Generation Z grew up with Bridgit Mendler, a Disney Channel alum who starred in "Good Luck Charlie," and "Lemonade Mouth." In adulthood, Mendler has paused her acting endeavors to focus on other academic and professional goals.
As a prominent child actor, Mendler balanced her life in the spotlight with being a normal kid. Mendler was born in Washington, D.C. but moved to San Francisco when she was 8. After moving to the West Coast, Mendler immersed herself in the acting scene by performing in local plays and musicals.
The same year, Mendler became the youngest performer at the San Francisco Fringe Festival. When she turned 13, she made her television debut as a guest star in General Hospital.
However, Mendler's expansive career took off in 2007 with her film debut as Pamela in "Alice Upside Down." She co-starred alongside Alyson Stoner and Lucas Grabeel, who both appeared on Disney Channel in other projects that decade. She also appeared in "The Clique"(2008) and "Labor Pains" (2009) alongside Lindsay Lohan.
Mendler's real rise to fame was when she signed with Disney Channel in 2009, landing a recurring role on the hit show "Wizards of Waverly Place alongside Selena Gomez. Mendler played Juliet Van Heusen, a vampire and love interest of Justin Russo, portrayed by David Henrie. She appeared in the show until its end in 2012.
In 2010, Mendler starred in "Good Luck Charlie," in which she played Teddy, a teenage girl who makes videos for her younger sister, Charlie, to watch when she becomes older. The series premiered to 4.7 million viewers, breaking the record for the highest-rated series premiere for a Disney Channel Original Series.
As the show's popularity grew, Disney Channel released “Good Luck Charlie: It's Christmas!" a spin-off movie where Teddy and Amy (Leigh Allyn Baker) get separated from the rest of the family on Christmas vacation.
While "Good Luck Charlie" was on air, rumors of romance sparked between Mendler and her on-screen boyfriend, played by Shane Harper. In 2012, Harper confirmed in an interview with Officially the Hottest that the pair were officially dating. The couple dated for three years before going their separate ways.
That same year, Mendler starred in Lemonade Mouth, an original Disney Channel movie about five high school students who form a music group and compete in a rock competition. Songs from the movie, like "Somebody" and "Determinate" both made it to the Billboard Hot 100, bringing attention to Mendler's acting and singing abilities.
After "Lemonade Mouth" showcased Mendler's vocal chops, she released her debut album the following year, titled "Hello My Name is…" Her lead singles "Ready or Not" and "Hurricane" topped the charts, and the album peaked at No. 30 on the Billboard 200. Mendler embarked on two tours, "Bridgit Mendler: Live in Concert" and the "Summer Tour" from 2013-14, where she played at state fairs and music festivals.
After the massive success of her first album, Mendler released another single, "Atlantis," featuring Kaiydo, in 2016. Later that year, she released a follow-up single, "Do You Miss Me at All."
During her time with Disney, Mendler also pursued a degree in anthropology at the University of Southern California, but she dropped out in 2016. Throughout her career, Mendler maintained jobs in the entertainment industry while working toward higher education.
"My plan right now is just to do one class at a time and see how that goes," Mendler said in an interview with USA Today. "I'm just going to study something that will be interesting and doable down the road and just take care of my general education courses for now. I want to know something outside of what I do."
Ultimately, Mendler took a break from the spotlight to focus on her education and her personal life. In 2018, she led a graduate course at MITon improving social media and attended Harvard Law School in 2019. In 2020, she completed her Master of Science in media arts and sciences at MIT and continued her studies, working on a Ph.D.
In 2019, Mendler announced in an Instagram post that she had married Griffin Cleverly, whom she had been dating since 2017. At the ceremony, her "Lemonade Mouth" co-star, Naomi Scott, served as one of Mendler's bridesmaids.
Recently, Mendler has been back in the headlines, but not for singing, acting or academics.
Mendler announced Feb. 19 that she is the CEO of Northwood Space, a tech and space startup based in El Segundo, California, that specializes in sending and receiving data between satellites and the Earth and expanding access to space.
Mendler and her husband co-founded the company alongside Shaurya Luthra. Cleverly serves as chief of technology, and Luthra as chief of software.
That same day, Mendler dropped more news in a second post on X, formerly known as Twitter, announcing that she is a mom: "The other news I wanted to share is I'm a mama to a sweet 4yo boy," Mendler wrote. "Started fostering in 2021 adopted near Christmas 2022. I'm so lucky — being a parent is the biggest gift and most defining experience there is."
Between being a mom, CEO, scientist, singer, songwriter and actor, Mendler is a multifaceted addition to any project she is involved in — whether in the entertainment industry or her professional pursuits.
