Sasha Pieterse | |
---|---|
Born |
Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa | February 17, 1996
Citizenship |
|
Occupations |
|
Years active | 2000–present |
Spouse |
Hudson Sheaffer (
m. 2018) |
Children | 1 |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Labels | Dan Franklin Music |
Sasha Pieterse Sheaffer ( /ˈpiːtərsə/; born February 17, 1996 [1]) is an American actress, singer and songwriter. [2] [3]
Pieterse is perhaps best-known for her role as Alison DiLaurentis in the Freeform series Pretty Little Liars and its spin-off Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists. Upon the success of Pretty Little Liars, Pieterse earned a supporting role as Amy Loubalu in the 2011 Disney Channel film Geek Charming. [4] [5] [6]
In 2013, Pieterse starred in the teen comedy film G.B.F.. In 2017, Pieterse participated in the 25th season of Dancing with the Stars and finished in 10th place. [7] [8]
Pieterse was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on February 17, 1996, to Sean and Zizi. [1] [9] [10] Moving to the United States in 2001, she was raised in Las Vegas, before moving to Los Angeles. [11] She became accustomed to a career in entertainment at an early age, as her parents were a professional acrobatic dance team who performed internationally. [11] Pieterse was homeschooled and graduated at 14. [12]
At four years old, Pieterse began modeling and appearing in commercials. [13] She appeared in an advertisement for Wenner Bread Products at five years old, [14] and later appeared on a national billboard for hair salon franchise SuperCuts and modeled for Macy's Passport fashion show. [15] [16] Pieterse appeared in numerous magazines, including on the covers of BELLO's "Young Hollywood" issue (December 2014), [12] TeenProm (2015 issue), [17] Seventeen (August 2016), Social Life (August 2019). [18]
At six years old, Pieterse got her start in television, co-starring in 2002 as Buffy on The WB's remake of the CBS sitcom Family Affair. She guest starred in the Stargate SG-1 episode “ Grace” with Amanda Tapping as a little girl named Grace. In 2005, she appeared on an episode of House titled " Autopsy", portraying Andie, a young girl with terminal cancer. That same year, she made her film debut in The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D as Marissa, the Ice Princess, and also appeared as Millie Rose for two episodes of the short-lived TNT series Wanted, alongside her former Family Affair co-star, Gary Cole.[ citation needed]
Pieterse appeared in the 2007 film Good Luck Chuck, playing a young goth girl who places a curse on the titular character. She played the younger version of Sarah Michelle Gellar's character in the 2007 film The Air I Breathe, along with such co-stars as Kevin Bacon, Forest Whitaker, and Emile Hirsch. She also played a leading character in the Hallmark original film Claire, also released in 2007.[ citation needed]
Pieterse was 13 years old in late 2009, when she was cast in the Freeform teen drama television series Pretty Little Liars (2010–2017) as Alison DiLaurentis, the former " queen bee" of her high school clique. [19] She had a regular role in the series from the first four seasons, until later became a main role in the fifth season, with one of the five girls. Since its debut, the series has received mixed reviews from television critics, but remained a success for Freeform, garnering a large fandom. [20] Pieterse reprised her role as Alison, in the spin-off series titled Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists on Freeform in 2019. [21] [22] On Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, she portrayed the grown-up version of Alison who is working as a teaching assistant at Beacon Heights University. [13]
Other roles Pieterse has had include a 2009 appearance in Without a Trace, and a recurring role as Amanda Strazzulla, an abandoned daughter, in Heroes. In 2011, she appeared as Amy Loubalu in the Disney Channel Original Movie Geek Charming, and also as a teenage girl in the film X-Men: First Class. Later, Pieterse appeared in the film G.B.F. and in an episode of Hawaii Five-0 as a terrorist pupil named Dawn Hatfield. Pieterse played Japonica Fenway, a young lady involved with cocaine, in the film Inherent Vice (2014), based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Pynchon. [23] In September 2017, Pieterse was announced as one of the celebrities to compete on the 25th season of Dancing with the Stars. She was paired with professional dancer Gleb Savchenko. [24] They were the 4th couple eliminated, on October 16, 2017, finishing in 10th place. [25]
On August 16, 2021, Deadline announced that Pieterse had been cast in Netflix's film adaptation of Annie Barrows’ New York Times bestselling book series Ivy + Bean alongside Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jane Lynch and Nia Vardalos. [26]
Pieterse describes her music as "country with southern rock".[ citation needed] Her debut single " This Country is Bad Ass" was released on April 12, 2013. Pieterse described the patriotism behind the song: "I just love this country so much and I would never have been able to be where I am if I wasn't in America, so we decided to come up with this [track]." [27] Her second single, " R.P.M", was released on June 13, 2013. [28]
Pieterse's third single, " I Can't Fix You", was released on July 12, 2013. [29] [30] On December 10, 2013, she released her fourth single "No", an upbeat track about "standing strong in your convictions" and saying no when an unfaithful, lying ex-boyfriend asks for a second chance. [31] [32]
Pieterse's cookbook Sasha in Good Taste: Recipes for Bites, Feasts, Sips & Celebrations was published by Dey Street Books, an imprint of HarperCollins on October 8, 2019. [13] In the book Pieterse shares cooking and baking recipes, tips for inexpensive party planning, do it yourself projects and ideas for desserts. [13] [33] San Francisco Book Review wrote that the book is "full of good ideas". [34]
Pieterse has a lifestyle website called "Sasha in Good Taste". [15]
Pieterse has developed an online and social media presence, including 16 million+ followers on Instagram as of January 2023. [35] She endorses products such as beauty and wellness products on Instagram and has partnered with Lightlife Foods, [36] and Pokémon Go. [37]
In June 2019, Pieterse and her husband worked together with Habitat for Humanity to help build houses in New Orleans. [38]
On December 22, 2015, Pieterse became engaged to her long-term boyfriend Hudson Sheaffer. [39] They were married on May 27, 2018, at Castle Leslie in Glaslough, Ireland. [40] On May 27, 2020, Pieterse announced that she and Sheaffer were expecting their first child. [41] Their son was born in November 2020. [42] As of 2022, the family resides in Nashville, Tennessee. [43]
At the start of season 25 of Dancing with the Stars, Pieterse revealed that she was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, which causes symptoms such as irregular periods and weight gain. [44] [45]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D | Marissa Electricidad / Ice Princess | |
2007 | The Air I Breathe | Young Sorrow | |
2007 | Good Luck Chuck | Young Anisha Carpenter | |
2011 | X-Men: First Class | Teenage girl | Cameo[ citation needed] |
2013 | G.B.F. | Fawcett Brooks | |
2014 | Inherent Vice | Japonica Fenway | |
2015 | Burning Bodhi | Aria | |
2017 | Coin Heist | Dakota Cunningham | |
2018 | The Honor List | Isabella Walker | |
2022 | Ivy + Bean: The Ghost That Had to Go | Ms. Aruba-Tate | |
2022 | Ivy + Bean: Doomed to Dance | Ms. Aruba-Tate | |
2024 | The Image of You | Anna / Zoe | [46] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2002–2003 | Family Affair | Buffy Davis | Main role |
2004 | Stargate SG-1 | Grace | Episode: " Grace" |
2005 | Wanted | Millie Rose | 2 episodes |
2005 | House | Andie | Episode: " Autopsy" |
2007 | Claire | Maggie Bannion | Television film |
2007 | CSI: Miami | Beth Buckley | Episode: "Stand Your Ground" |
2009 | Without a Trace | Daphne Stevens | Episode: "Wanted" |
2009–2010 | Heroes | Amanda Strazzulla | Recurring role ( season 4) |
2009 | Heroes: Slow Burn | Amanda Strazzulla | Web series; recurring role |
2010–2017 | Pretty Little Liars | Alison DiLaurentis | Main role |
2011 | Medium | Marie DuBois (age 14) | Episode: "Me Without You" |
2011 | Geek Charming | Amy Loubalu | Television film |
2014 | Hawaii Five-0 | Dawn Hatfield | Episode: "Pe'epe'e Kanaka" |
2016 | Sing It! | Destiny Wood | Episode: "Destiny Is Calling!" |
2017 | Dancing with the Stars | Herself | Contestant ( season 25) |
2019 | Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists | Alison DiLaurentis | Main role |
2019 | Epic Night | Shook | Web series; 2 episodes |
2020 | Beat Bobby Flay | Herself | Celebrity judge; episode: "Pretty Little Fryer" |
2020 | Sugar Rush Christmas | Herself | Guest judge; episode: "North Pole" |
Year | Title | Artist | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | "Rewind" | Skye Stevens | Love Interest | [47] | |
2013 | " R.P.M." | Sasha Pieterse | Reckless Driver Girl | Also executive producer | [48] |
2014 | "Hey! (The Last Party Ever)" | The New Average | Girl | [49] |
This section of a
biography of a living person does not
include any
references or sources. (April 2017) |
Year | Association | Category | Work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2003 | Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Young Actress Age Ten or Younger | Family Affair | Won |
Best Ensemble in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) (shared with Caitlin Wachs and Jimmy "Jax" Pinchak) |
Family Affair | Nominated | ||
2011 | ShoWest Awards | Breakthrough Performer of the Year | Pretty Little Liars | Nominated |
2014 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Female Breakout Star | Pretty Little Liars | Won |
2015 | Independent Spirit Awards | Robert Altman Award (shared with director, casting director and cast) | Inherent Vice | Won |
2015 | MTV Fandom Awards | Ship of the Year (shared with Shay Mitchell) | Pretty Little Liars | Nominated |
2015 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV: Scene Stealer | Pretty Little Liars | Nominated |
2016 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV: Scene Stealer | Pretty Little Liars | Won |
2017 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress: Drama | Pretty Little Liars | Nominated |
Choice TV Ship (shared with Shay Mitchell) | Pretty Little Liars | Nominated |