
Quick Facts
Biography
Auliʻi Cravalho (/aʊˈliːʔi krəˈvɑːljoʊ/; born November 22, 2000) is an American actress, voice actress and singer, who made her acting debut as the title character in the 2016 Disney animated feature film Moana. In 2018, Cravalho made her television debut starring as Lilette Suarez in the NBC drama series Rise.
Early life
Cravalho was born in Kohala, Hawaii, to a mother of Native Hawaiian descent and a father of mixed Puerto Rican, Portuguese, Chinese, and Irish descent. At the time she made her breakthrough, she was living in Mililani, Hawaii with her mother and was in her freshman year of high school, singing soprano in the glee club at Kamehameha Schools' Kapālama campus.
Career
Cravalho has stated that she was initially not going to audition for Moana because "there were already so many great submissions over YouTube". However, an Oahu talent agent discovered her at a charity competition and encouraged her to audition for the role. The Walt Disney Company has stated that Cravalho was the last person to audition out of hundreds of actresses.
In February 2017, it was announced that she had been cast in the pilot for the NBC drama Rise, which was ordered to series on May 4, 2017. The series premiered on March 13, 2018, but NBC cancelled the series on May 15, 2018, due to low ratings.
In November 2017, Cravalho announced she was going to reprise her role as Moana in the first ever Hawaiian-language dubbed Disney movie. The dubbed Moana premiered on June 10, 2018.
On November 5, 2019, Cravalho portrayed Ariel in ABC's The Little Mermaid Live!, a live-action concert rendition of The Little Mermaid. She is set to star in Sorta Like a Rock Star, directed by Brett Haley for Netflix.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Moana | Moana (voice) | English and Hawaiian-language versions |
2017 | Moana: Gone Fishing | Moana (voice) | Short film |
2018 | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Moana (voice) | Cameo |
TBA | Sorta Like a Rock Star | Post-production |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2018 | Rise | Lilette Suarez | Main role |
2019 | Weird City | Rayna Perez | Episode "Go to College" |
2019 | The Little Mermaid Live! | Ariel | Live concert TV special |
2019 | Elena of Avalor | Veronica (voice) | Episode: "The Last Laugh" |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | Disney Magic Kingdoms | Moana (voice) | Mobile game |
Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Have a Nice Day | Teenage daughter | Minetta Lane Theater | Off-Broadway live reading |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Alliance of Women Film Journalists | Best Animated Female | Moana | Won | |
2016 | Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement, Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production | Moana | Won | |
2016 | Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | Best Voice Performance | Moana | Nominated | |
2017 | Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Frenemies | Moana | Nominated | |
2017 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie: Breakout Star | Moana | Won | |
2017 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie: Fantasy Actress | Moana | Nominated |