Shane Steven Harper (born February 14, 1993) is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He is known for playing Spencer on ''
Good Luck Charlie
''Good Luck Charlie'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on Disney Channel from April 4, 2010, to February 16, 2014. The series' creators, Phil Baker and Drew Vaupen, wanted to create a program that would appeal to entire families, no ...
'' as well as Josh Wheaton in the independent Christian film ''
God's Not Dead''. His self-titled debut album was released on February 14, 2012.
Early life
Harper was born in
La Jolla
La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood within the city of San Diego, California, United States, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781.
La Jolla is surrounded on ...
neighborhood of
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
, the son of Tanya (née Michaelson) and
Scott Harper. He is of
Austrian,
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
,
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
, and
Scottish descent. He has an older sister named Samantha, also a professional dancer, and a younger brother named Sullivan, a model. Harper began dancing and acting at the age of nine, and was involved in community theater and competitive dance. He also started singing and playing guitar and piano at the same age. He is trained in ballet, hip-hop, lyrical, jazz, and tap.
He also studied martial arts between the ages of four and 12, and obtained a black belt in
Karate
(; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fuj ...
. In the spring of 2006, a talent agent on the judging panel of a regional dance competition offered Harper an agency representation.
Career
Acting career
Harper had minor roles as a principal dancer in various shows and movies such as ''
High School Musical 2'', ''
Re-Animated'', and ''
Dance Revolution
''Dance Revolution'' (originally titled ''Dance, Dance, Dance!'' during planning stages) is a television series from CBS and DIC Entertainment Corporation, in association with Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., produced by Brookwell McNamara ...
'' before becoming one of the lead dancers and the youngest (''the Nick 6'') on Nickelodeon's ''
Dance on Sunset''. He landed on dance roles in 2006, including lead dancer for the music video ''Step Up'' with
Samantha Jade, and Cartoon Network's ''
Re-Animated'' and the Saturday morning kid's competition, ''Dance Revolution''.
In 2010, Harper got his first two movie roles in the films ''
My Name is Khan
''My Name Is Khan'', is a 2010 social drama film directed by Karan Johar and written by Shibani Bathija and lyricist Niranjan Iyengar. It was produced by Hiroo Yash Johar and Gauri Khan under their production companies, Dharma Productions ...
'' and ''
Flipped'', as a minor character in each.
Harper also began his recurring role as Spencer Walsh on
Disney Channel's ''
Good Luck Charlie
''Good Luck Charlie'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on Disney Channel from April 4, 2010, to February 16, 2014. The series' creators, Phil Baker and Drew Vaupen, wanted to create a program that would appeal to entire families, no ...
'', playing alongside
Bridgit Mendler
Bridgit Claire Mendler (born December 18, 1992) is an American singer and actress. In 2004, she began her career in the animated Indian film '' The Legend of Buddha'', later starring in the films '' Alice Upside Down'' (2007), '' The Clique'' (2 ...
, and guest-starred on an episode of ''
Wizards of Waverly Place
''Wizards of Waverly Place'' is an American fantasy teen sitcom created by Todd J. Greenwald that aired on Disney Channel for four seasons between October 2007 and January 2012. The series centers on Alex Russo (Selena Gomez), a teenage w ...
''. He also guest-starred as the musical guest on ''
So Random!'', singing his single, "One Step Closer". He's also starred in 7 episodes in MTV's TV series
''Awkward'' as Austin Welch.
In March 2014, he starred in the Christian-based film,
''God's Not Dead'', where he plays the main character, college student Josh Wheaton, who has to prove to his atheist professor that God is not dead while this professor is declaring that He is. For this movie, Harper finished writing his song called "Hold You Up", a song that encourages Christians to stand for their faith. The song peaked at number 1 on Billboards Hot AC/CHR charts, and has so far peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot Christian Charts.
He starred as Brandon in the musical film ''Dance-Off'' co-starring
Kathryn McCormick. The movie is about two cross-town rival dance teams go head to head for the National Nationals Championship. Next, Harper starred as Ian Chandler in short lived
MTV series ''
Happyland'' co-starring alongside
Bianca A. Santos and
Katherine McNamara. In 2015, he starred as Stephen in the family film ''Lift Me Up''.
He played the role of one of the disciples in the musical TV special ''
The Passion'', which was released March 20, 2016, 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 (or ''brush'').
Twelv ...
. In 2017, Harper played the role of Robbie, a charming waiter at the resort who woos and then cheats on Baby's older sister, Lisa, in the TV movie ''
Dirty Dancing
''Dirty Dancing'' is a 1987 American romantic drama dance film written by Eleanor Bergstein, produced by Linda Gottlieb, and directed by Emile Ardolino. Starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, it tells the story of Frances "Baby" Housema ...
'' for
ABC. He played the role of Sam Grover in the indie film ''Flock of Four''. He also guest starred in the
CBS dramas ''
Code Black'' and ''
Wisdom of the Crowd
The wisdom of the crowd is the collective opinion of a diverse independent group of individuals rather than that of a single expert. This process, while not new to the Information Age, has been pushed into the mainstream spotlight by social infor ...
''.
In 2018, Harper starred as Josh Wheaton in the third film in the franchise ''
God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness''. He also starred as Tom Paxton in the
PixL original movie ''The Time Capsule'' alongside
Penelope Mitchell.
In 2020, Harper starred as Junior in the
Starz
Starz (stylized as STARZ since 2016; pronounced "stars") is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Programming on Starz consis ...
series ''
Hightown'', and the
Hulu
Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television seri ...
miniseries, ''
A Teacher'' as Logan Davis.
Music career
Harper's first single, "Dance with Me", was released on March 30, 2010. The music video was released a couple of weeks prior and features Harper dancing and playing guitar. In 2011, Harper signed to AMi Records. In 2011, he released "One Step Closer", the second single from his debut album. The self-titled album was released on April 12, 2011. The third and final single released off of the album was "Rocketship". Also in 2011, Harper opened for
Greyson Chance and
Cody Simpson
Cody Robert Simpson (born 11 January 1997) is an Australian swimmer and singer-songwriter. Since his debut, he has released four solo studio albums: ''Paradise'' (2012), ''Surfers Paradise'' (2013), ''Free'' (2015), and ''Cody Simpson'' (2022 ...
on their
Waiting 4U Tour in addition to opening for
Miranda Cosgrove
Miranda Taylor Cosgrove (born May 14, 1993) is an American actress and singer. She was the highest-paid child actor in 2012 and was included on ''Forbes'' magazine's " 30 Under 30" list in 2022. She is known for her career on television, parti ...
on her
Dancing Crazy Tour. The deluxe version of his debut album "Shane Harper" was released on February 14, 2012, at
Target
Target may refer to:
Physical items
* Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports
** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports
** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...
stores nationwide and features four bonus tracks. In 2012, Harper released Dancin in the Rain EP.
In 2016, Harper announced that he has signed a record deal with
Capitol
A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity.
Specific capitols include:
* United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.
* Numerou ...
. April 29, 2016, Harper announced on his Twitter that he would support
Jacob Whitesides on his The Lovesick Tour, which begun in May and ended in October. On May 27, 2016, Harper released an EP titled "Like I Did." On August 11, 2016, he released a music video for "Like I Did".
Personal life
Harper was in a relationship with actress/singer and ''Good Luck Charlie'' co-star
Bridgit Mendler
Bridgit Claire Mendler (born December 18, 1992) is an American singer and actress. In 2004, she began her career in the animated Indian film '' The Legend of Buddha'', later starring in the films '' Alice Upside Down'' (2007), '' The Clique'' (2 ...
in May 2011. However, at the beginning of November 2015, Mendler officially announced that they had ended their relationship.
Harper is a devout
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...
.
Filmography
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
Promotional singles
Other charted songs
Other appearances
Music videos
Awards and nominations
Concert tours
Opening act
* ''
Waiting 4U Tour'' (2011)
* ''
A Special Night with Demi Lovato'' (2012)
* ''
Dancing Crazy Tour'' (2011)
* ''
The Summer Kiss Tour'' (2013)
* ''
Summer Tour'' (2013)
* ''The Lovesick Tour'' (2016)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harper, Shane
1993 births
21st-century American male actors
21st-century American singers
American Christians
American male child actors
American male film actors
American male singer-songwriters
American male television actors
American people of Austrian descent
American people of German descent
American people of Jewish descent
American people of Scottish descent
Living people
Male actors from Orange County, California
Male actors from San Diego
Musicians from San Diego
People from La Jolla, San Diego
Singer-songwriters from California
21st-century American male singers