Teen Star "Selena Marie Gomez"

         Biography:

Selena Marie Gomez was born to Mandy Cornett and Ricardo Gomez on July 22, 1992. At a young age, she moved from New York to Grand Prairie, Texas. Giving birth to Selena at 16, her mom Mandy recalls living "paycheck-to-paycheck". Selena started out on "Barney & Friends" (1992) as "Gianna" in 2001 where she really discovered her talent. Unfortunately, they dropped her from the series after just two years. In 2003, she had a very small role in the movie Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003) and a bit part in 2005 when she played "Julie" in Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire (2005) (TV) with Mitchel Musso and in 2006 as "Emily Grace Garcia" in Brain Zapped (2006) (TV) when she recorded a song for the movie. She she guest starred as "Gwen" in "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" (2005) and as Hannah's rival, the 'evil' "Mikayla", in "Hannah Montana" (2006). Selena's amazing talent landed her roles in two Disney series, both spin-offs. Unfortunately, neither show was picked up until 2007 when she got the role of "Alex Russo" in the magical series "Wizards of Waverly Place" (2007) which she auditioned for three times. In March 2008, she made her first animated movie Horton Hears a Who! (2008) and later starred in Another Cinderella Story (2008) (V) with Disney Channel star Drew Seeley for ABC Family. Her two Disney Channel Original Movies Princess Protection Program (2009) (TV), with real-life BFF Demi Lovato, and Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie (2009) (TV) will both air Summer 2009.

Gomez was born in Grand Prairie, Texas.She is the daughter of former stage actress Mandy Teefey (née Cornett) and Ricardo Joel Gomez.Her father is Mexican American and her mother is of half Italian descent.Regarding her Hispanic heritage, Gomez said: "My family does have Quinceañeras, and we go to the communion church. We do everything that's Catholic, but we don't really have anything traditional except [that we] go to the park and have barbeques on Sundays after church."Her birth parents divorced when she was five years old, and she was raised as an only child by her working mother.In 2006, Mandy remarried Brian Teefey.She is named after Tejano singer Selena.In a 2009 interview with People, Gomez mentioned that she developed an early interest in acting from watching her mother prepare for and act in theater productions.She earned a high school diploma through homeschooling in May 2010.


Gomez began her acting career at age seven, playing Gianna on Barney & Friends.[15] She later had minor roles in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over and the TV film Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial By Fire. Gomez also starred in the television movie Brain Zapped.

In 2004, Gomez was discovered by the Disney Channel in a nationwide scouting.Gomez appeared as a guest star on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and had a guest appearance – that later turned into a recurring role – on Hannah Montana from seasons two to three. Gomez previously taped two different pilots that were spin-offs to two previous Disney series.The first one, What's Stevie Thinking?, was the spin-off to Lizzie McGuire. Gomez played Stevie Sanchez, Miranda Sanchez's little sister. The other show was titled Arwin!, the spin-off to The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, in which she played Alexa. Neither series was picked up.

In 2008, Gomez recorded a cover of "Cruella de Vil"—which included a music video—for the compilation album DisneyMania 6. Gomez recorded three songs for the Another Cinderella Story soundtrack, which Gomez appears in. Gomez also recorded "Fly to Your Heart" for the 2008 animated film Tinker Bell. In July 2008, before Gomez' sixteenth birthday, she signed a recording deal with Hollywood Records, a music label owned by Disney.In 2009, Gomez recorded "One and the Same" for Princess Protection Program as a duet with her co-star Lovato.Gomez recorded four songs, one of which was a cover, for the Wizards of Waverly Place soundtrack, only one single (Magic) from the album was released. In May, of the same year, Gomez was featured, with Forever the Sickest Kids, on a duet version of the non-album song "Whoa Oh!".