Quick Facts
Virgo
Biography
Ashley Holliday Tavares is an American actress best known for playing Chloe Delgado on the 2010 ABC Family series Huge and Melissa Sanders on the 2012 Nick at Nite serial drama Hollywood Heights.
Personal life
Tavares, born Ashley Popelka, was born in Burbank, California and is of Cape Verdean & Czech Republic descent. Her last name Popelka translates to "Cinderella" in Czech. Her father, 'Butch' Feliciano Vierra Tavares, Jr. is one of five Cape Verdean-American brothers who formed the Grammy winning R&B, funk and soul music group Tavares, (also known as The Tavares Brothers) who were featured on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack and had such hits as "Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel" and "It Only Takes a Minute".
Since her mother, Jacqueline Popelka is a production coordinator, Ashley spent her youth traveling and living all over the world while her mom worked on different movies, including three years in Jamaica. Growing up in different cultures influenced Ashley to be a more well-rounded actress. When a film brought her Mom back to her home town of Los Angeles, Ashley attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, where she studied Theater. She then trained at The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago, until she moved back to Los Angeles where she studied at the acclaimed Playhouse West, Lesly Kahn Institute and John Rosenfeld Studios.
Career
Ashley began her career at an early age, as the daughter of Stanley Tucci's character on the Miami Vice episode "Baby Blues" in 1986. Her breakout role came in 2010, when Holliday booked a leading role in the ABC Family series Huge. In 2012, she played quirky Melissa Sanders on TeenNick's Hollywood Heights, followed by Rita in the film The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez and a cameo in Team Unicorn's latest music video "For the Win". In 2013, she appeared in two episodes of the Pretty Little Liars spin-off, Ravenswood. Most recently, Ashley stars as Diane in the film "Hanky Panky", based on the award-winning short by the same name.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Project | Role | Notes |
| 1995 | Just Cause | Slumber Party Girl | as Ashley Popelka |
| 1997 | Wild America | Mountain Family Daughter | as Ashley Popelka |
| 2006 | Discreet | Angie | Also co-director and associate producer |
| 2010 | You, Only Better... | Jackie Mabovitch | Film |
| 2012 | The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez | Rita | Film |
| 2014 | Hanky Panky (short) | Diane | Short Film, Lead |
| 2014 | Nanoblood | Satisfied Customer | Short Film, Supporting |
| 2016 | Bachelorettus Interruptus | Lily | Short Film, Writer, Director, Supporting |
| 2016 | Hanky Panky | Diane | Film, Lead |
Television series
| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Miami Vice | Baby Demarco | NBC | 1 episode: "Baby Blues" |
| 2010 | Huge | Chloe Delgado | ABC Family | 10 episodes |
| 2012 | Hollywood Heights | Melissa Sanders | Nick at Nite | Contract player/80 episodes |
| 2013 | Ravenswood | Lila Collins | ABC Family | Guest Star, Recurring, 2 Episodes: "The Devil Has a Face" & "Scared to Death" |
| 2016 | The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story | Donna Estrella | FX | 1 episode, co-star |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | "For the Win" | Team Unicorn |
| 2014 | "Heart of the Moment" | Mansions on the Moon |