Monique Coleman

Bio:
Monique Coleman (born Adrienne Monique Coleman in Orangeburg, South Carolina on November 13, 1980) is is an American actress, dancer, singer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Monique started her acting career in theater and television at a young age in Columbia, South Carolina. She trained at the Workshop Theatre School of Dramatic Arts, which is where she performed in over 15 plays. When an acting class taught by a guest teacher actually turned out to be an audition, Monique landed her first commercial. She eventually attended The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago where she earned her BFA in Acting in 2002. Monique rose to prominence when she landed a role in High School Musical in 2006. She portrayed Taylor McKessie, the best friend of Vanessa Hudgens’ character, Gabriella Montez. Before High School Musical, she was a recurring guest star on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and had guest appearances on television shows such as, Boston Public, Gilmore Girls, Malcolm in the Middle, Strong Medicine, and Veronica Mars. In 2007 and 2008, Monique reprised her High School Musical role for High School Musical 2 and High School Musical 3. Coleman has also appeared on Dancing with the Stars. More recently, Monique was named the first ever UN Youth Champion for the International Year of Youth and is currently on a world tour to raise awareness of challenges facing youth. In 2010 she launched her online talk show, Gimme Mo’, which is a show dedicated to empowering today’s youth.

Best Known For:
Monique Coleman is best known for her co-starring role in Disney’s High School Musical movies, in which she played Taylor McKessie.

Personal Life:
Monique Coleman married Walter Jordan on February 14, 2012 in a private ceremony in Koh Samui, Thailand. The couple currently lives in Los Angeles.