Shay Mitchell


Shannon Ashley Garcia Mitchell is a Canadian actress, model, entrepreneur and author. She first became known for starring as Emily Fields in the drama series Pretty Little Liars, for which she earned several Teen Choice Award nominations. She has since starred as Irina Webber in the science fiction series Aaron Stone, Peach Salinger in the psychological thriller series You, and currently stars as Stella Cole on the Hulu series Dollface.
Mitchell made her film debut starring as Nicole in the musical drama film Dreamland, after starring in a series of short films. She has since starred as Tina in the comedy film Mother's Day, and Megan Reed in the thriller film The Possession of Hannah Grace.

Early life

Mitchell was born in Mississauga, Ontario, the daughter of Precious Garcia and Mark Mitchell. Her father is of Scottish and Irish descent and her mother, who is Filipina, is from the province of Pampanga, and left the Philippines at age 19. She has one younger brother named Sean. She is a first cousin-once-removed of Lea Salonga, a singer and theater actress. She attended Rockridge Secondary School and then later transferred to West Vancouver Secondary School where she graduated.
By her late teens, Mitchell had successfully modeled for a variety of companies in cities as varied as Bangkok, Hong Kong and Barcelona, eventually returning to Toronto to study acting.

Career

Mitchell began acting in 2009, making a guest appearance on the Canadian teen drama series . She next guest starred in the police drama series Rookie Blue, and also appeared in the music video for "Hold My Hand" by Jamaican rapper Sean Paul. In the same year, Mitchell was cast as Emily Fields in the Freeform series Pretty Little Liars, an adaption of the book series of the same name. Initially, she auditioned for the role of Spencer Hastings. Mitchell was praised for her performance, earning her several nominations from the Teen Choice Awards. In 2010, Mitchell appeared in a four-episode arc on the Disney XD series Aaron Stone as Irina Webber.
In 2011, she signed a contract with Procter & Gamble to be the spokesperson for the Pantene Nature Fusion shampoo line. In the same year, Mitchell created a YouTube channel, where she is best known for her lifestyle-type videos. In 2015, Mitchell co-authored the young adult novel Bliss with Michaela Blaney. In 2016, after starring in a few minor works years prior, Mitchell made her film debut with the musical drama film Dreamland, starring as Nicole, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. In the same year, she starred as Tina in the comedy film Mother's Day, which was a commercial success, however it was panned by critics.
In 2017, Mitchell was cast in the former Lifetime television thriller series You, in the role of Peach Salinger, which was released in September 2018, and attained critical acclaim. In the same year, she started the production company "Amore & Vita Inc.", and has signed a contract with Warner Bros. Television. In 2018, Mitchell launched her travel brand, "BÉIS". In the same year, she headlined the horror film The Possession of Hannah Grace, which was received negatively by critics, but was a commercial success.
In 2019, Mitchell was cast as Stella Cole in the Hulu comedy series Dollface, which premiered in November 2019. In 2020, the series was renewed for a second season.

Philanthropy

Mitchell supported Somaly Mam Foundation, a non-profit organization that fought sex trafficking until it ended operations in 2014. She has also worked with The Trevor Project alongside the Pretty Little Liars cast and the NOH8 Campaign. She works with the WE Charity, which helps communities develop educational resources, and she partnered with Represent Clothing to promote tees where half the proceeds went to GLAAD.

Personal life

Mitchell began a relationship with Matte Babel in 2017. On 1 January 2019, Mitchell revealed that she had suffered a miscarriage in 2018. On 28 June 2019, Mitchell revealed that she was expecting their first child, a girl. On 20 October 2019, she announced the birth of her daughter, Atlas Noah.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Awards and nominations

YearWorkAwardCategoryResult
2011Pretty Little LiarsYoung Hollywood AwardsCast to Watch
2011Pretty Little LiarsYouth Rock AwardRockin' TV Actress
2014Pretty Little LiarsTeen Choice AwardsChoice Summer TV Star – Female
2015Pretty Little LiarsMTV Fandom AwardsShip Of The Year
2015Pretty Little LiarsTeen Choice AwardsChoice TV Actress: Drama
2016Pretty Little LiarsTeen Choice AwardsChoice Summer TV Star – Female
2016Pretty Little LiarsPeople's Choice AwardsFavorite Cable TV Actress
2017Pretty Little LiarsTeen Choice AwardsChoice TV Actress: Drama
2017Pretty Little LiarsTeen Choice AwardsChoice TV Ship
2018HerselfTeen Choice AwardsChoice Web Star: Fashion/Beauty

Publications