Lucy Hale

Karen Lucille Hale (born June 14, 1989) is an American actress and singer. She has received various accolades, including seven Teen Choice Awards (the most for any actress in a single series), a Gracie Award, a People's Choice Award, and two Young Hollywood Awards.

After early recognition for her roles as Becca Sommers in the series '' Bionic Woman'' (2007) and Rose Baker in the series '' Privileged'' (2008–2009), Hale received her breakthrough role as Aria Montgomery in the Freeform series ''Pretty Little Liars'' (2010–2017), for which she received global stardom and critical acclaim. She starred as Stella Abbott in ''Life Sentence'' (2018), the titular character in ''Katy Keene'' (2020) and DC Lake Edmunds in ''Ragdoll'' (2021). She has appeared in films such as '' The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2'' (2008), '' A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song'' and ''Scream 4'' (both 2011), and led the films ''Truth or Dare'' and ''Dude'' (both 2018), ''Fantasy Island'' (2020), ''The Hating Game'' (2021), and '' Which Brings Me to You'' (2024).

In addition to acting, Hale has also ventured into music. In 2003, she was one of the five winners of the reality show ''American Juniors'', a children's spin-off of Fox's ''American Idol.'' She signed with Hollywood Records as a solo artist in 2012 and released her debut studio album, '' Road Between'', in 2014. She is also credited with hosting ''Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve'' from 2016 to 2021.

Early life

Karen Lucille Hale was born on June 14, 1989, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Julie Knight and Preston Hale.Lucy Hale
NBC. Retrieved November 11, 2008. She was named after one of her great-grandmothers. Her mother is a registered nurse. She has an older sister, Maggie, a step-sister, Kirby, and a step-brother Wes. Hale was homeschooled as a child. During her childhood, she took acting and singing lessons. In August 2012, Hale revealed she had suffered from an eating disorder.

Career

2003–2009: Early roles

In 2003, Hale first appeared on television as a contestant in the Fox reality show ''American Juniors''. On July 30, 2003, Hale finished in fourth place and became part of a group of the same name formed of the top 5 finishers (Chauncey Matthews, Danielle White and Tori & Taylor Thompson). The group disbanded in 2005, after their self-titled studio album's lackluster sales.

Hale moved to Los Angeles at age 15 in the hopes of getting a record deal. Shortly after, she started auditioning for acting roles and received a minor role on ''Drake & Josh'' and guest roles on shows such as ''Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide'', ''The O.C.'', and ''How I Met Your Mother''. She appeared in two episodes of the Disney Channel show ''Wizards of Waverly Place''.

In 2007, Hale appeared in NBC's short-lived series '' Bionic Woman''. Hale plays Becca Sommers, the younger sister of the title character Jaime Sommers (played by Michelle Ryan). The character was originally portrayed by Mae Whitman in the unaired pilot episode, after which Whitman departed the series.

In August 2008, Hale made her film debut in '' The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2'' portraying Effie Kaligaris, the younger sister of Lena Kaligaris (played by Alexis Bledel). Hale then appeared in The CW series '' Privileged'' as Rose Baker, with co-stars Ashley Newbrough and JoAnna Garcia. She starred in the Lifetime television film '' Sorority Wars''.

2010–2012: ''Pretty Little Liars'' and music

In October 2009, Hale was cast as Aria Montgomery in ''Pretty Little Liars'', based on the book series of the same name by Sara Shepard. The television series lasted seven seasons from 2010 to 2017, with Hale's performance being praised by critics. She also received a number of awards and nominations for her performance, including seven Teen Choice Awards, a Gracie Allen Award, a People's Choice Award and a Young Hollywood Award.

In January 2010, Hale appeared as the singer Phoebe Nichols and her identical body double Vanessa Patton in the '' CSI: Miami'' episode "Show Stopper". In 2011, Hale had a cameo role as Sherrie in the slasher film ''Scream 4''. Later, she was cast as the aspiring singer Katie Gibbs in '' A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song'', the third installment of ''A Cinderella Story'' series, which was released on direct-to-video in September 2011. She also recorded songs for the film's soundtrack.

Hale has made appearances of music videos, such as Foy Vance's " She Burns", Chase Jordan's "Lose Control (Take a Sip)" and Jackson Harris' "Come Back Down to Earth".

Hale hosted an episode of MTV's ''Punk'd'' which aired on April 26, 2012. The episode also featured Hale's ''Pretty Litte Liars'' co-star Ian Harding, Vanessa Hudgens and Josh Hutcherson. The same year, Hale voiced Periwinkle, the twin sister of Tinker Bell (voiced by Mae Whitman) in the Disney animated film '' Secret of the Wings''. In June 2012, Hale announced that she had signed a record deal with Hollywood Records (in co-partnership with DMG Nashville).

2013–present: Films and current work

On June 11, 2013, Hale announced her role as Ambassador of the beauty brand Mark Girl. Hale co-hosted the Teen Choice Awards with Darren Criss in 2013 and David Dobrik in 2019 and the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards Pre-Show with Sway Calloway. Hale's debut studio album '' Road Between'' was released on June 3, 2014.

In 2015, Hale collaborated with Rascal Flatts on a cover of "Let It Go" from the Disney animated film '' Frozen'' for the compilation album ''We Love Disney''. Hale served as a correspondent in New Orleans and co-hosted with Ryan Seacrest in Times Square for ''Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve'' (2016–2021), making her the first millennial actress to co-host the Times Square segments.

Hale has recorded two stand-alone Christmas songs, the original song "Mistletoe" and a cover of Francesca Battistelli's " You're Here", released in 2014 and 2017, respectively.

In 2018, Hale was cast in The CW comedy-drama series ''Life Sentence'' as Stella Abbott, a woman who finds out that her terminal cancer is cured. The show was canceled after one season. The same year, Hale starred in three films, ''Truth or Dare'', ''Dude'' and '' The Unicorn''. On March 11, 2019, Hale was cast as the lead role in ''Katy Keene'', based on the Archie Comics character of the same name.

In 2020, Hale starred as Melanie Cole in the supernatural horror film ''Fantasy Island''. In 2021, Hale starred as the lead role in the romantic comedy film ''The Hating Game''. The same year, Hale became a brand ambassador and model for lingerie company Hunkemöller.

Artistry

Hale described music as her "first love". Her early musical influences were Christina Aguilera, Shania Twain and Faith Hill, but her interest in pursuing music was prompted by Britney Spears' " ...Baby One More Time". Kristian Bush of country band Sugarland said: "She sounds like Carrie Underwood—strong with a blues side and a pop side to it. And a lot like Faith Hill."

Advocacy

On September 14, 2024, Hale received the Humanitarian Award at the 34th Annual Friendly House Awards Luncheon in Los Angeles. Friendly House is a women's addiction recovery center. She told ''People'' magazine: "When I got sober, my intention was never to be the poster child of sobriety. But when I began speaking about it, it came from a place of needing to heal and take my power back."

Personal life

In her free time, she enjoys hiking, yoga, and Pilates. As of March 2025, Hale is dating Australian reality star Harry Jowsey.

Health

In January 2024, Hale announced that she was two years sober from alcohol. She started drinking at 14 and had worked on quitting alcohol on several occasions. In an episode of ''The Diary of a CEO'' podcast, Hale said: "I just held on to that belief that the real Lucy came out when she was drinking. It also quieted my mind... my brain just doesn't shut off and it's exhausting. I was a textbook binge drinker, blackout, wouldn't remember what I did or what I said, which is scary." She struggled with anxiety and depression.

Filmography

Film

Television

Podcasts

Web

Discography

Studio albums

Soundtrack albums

Singles

Other and promotional singles

Other appearances

Music videos

As lead artist

Guest appearances

Songwriting credits

Source:

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hale, Lucy
1989 births
Living people
People from Cordova, Tennessee
Actresses from Memphis, Tennessee
American child actresses
American child singers
American child pop musicians
American country singer-songwriters
American women country singers
American women pop singers
American film actresses
American television actresses
Hollywood Records artists
Jive Records artists
Singer-songwriters from Tennessee
21st-century American actresses
21st-century American singer-songwriters
21st-century American women singers