Sterling Knight

Even though he portrayed a privileged snob on television, Sterling Knight was one of the most affable stars to emerge from the Disney Channel's cavalcade of young entertainers. The Texas native hilariously portrayed a narcissistic yet lovable teen actor on "Sonny with a Chance" (The Disney Channel, 2009- ), a comedy series about a small-town girl whose acting dream comes true after moving to sunny California. Knight also appeared in the do-over comedy "17 Again" (2009), opposite Disney golden boy-turned-movie star, Zac Efron.

Apart from the smug, self-absorbed character he played on "Sonny," in real life, Knight's Southern gentleman charm and natural talent affirmed his potential for a successful acting career well into adulthood.

Sterling Sandmann Knight was born on March 5, 1989 in Houston, TX. He discovered a love for performing when he was 10, appearing in local theater productions of "On Golden Pond," "Lost in Yonkers," and "Mad Adventures of Mr. Toad." To pursue his acting career, Knight headed to Los Angeles, where he landed minor roles on the police drama, "The Closer" (TNT, 2005-12), the ensemble medical series "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC, 2005- ), and The Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana" (2006-11).

Even though Knight only had a small role on "Hannah," his talent and heartthrob-potential caught the attention of the network, which then cast him in a featured role on "Sonny with a Chance." The series starred Texas-born singer and actress Demi Lovato as Sonny Munr , a Midwestern teen who wins a nationwide talent search that enables her to move to Los Angeles and join the cast of her favorite sketch comedy show, "So Weird." Knight played Chad Dylan Cooper, a popular teen actor who stars on a drama series that happens to share the same production studio as Sonny's show. Lovato's girl-next-door personality often clashed with Knight's vain, preppie-snob character, which made for teen comedy gold.

Even though "Sonny" was billed as a star-making vehicle for Lovato, it also helped launch Knight's career. His role on the series earned him a nomination at the 2010 Teen Choice Awards for Choice TV Actor: Comedy.

Appearing in feature and made-for-television films also elevated Knight's teen idol status. In 2009 - the same year "Sonny" premiered - the actor co-starred opposite Efron, Matthew Perry, and Leslie Mann in "17 Again." The film's premise was inspired by hit comedies such as "Big" (1988) and "13 Going on 30" (2004). Perry played a middle-aged family man who wakes up one day as his 17-year-old self (Efron) and gets a chance to rewrite his life. Knight was cast as the main character's (Perry) son who learns the ropes of high school with the help of his father's good-looking and effortlessly cool younger-self.

In 2010, Knight played the lead in "StarStruck," a Disney Channel Original Movie about a young woman (Danielle Campbell) who visits her grandparents in Los Angeles and ends up meeting a teen pop star (Knight). That same year, he co-starred opposite up-and-comer Ashlee Hewitt in "Elle: A Modern Cinderella Tale," a present-day retelling of the classic fairy tale.