Bella Thorne, whose birth name is Annabella Avery Thorne, was born on October 8, 1997, in Pembroke Pines, Florida. She is an American actress, model, dancer and singer best known as a Disney Channel star in Shake It Up as well as her roles on the TV series My Own Worst Enemy and Big Love. She has also appeared in a number of ads and episodic roles on other well-known TV series.

Bella Thorne: Early Life and Breakthrough

Thorne was born in Pembroke Pines, Florida, in the family of Tamara and Delancey Reinaldo “Rey” Thorne. She is of Cuban descent on her father’s side and part Italian and Irish on her mother’s side. She has three elder siblings named Kaili, Danielle and Remy, who are also actors. Her public exposure in various ads started when she was a child, with her first magazine spread for Parents Magazine done when she was just six weeks old. As a child, Thorne had made hobbies, including hiking, swimming and dancing. Once her modeling and acting careers took off with other opportunities for advertisements, she relocated to California.

When asked how she got her to break into acting, Thorne told uInterview about her work on ads, when she was about 10 years old:

“Well, I started modeling when I was six weeks old and I always wanted to be an actress, but everybody told me that I can’t because I’m dyslexic and I can’t read. And then I started acting… The first big thing I got was actually the Texas Instruments commercial. I’m standing next to an elephant talking and I had a lot of dialogue and I couldn’t read at that point still… I remember going into the audition being like… I was almost gonna cry because I couldn’t get these words out… And after I came out of the room they said, ‘Everybody else can leave, we’re good… And I actually got so many casting directors calling my agents because they saw the commercial with the elephant.”

Bella Thorne: TV and Film Career

Thorne’s initial recognition landed her several small roles as a child on hit TV series like Entourage and The O.C. In 2007, she became part of the cast of the second season of Dirty Sexy Money, where she played Margaux Darling. This became her first major recurring TV role. The following year Thorne starred alongside Christian Slater and Taylor Lautner in the drama series My Own Worst Enemy, which earned her a Young Artist’s Award for her performance as Ruthy Spivey. In 2010, Thorne joined the cast of HBO’s Big Love for the fourth season of the show, replacing Jolean Wejbe as Tancy “Teenie” Henrickson. This was another recurring role that brought new recognition for the young actress. In December 2014, she was offered the lead role of the MTV series Scream, based on the original slasher films of the same name. However, she chose to star in a different role, which she found more appealing.

One of Thorne’s more notable early roles in the film is her portrayal of the vengeful antagonist in the horror film Forget Me Not. However, her film roles became more prominent after being the star of the Disney Channel show Shake It Up from 2010 to 2013. In 2014, she co-starred alongside Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore in the comedy Blended. Her other recent film credits include Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014), The Duff (2015) and Shovel Buddies (2016). She is also set to appear in the upcoming film Keep Watching as well as several other productions.

Bella Thorne on ‘Shake It Up’

Thorne first gained the major recognition that makes her a well-known music and TV star today with her role on Disney Channel’s teen dance show Shake It Up. She joined the team of the show in 2010 and portrayed the character of CeCe Jones, an ambitious dancer who strives for the spotlight. Thorne had no background in dance prior to joining the show, so she took rigorous dance lessons for several months prior to starting the show. In the summer of 2011, Shake It Up released its first soundtrack titled Shake It Up: Break It Down, which appeared on the Billboard 200 and was number 1 on the Billboard Top Kid Audio and Top Soundtracks. Thorne’s first single “Watch Me” reached number 86 on the US Billboard Hot 100 charts. The second and third seasons of the show were similarly successful, but Disney Channel announced the show’s cancellation after the end of its third season. Thorne is still close friends with co-star Zendaya.

Thorne’s involvement in Shake It Up brought about many professional opportunities for the young actress, who explored a career path in music shortly thereafter. In early 2013, she was signed to the record label Hollywood Records and released her debut solo album with 11 songs in April of the same year.

Since Shake It Up, the actress has been involved in many other projects. In 2014 she starred in the comedy film Blended, costarring Adam Sandler. In 2015 she starred in the hit movie The DUFF and, more recently, she starred in the 2022 film Game of Love.

Bella Thorne: Personal Life

Thorne has always been open about the personal adversity she has encountered in her life. As a child, she was diagnosed with dyslexia in first grade and was bullied at school because of it. She discussed that she eventually overcame her dyslexia by reading vigorously anything she possibly could. As a result, she preferred to be homeschooled. In 2007, another tragic event influenced her life when she lost her father in a car accident.

The young actress is involved in some philanthropic work. She is an avid supporter of the Humane Society, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and The Nomad Organization, which provides education, food and medical supplies to children in Africa.

Bella Thorne: Dating History

Thorne has previously dated Tristan Klier from 2012 to 2015 and was then involved with Disney actor Gregg Sulkin. She announced her engagement to producer Mark Emms in May 2023.

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