Shay Mitchell
Quick Facts
Biography
Shannon Ashley "Shay" Mitchell (born April 10, 1987) is a Canadian actress, model, entrepreneur and author. She is best known for her role as Emily Fields in the Freeform series Pretty Little Liars.
Early life
Mitchell was born in Mississauga, Ontario, the daughter of Precious Garcia and Mark Mitchell. Her parents work in finance. Her father is of Scottish and Irish descent and her mother, a Filipina, is from the province of Pampanga, and left the Philippines at age 19. She has one younger brother. She is a first cousin-once-removed of Lea Salonga, singer and Tony Award-winning theater actress well known for originating the lead role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon. Even as a young child, Mitchell was interested in performing arts, declaring to her parents that she would pursue such a career. Mitchell began dance lessons at the age of five, and she and several of her classmates toured the city to compete with a variety of other dance schools. At the age of 10, Mitchell's family moved to West Vancouver, British Columbia. Within a year of their arrival, an international modeling agency held an open casting call for teen and pre-teen girls who were vying for representation. Mitchell was one of the girls selected. She attended Rockridge Secondary School and then later transferred to West Vancouver Secondary School where she graduated. She got the nickname Shay because she's a big fan of Jennifer Lopez aka J. Lo, so her friends called her "Shay Lo".
Career
Acting and modeling
By her late teens, Mitchell had successfully modeled for a variety of companies in cities as varied as Bangkok, Hong Kong and Barcelona, but she later returned to Toronto to study acting. After signing with her first theatrical agency Mitchell appeared in the Canadian teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation and booked several national commercials. Mitchell guest starred in the Global series Rookie Blue and appeared in the music video for "Hold My Hand" by Jamaican rapper Sean Paul. In 2010, Mitchell appeared in a four-episode arc on the Disney XD series Aaron Stone as cheerleader Irina Webber.
In December 2009, Mitchell was cast in the ABC Family (now Freeform) planned adaptation of the book series Pretty Little Liars. Initially, Mitchell auditioned for the role of Spencer Hastings. In January 2010, the series was picked up by ABC Family. The series centers on four friends up against an anonymous foe who threatens to reveal all their secrets whilst unraveling the mystery of the murder of their best friend. Mitchell portrays the role of Emily Fields, the "jock girl" of the group. The program gained quick popularity despite mixed critical reviews. The show ran for seven seasons and the series finale aired June 27, 2017.
In January 2011, Mitchell signed a contract with Procter & Gamble to be the spokesperson for the Pantene Nature Fusion shampoo line. Subsequent endorsements include American Eagle, Nike and Biore.
Other works
Mitchell co-authored the young adult novel Bliss with Michaela Blaney (2015). She also hosts her own YouTube lifestyle channel. In 2017 Mitchell started a production company Amore & Vita Inc. with manager David Dean Portelli and has already signed a contract with Warner Bros. Television Group.
Charity and activism
Mitchell supported Somaly Mam Foundation, a non-profit organization that fought sex trafficking until it ended operations in 2014. She has also worked with The Trevor Project alongside the Pretty Little Liars cast and the NOH8 Campaign. She works with the WE Charity, which helps communities develop educational resources, and she partnered with Represent Clothing to promote tees where half the proceeds went to GLAAD
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Verona | Model | Short film |
2012 | Just Yell Fire: Campus Life | Herself | Short documentary |
2014 | Immediately Afterlife | Marissa | Short film |
2016 | Dreamland | Nicole | |
2016 | Mother's Day | Tina | |
2017 | Cadaver | Megan Reed | In post-production |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | Degrassi: The Next Generation | Model | Episode: "Up Where We Belong" |
2010–2017 | Pretty Little Liars | Emily Fields | Main role, 160 episodes |
2010 | Aaron Stone | Irina Webber | Recurring role; 4 episodes |
2010 | Rookie Blue | Cute Girl | Episode: "Mercury Retrograde" |
2012 | Punk'd | Herself | Episode: "Heather Morris" |
2012 | Glee | Girl in Yellow Jacket | Episode: "Britney 2.0" |
2015 | Project Runway | Herself (guest judge) | Episode: "Fashion Week: Who's In and Who's Out" |
2016 | Live! With Kelly and Michael | Herself (guest co-hostess) | Episode: "Guest Co-Hostess Shay Mitchell/Donnie Wahlberg/Tim Daly" |
2017 | Shay Mitchell: Chapters | Herself | Fullscreen Original Series |
2018 | You | Peach Salinger | Main role |
Music videos
Year | Artist | Role | Title |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | Sean Paul | Love Interest | "Hold My Hand" |
2016 | Nick Jonas | Love Interest | "Under You" |
2017 | Logan Paul featuring Why Don't We | Girl | "Help Me Help You" |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | Young Hollywood Awards | Cast to Watch (shared with Troian Bellisario, Lucy Hale and Ashley Benson) | Pretty Little Liars | Won |
2011 | Youth Rock Award | Rockin’ TV Actresss | Nominated | |
2014 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Summer TV Star – Female | Nominated | |
2015 | MTV Fandom Awards | Ship Of The Year (shared with Sasha Pieterse) | Nominated | |
2015 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress: Drama | Nominated | |
2016 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Summer TV Star – Female | Nominated | |
2016 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Cable TV Actress | Nominated | |
2017 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress: Drama | Nominated | |
2017 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Ship (shared with Sasha Pieterse) | Nominated |