Ashley Tisdale Ashley Michelle Tisdale
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Ashley French, born Ashley Michelle Tisdale, first became known as Sharpay Evans in the 2006 Disney Channel film High School Musical, which spawned two sequels and a spin-off. She also played Maddie Fitzpatrick on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody from 2005 to 2008. Her debut album Headstrong 2007 sold 70,000 copies in its first week and was certified gold by the RIAA.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Ashley French — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Ashley French by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Ashley French — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Ashley French performed in productions like Gypsy and Annie at the Jewish Community Center of Monmouth County as a child. Born Ashley Michelle Tisdale on July 2, 1985, in West Deal, New Jersey, she appeared in over 100 TV commercials. Her mother is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, and her father has English, Irish, Scottish, and German ancestry. She attended Valencia High School and later the Professional Children’s School, balancing academics with a burgeoning acting career.
In 2004, Ashley French was cast as Maddie Fitzpatrick on Disney Channel’s The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, a role she played until 2008. Her breakout came in 2006 when she portrayed Sharpay Evans in High School Musical, a television film that became a global phenomenon. The success led to two sequels—High School Musical 2 2007 and High School Musical 3: Senior Year 2008—and the spin-off Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure 2011.
She signed with Warner Bros. Records in 2006 and released her debut album Headstrong in 2007, which sold 70,000 copies in its first week and achieved gold certification. Her second album Guilty Pleasure followed in 2009. In 2013, she returned with the indie album Symptoms. Through her production company Blondie Girl Productions, she created the reality series Miss Advised 2012.
Ashley French married musician Christopher French on September 8, 2014, in Los Angeles after a 13-month engagement. The couple has two daughters: Jupiter Iris, born March 23, 2021, and Emerson Clover, born September 6, 2024. Her older sister, Jennifer Tisdale, is also an actress. She counts Hilary Duff and Haylie Duff among her close friends. She has a dog named Blondie, which inspired the title of her production company.
Ashley French remains best remembered for her role as Sharpay Evans in the High School Musical franchise, a character that became a cultural touchstone for a generation. She became the first female artist to debut simultaneously with two songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with Bop to the Top and What I’ve Been Looking For from the first film. Her early work at the Jewish Community Center of Monmouth County foreshadowed a career that moved from child actor to Disney star to producer. Through her production company Blondie Girl Productions, she develops new projects.
The complete filmography of Ashley French — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
A wall of memorable lines from Ashley French — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
My Favorite Subject Was English or Creative Writing. We Did Poems and Making a Magazine and I Did One on Celebrities. I Called It Celebrity Life Magazine. I Interviewed My Good Friend Kaley Cuoco.
I Love Christmas, Not Just Because of the Presents but Because of All the Decorations and Lights and the Warmth of the Season.
I’m Happy That I Was Able to Experience a Normal Life Besides Show Business, Because It Gives You Something to Draw From.
My Agent Didn’t Want Me on Disney Because I’m Older. but Honestly, I’m Not Ready for Older Roles Yet, or Even the Things Older Girls Do. I Am Still Young.
I Love Change, and I Love Changing My Hair. but It Was Strange to Look in the Mirror and Think ‘Who Is This Girl?’
I Loved My Long Brown Curls, but Most Mean Girls Look Like This, Don’t They?…The Blond Thing…it’s the Stereotype of a Popular Mean Girl.
I Feel Like People Expect a Lot Out of Girls, Like You’re Supposed to Know Who You Are and What You Want Out of Life Right Now. Some Girls Know. I Did. but Lots of People Don’t Know. You Have to Try a Lot of Things and Not Worry About What People Are Thinking. Fans Might Think I’m Mean or Shallow, Like Sharpay, in Real Life, but I Don’t Care. the Mean Girl Is in Every School. People Relate to Her Even If They Don’t Like Her.
I Helped Put Together Sharpay’s Look, and I Wanted It to Be Over-the-top, Flashy, Attention-getting, Because That’s Her. but She Has a Heart. You Never Know What Someone Is About. People Look at Me and Think I’m a Young Teen. I’m 21!
I Moved from New Jersey to California, so I Know What It Feels Like Being the New Girl Trying to Figure It All Out. There Was This Girl in the Popular Group Who Was Jealous of Me, Even Though I Bought My Own Clothes and Car-my Parents Didn’t Give Them to Me. I Never Told People in School I Was an Actress. I Am a Girl, and Acting Is My Job.
I’m Not into Clubbing. I Want to Be Known for My Work.
I Didn’t Do This Because I Believe in Plastic Surgery. I Did This to Help My Health. I Literally Almost Could Not Breathe Out of the Right Side of My Nose. I Want My Fans to Know the Truth. I’m Not Someone Who Is Going to Act Like I Had Nothing Done. I Just Want to Be Honest Because My Fans Are Everything to Me.
I Can Only Be Myself. That Person Has to Love You for Who You Are and Everything That You Are. I Am Not Fake. I Know Who I Am. at the End of the Day, I Just Want to Be a Good Person. I’m Not Trying to Be Perfect.
I’m Not Just the Young Girl Everybody Thinks I Am. I’m Actually a Woman.
Little-known facts about Ashley French — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
She counts Hilary Duff and Haylie Duff among her close friends.
She auditioned for the role of Karen in the 2004 film Mean Girls but lost to Amanda Seyfried.
At age 12, she sang at the White House.
She married Christopher French on September 8, 2014, in Los Angeles after a 13-month engagement. Her bridesmaids included her sister Jennifer Tisdale and Vanessa Hudgens.
Her favorite song from High School Musical 2 is Gotta Go My Own Way.
She has naturally curly dark brown hair that reached her waist but had to dye it blond for The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, causing breakage; she now wears extensions.
Céline Dion thanked her for being a positive role model for her son.
During dance rehearsals for High School Musical 2, she had to be reminded not to take the lead while performing opposite Lucas Grabeel.
She posed nude for the May 2011 issue of Allure magazine.
She was a Ford Model alongside Lindsay Lohan and Mischa Barton.
She had a deviated septum corrected with surgery.
She is a StarPower Ambassador for the Starlight Children’s Foundation.
Her father has English, Irish, Scottish, and German ancestry; her mother is three-quarters Ashkenazi Jewish and one-quarter Irish. Her maternal grandmother’s father was of Irish origin. She started acting at the Jewish Community Center of Monmouth County, New Jersey, appearing in Gypsy, The Sound of Music, and Annie Warbucks.
On the Billboard Hot 100 chart of 2006, she became the first female to debut with two songs simultaneously: Bop to the Top and What I’ve Been Looking For, both duets with Lucas Grabeel from High School Musical.
She ranked #10 on the Maxim Hot 100 list in 2008.
Her dog Blondie shares its name with her nickname on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.
She is friends with Carlos PenaVega from Big Time Rush.
Her favorite movies are Just Married 2003, My Best Friend’s Wedding 1997, and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days 2003.
With husband Christopher French, she has two daughters: Jupiter Iris born March 23, 2021 and Emerson Clover born September 6, 2024.
As a child, she wrote and performed a Christmas song with her cousin Danielle, which she now calls so cheesy, but notes she has always been an entertainer who loved putting on shows for her family.
Her production company Blondie Girl Productions is currently developing several projects.
Her first reality TV series, Miss Advised 2012, was created by Blondie Girl Productions and aired on June 18, 2012.
She met dancer and former boyfriend Jared Murillo on the set of High School Musical in 2006.
She ranked #33 on Maxim’s Hot 100 list in 2014.
She announced her first pregnancy with husband Christopher French on Instagram on September 17, 2020.
She originally debated between Kiss the Girl and Part of Your World for DisneyMania 5; she chose Kiss the Girl and her good friend Miley Cyrus sang Part of Your World.
She is a member of the same Los Angeles gym as Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Jodie Foster, Michelle Monaghan, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Jason Sarayba.
Her debut album Headstrong sold 70,000 copies in its first week.
She is the younger sister of actress Jennifer Tisdale.
She toured cities on the High School Musical Concert with co-stars Lucas Grabeel, Monique Coleman, Corbin Bleu, and Vanessa Hudgens, as well as Drew Seeley, who was the singing voice for Troy Bolton in High School Musical.
In February 2008, she was in New Zealand shooting the movie Aliens in the Attic 2009.
She is the second cousin, once removed, of inventor and infomercial maven Ron Popeil; her maternal great-great-grandparents, Kidder Morris and Bryna Man, were also his paternal great-grandparents.
Her teacup poodle Maui Tisdale appeared in Scary Movie 5 2013.
She was a shy kid growing up and auditioned for Les Misérables and Annie.
The region-1 High School Musical DVD sold 400,000 copies on its day of release.
She toured Europe France, Spain, Germany, and the UK promoting High School Musical 3: Senior Year in 2008.
Her parents are Lisa Tisdale and Mike Tisdale.
She was born and raised in Monmouth County, New Jersey, the same county as Bruce Springsteen.
She is good friends with Samantha Droke.
She filmed High School Musical 3: Senior Year in Utah in 2008.
She filmed High School Musical 2 in Utah in 2007.
She shares the same first and middle name as Ashley Greene: Ashley Michelle.
In 2007, she had the music video for Not Like That, which was a major hit in Germany.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Ashley French.
Celebrities similar to Ashley French — same craft, ranked by reach.
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