| Alisan Porter | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 20, 1981 Worcester, Massachusetts, United States |
Alisan Porter (born June 20, 1981) is an American actress, singer and dancer.
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Porter was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. Porter is Jewish.[1] Her maternal grandmother, whose father Joseph Klein was a prominent Worcester rabbi, ran the Charlotte Klein Dance Center in Worcester.[2] Porter's mother, Laura Klein, was a dance coach for Diane Klimaszewski & Elaine Klimaszewski (now better known as the Coors Light Twins) who appeared on Star Search in 1987 in the junior vocalist category. While in Los Angeles for the twins' appearance on the show, the show's producer heard Porter singing in the hotel lobby and had her on the very next episode. She has therefore been singing and performing since the young age of three, and at the age of five, became the youngest participant ever to win the Star Search show. As an actress, she is known for her role as Curly Sue in the movie Curly Sue. She costarred with Tim Curry in an introduction scene of an awards ceremony where both of them "jumped" out of a movie screen and into real life through special effects.
Porter continued with acting in high school in Westport, Connecticut, where she joined a theatre group and participated in various shows. When she was eighteen, she moved to New York to audition for Broadway shows. She was cast as Urleen in the show Footloose.
Porter is based in Los Angeles, where she has been working on her music career. During this time she starred as Miriam in the smash The Ten Commandments: The Musical at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles alongside Val Kilmer and Adam Lambert and Broadway star Lauren Kennedy. In 2003 the band The Raz was formed, with Porter as the vocalist and main songwriter. The Raz split up in 2004. In March 2005 she announced the birth of her new band, The Alisan Porter Project. During 2006 she performed in the 2006 revival of A Chorus Line as Bebe Bensonheimer at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre in New York City.
Since December 2008, Porter is a contributing columnist for Movmnt Magazine.[3]
On New Years Day 2012 Porter announced via Twitter she was expecting a baby. "Best thing about 2012, I'm gonna be a Mommy!!!! Xo" Porter said. She is due July 17, 2012 [4]
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1988 | Homesick | Maggie | |
| 1989 | Parenthood | Taylor Buckman | |
| 1990 | Stella | Jenny (age 8) | |
| I Love You to Death | Carla Boca | ||
| 1991 | Curly Sue | Curly Sue | |
| 2003 | Shrink Rap | Brandi | |
| 2006 | The Ten Commandments: The Musical | Miriam | |
| 2011 | Teen Titans | Starfire | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1987 | Pee-wee's Playhouse | Li'l Punkin | 2 episodes |
| I'll Take Manhattan | Young Maxi | Miniseries | |
| Family Ties | Child | 1 episode | |
| 1989–1990 | Chicken Soup | Molly Peerce | 12 episodes |
| 1990 | Perfect Strangers | Tess Holland | 1 episode |
| When You Remember Me | Kelly | Television movie | |
| 1991 | The Golden Girls | Melissa | 1 episode |
| 2001 | Undressed | Belinda | 4th Season episodes |
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Film or series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Young Artist Award | Nominated | Best Young Actress Guest Starring or Recurring Role in a TV Series | The Golden Girls |
| 1993 | Won | Best Young Actress Starring in a Motion Picture | Curly Sue |