Lucy Hale

Karen Lucille Hale, born June 14, 1989, is an American actress and singer. She achieved widespread recognition for her breakthrough role as Aria Montgomery in the television series Pretty Little Liars (2010–2017). Her performance earned her seven Teen Choice Awards, the most won by an actress for a single series, as well as accolades from the Gracie Awards, the People's Choice Awards, and the Young Hollywood Awards.

Hale was born in Memphis, Tennessee, to Julie Knight and Preston Hale, and was named after a great-grandmother. She was homeschooled during her childhood and took acting and singing lessons. She has an older sister, Maggie, a step-sister, Kirby, and three additional step-sisters through her father.

She first gained public notice in 2003 as a contestant on the reality show American Juniors, finishing in fourth place and joining a top-five performance group of the same name. Following the group's disbandment in 2005, Hale moved to Los Angeles at age 15 to pursue music and acting. She secured guest roles on series such as Drake & Josh, Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, The O.C., How I Met Your Mother, and Wizards of Waverly Place. She subsequently appeared in the television series Bionic Woman and Privileged, made her feature film debut in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008), and starred in the film Sorority Wars.

During her tenure on Pretty Little Liars, Hale expanded her film and music career. She appeared in Scream 4 and starred in A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song (both 2011), contributing to the latter's soundtrack. She signed with Hollywood Records in 2012 and released her debut studio album, Road Between, in 2014. Her voice work includes playing Periwinkle in Secret of the Wings (2012). Hale also co-hosted events such as the Teen Choice Awards, the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards Pre-Show, and served as a correspondent and co-host for Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve from 2016 to 2021.

Following Pretty Little Liars, Hale took on lead and starring roles in television series including Life Sentence (2018), Katy Keene (2020), and Ragdoll (2021). Her feature film credits continued with Truth or Dare (2018), Dude (2018), The Unicorn (2018), Fantasy Island (2020), The Hating Game (2021), and Which Brings Me to You (2024).

In addition to performing, Hale served as an ambassador for the Mark Girl beauty brand beginning in 2013 and became a brand ambassador and model for lingerie company Hunkemöller in 2021. She has also spoken publicly about her personal experiences with eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and recovery from alcohol addiction, achieving two years of sobriety in January 2024. In September 2024, she received the Humanitarian Award at the 34th Annual Friendly House Awards Luncheon.