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"I'm not perfect. This is how I was raised. If I wasn't in the industry, I'd be the same person."  Raven Symone has been famous for so long that it is hard to envision the entertainment world without her. While she is mostly known for her work on the Disney Channel show, That's So Raven, Symone has an extensive career that has spanned decades, mediums, and style changes.

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Raven Symone first made waves when she appeared on The Cosby Show and two decades later, she is still doing her thing. Symone has continually reinvented herself as an artist which has lent itself to her longevity. Symone is a popular voiceover artist, an award-winning singer, and one of the most famous child stars of all time.

A Child Prodigy is Born

Raven-Symone Christina Pearman was born December 10, 1985, in Atlanta, GA. Symone's parents are Christopher Pearman and Lydia Pearman. From a young age, Symone's parents believed that she had serious star power. By the time that Raven was two-years-old, she had already earned her own modeling contract. Before long, the Symone family would relocate to New York City so that their child could fully pursue her career.  As a child, Symone would appear in a number of high-profile ad campaigns for companies like Jell-O, Fisher-Price, and Ritz.

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While in New York, Symone would attend Park School. Unfortunately for her school, Symone's burgeoning fame would make it hard for her to attend her classes. In fact, when Symone landed her first major role on television, she was just four-years-old. We have to imagine that it was probably difficult to keep her focused on her studies! With a good head on her shoulders and the support of her family, Symone was able to focus on her career as a performer.

That's So Raven, Mr. Cosby

It wouldn't take long for Raven Symone to establish herself in Hollywood.  At just three years old, Symone would audition for the Bill Cosby film, Ghost Dad. Cosby thought that Symone was too young for the role, but he loved her skills. Instead, Cosby would cast the young actress in The Cosby Show (1989). Symone would appear in 64 episodes of the program as Cosby's step-granddaughter, Olivia.  Symone would make her debut in season six, and she would stay with the show until the finale in 1992. From there, Symone would dip her toes into the mini-series world as Halle Berry's younger self in the show, Queen (1993).

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By this point in time, Symone was experiencing career growth in a way that few other children her age ever had. She would land the role of Nicole Lee on Hangin' With Mr. Cooper, and she would star in the program until the series finale in 1997. During this span of time, Symone was rapidly growing her fanbase and larger production companies were taking notice. Symone would go on to star in the cult-classic film, The Little Rascals (1994) before turning her attention toward music. She signed a distro deal with Crash Records after her father established his own recording company, RayBlaze Records. Symone would release Undeniable in 1999. In order to support the record, Symone would go on tour with N'Sync in 1999.

Back on the silver screen, Symone was ready to capture the attention of Disney. She played opposite Eddie Murphy in the comedy, Dr. Dolittle (1998). While the film received mixed reviews, Symone would earn her first Disney contract off of the work. Symone would appear in Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (1999).  Symone would then come back for Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001).  Symone's rapid ascent to star status did not come without its perks. Symone was granted a leading role in the hit animated series, Kim Possible (2002). Symone would play Kim Possible's best friend, Monique. The series was a runaway hit and Symone would reprise her role in all the follow-up films, including Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time (2003) and Kim Possible: So the Drama (2005).

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While Raven Symone was an established child star by this point in time, she was still looking for the role that would make her an icon. In 2001 Symone would audition for a Disney Channel pilot called Absolutely Psychic. The series would be about a teenager that possessed psychic skills. Disney would give Raven the lead role, and they would change the title of the series to That's So Raven (2003). The series would become a smash hit for Disney. At the time of its conclusion in 2007, That's So Raven was the most popular Disney Channel series of all time. Symone received glowing reviews, and she would end up nominated for an Emmy Award in 2005 and 2007. Merchandise sales alone have totaled near half a billion dollars for the program.

Now one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, Symone would push the pedal to the metal. Symone would sign a record deal with Hollywood Records, a label owned by Disney. Symone would appear on several Disney soundtracks including The Cheetah Girls and The Haunted Mansion. Symone would take this opportunity in order to release her own music, including This is My Time, a 5-song EP.

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While juggling her work as a musician and Disney star, Symone still wanted to extend her range. In 2006, Symone would appear in her first drama, For One Night The film was based on an African American teen who experienced segregation at a high-school prom. It was after the release of this film that Symone decided to start pulling away from Disney.  Symone would star as Marti Brewster in Everyone's Hero and the soundtrack would go onto land at #44 on the Billboard 200. In 2008, Symone would release Raven-Symone, her fourth studio album. Symone would plan to take the record on an arena tour but the shows ended up being canceled. 

More than just a Disney star, Symone has since appeared on Broadway in the musical, Sister Act. Symone would star in the 2012 run of the show and garner positive reviews for her work. Symone would eventually come back to television in order to appear on Empire (2015), Black-ish (2015) and The View as a guest host. Since then, Symone has largely focused on her work as an executive producer, including a spin-off series titled Raven's Home.

When Raven isn't on stage or appearing on television, she is a famously private person. Not much is known about her romantic life outside of the fact that she is a proud lesbian. Symone has also gained attention for her Libertarian views. Symone currently lives in Los Angeles.