Biography

Selena Marie Gomez, born on July 22, 1992, is an American actress and singer best known for playing Alex Russo on the Disney Channel Original Series, Wizards Of Waverly Place. Selena, an only child, was born in Grand Prairie, Texas. Her father, Ricardo Gomez, is from Mexico and her mother, Mandy Teefey, is of half Italian descent. She was named after Tejano music singer Selena and has met her family. Her mother is a former stage actress. Gomez began her acting career at the age of seven, where she spent her birthday at an open casting call competing with thousands of others for a role in the hit children's television series Barney & Friends. She was cast as a recurring character named Gianna in seasons seven and eight. Gomez appeared in national commercials for several companies including Wal-Mart, Hasbro and T.G.I. Friday's. In 2003 she was cast in the movie Spy Kids 3D for a small role. She made a small appearance in Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial By Fire and played Emily Garcia in the movie, Brain Zapped.

In 2004 Gomez was discovered by Disney. She appeared in the Disney's The Suite Life of Zack & Cody as Gwen. Subsequently, she appeared in the second season of Disney's Hannah Montana as Hannah Montana's rival, Mikayla. In 2007, Gomez was cast in the lead role Alex Russo in the Disney Channel Original Series, Wizards of Waverly Place. A second season was ordered. In 2008, Gomez was involved in two feature films. The first, was a voice-over of the Mayor's 96 daughters, in the animated film, Horton Hears a Who!. The second was a sequel to A Cinderella Story, Another Cinderella Story. That same year, she was cast as Carter, an insecure tomboy in the upcoming Disney Channel Original Movie, Princess Protection Program alongside Demi Lovato. Gomez appeared in the third edition of the Disney Channel Games. Subsequently, she had hosted the second show of Studio DC: Almost Live. On October 30, 2008, TV Guide reported that Gomez had launched her own production company, July Moon Productions.

Gomez's music career began in 2006 when she had recorded the theme song for her first movie, Brain Zapped, the songs "Everything Is Not What It Seems" and "Make It Happen" in the episode Make it Happen (Plan B) for her Disney Channel's Wizards of Waverly Place. She contributed a cover of the classic song "Cruella de Vil" for the 101 Dalmatians platinum DVD; the song was also featured on DisneyMania 6. During 2008, she recorded three songs for the movie, Another Cinderella Story. The songs were "Tell Me Something I Don't Know", "Bang a Drum" and "New Classic". She had also recorded one for the animated film Tinker Bell, called "Fly to Your Heart". In 2008, she signed a record deal with Hollywood Records. She is currently recording songs for her debut album, which is set for release in 2009.

Gomez is close friends with fellow actress Demi Lovato, whom she has known since at the Barney & Friends auditions. After Gomez and Lovato posted a video on YouTube in March 2008, Miley Cyrus uploaded a parody of that video as part of the Miley & Mandy show, which caught the interest of entertainment media. Reports included the theory that Gomez and Cyrus were arguing over fellow Disney star Nick Jonas, or that Gomez and Lovato might replace Cyrus after Cyrus' Vanity Fair photo shoot. On the issue of replacing Cyrus, Gomez clarified, "I'm not interested in being anybody but myself, and I'm not here to replace anyone. I think that she's a wonderful performer, and of course it's a compliment. But I would like to take a different route." Gomez has teamed up with State Farm Insurance to make drivers aware about the importance of being a reliable driver. She is also teaming up with Island Dog and Do Something.org, to help dogs in Puerto Rico.