AJ Michalka

An American actress, musician and former model, AJ Michalka is a young woman of many talents. Along with her older sister, Aly, AJ began performing as a child, appearing in stage productions while honing her musical skills and working as a model in various ads. By her tween years, Michalka had made the transition to screen work, with recurring roles on the crime series "The Guardian" (CBS, 2001-04) and the sitcom "Oliver Beene" (Fox, 2003-04). In 2006, AJ and Aly made their Disney Channel debut in the TV movie "Cow Belles" and the following year, AJ took the lead in the MTV feature "Super Sweet 16: The Movie," which also featured Aly. After some time away from features, Michalka returned with a small part in the Peter Jackson drama "The Lovely Bones" (2009) and starred in the short-lived cheerleading series "Hellcats" (The CW, 2010-11). In 2013, she portrayed the lead in the faith-leaning indie drama "Grace Unplugged," a production that showcased both her acting and musical appeal.

Born and partially raised in Southern California, Michalka starting playing music and acting at a very early age, encouraged in part by her mom's Christian music endeavors. Before even hitting high school, she was modeling and later featured on various TV shows, including "The Guardian," starring Simon Baker. In 2004, she and her sister, Aly, formed the pop duo Aly & AJ, with their debut album, Into the Rush, arriving the next year. Shortly thereafter, the attractive blonde siblings co-starred in the Disney Channel movie "Cow Belles," with AJ also headlining the MTV production "Super Sweet 16: The Movie." After focusing more on music for a stint, Michalka landed a minor role in "The Lovely Bones" and also appeared in the horse-racing drama "Secretariat" (2010), which featured one of her own songs. Around this time, Aly & AJ changed their band name to 78violet, and AJ subsequently turned up on the CW show "Hellcats," which didn't air long. Following a bit part in the J.J. Abrams sci-fi film "Super 8," Michalka signed on for the lead in the Christian-themed movie "Grace Unplugged," bringing her back to her family's musical roots.