of faith and love, uniting her local community into helping clean up their neighborhood and end the gang violence plaguing it. She appeared in an episode of ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...

'', followed by roles in ''

Smart Guy ''Smart Guy'' is an American sitcom television series centering on the exploits of child prodigy T.J. Henderson ( Tahj Mowry), who moves from being an elementary school student in the fourth grade to a high school student in the tenth grade, at ...

'', so weird, '' Sister, Sister'', '' Family Matters'', ''

Lizzie McGuire ''Lizzie McGuire'' is an American television comedy, comedy television series created by Terri Minsky that premiered on Disney Channel on January 12, 2001. The series stars Hilary Duff as the titular character who learns to navigate the person ...

'', ''

Moesha ''Moesha'' (, ) is an American television sitcom that aired on UPN from January 23, 1996, to May 14, 2001. The series stars Contemporary R&B, R&B singer Brandy Norwood, Brandy as Moesha Denise Mitchell, an African-American teenager living with ...

'', and ''

The Parkers ''The Parkers'' is an American television sitcom created by Ralph Farquhar, Sara V. Finney and Vida Spears. The series ran for five seasons from August 30, 1999, to May 10, 2004, on UPN. It stars Mo'Nique, Countess Vaughn, Mari Morrow, Dorien Wi ...

''. In 2001, she won the role of Breanna Barnes in the

series '' One on One'' (2001–2006). During the run of ''One on One'', Pratt also voiced Penny Proud, the lead character in the

animated series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...

''. She later voiced the character for '' The Proud Family Movie'' in 2005. In addition to television roles, Pratt has appeared in several feature films, including '' Love & Basketball'' (2000) and ''

'' (2004). She played Maya Dolittle in '' Dr. Dolittle'' (1998) and '' Dr. Dolittle 2'' (2001), both of which starred

, and reprised her role as Maya Dolittle (now the lead character) in the

direct-to-DVD Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strateg ...

releases of '' Dr. Dolittle 3'' (2006), '' Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief'' (2008), and '' Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts'' (2009). In 2009, Kyla Pratt co-starred alongside

Emma Roberts Emma Rose Roberts (born February 10, 1991) Additional on October 9, 2016 is an American actress, singer and producer. Known for her performances spanning multiple genres of film and television, her work in the horror film, horror and thriller ...

and

Jake T. Austin Jake Toranzo Austin Szymanski (born December 3, 1994), known professionally as Jake T. Austin, is an American actor. Beginning his career as a child actor at the age of seven, Austin is best known for his role as Max Russo on the Disney Channel ...

in '' Hotel for Dogs''. Pratt joined the cast of BET's '' Let's Stay Together'' in its second season. In February 2014, Pratt was voted #97 on

's 100 Greatest Child Stars. In June 2014, she starred alongside Jessica Sula in a Freeform

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

called '' Recovery Road'' based on Blake Nelson's novel of the same name. The show debuted on Freeform in January 2016, but was cancelled shortly afterwards, in May 2016. In 2024, Pratt starred in the film adaptation of ''The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table'' by Minda Harts. The psychological thriller film, titled ''The Memo'', was produced by Valeisha Butterfield’s Seed Media.

Singing career

As a member of the Disney Channel Circle of Stars, Pratt performed a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of " Circle of Life" that appeared on the '' DisneyMania 2'' album. She sang "It's All About Me", for the series soundtrack for ''The Proud Family'', and " A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" with the Disney Channel Stars. Kyla also sang in the 2019 Lifetime Christmas movie, ''No Time Like Christmas''.

Personal life

Pratt began a relationship with Danny Kirkpatrick, a rapper, songwriter, and

tattoo artist A tattoo artist (also tattooer or tattooist) is an individual who applies permanent decorative tattoos, often in an established business called a "tattoo shop", "tattoo studio" or "tattoo parlour". Tattoo artists usually learn their craft via an ...

, in 2008. On November 17, 2010, the couple welcomed their daughter, Lyric Kirkpatrick. They welcomed another daughter, Liyah Kirkpatrick, on August 5, 2013. Pratt appeared alongside Kirkpatrick on the reality show '' Black Ink Crew: Compton'' in 2019.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pratt, Kyla 1986 births Living people 20th-century African-American actresses 20th-century American actresses 21st-century African-American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles African-American child actresses Alexander Hamilton High School (Los Angeles) alumni American child actresses American film actresses American television actresses American voice actresses