Though the young teen sensation “High School Musical” shot Ashley Tisdale into overnight stardom, the young actress and singer had been developing a career in movies and television since she was six years old.

Born Ashley Michelle Tisdale in West Deal, New Jersey, on July 2, 1985, her household had always had a celebrity in it as her grandfather, Arnold Morris, was the salesmen seen on the television commercial for Ginsu knives, and her cousin is the famous television infomercial super salesman Ron Popeil. 

Discovered at age six by a movie agency and talent manager at a shopping mall, she first took a job as a model for the J.C. Penny company, which led to other paid jobs in over two hundred national television commercials. By age eight, she was headlining the national touring company of “Les Miserables,” followed by a worldwide tour of “Annie”, and performed at the White House at age thirteen. Realizing their daughter’s career was taking off, her family picked up and relocated to Valencia, California while the future star was still a freshman in high school.

A number of television appearances followed, including series episodes of “7th Heaven” (1996-2006) with David Gallagher, and “Boston Public” (2000-04). She also also played a small part in the 2001 offbeat film “Donnie Darko” starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Noah Wyle, and Drew Barrymore - cast as simply “Dorky Girl.” More television work followed, including appearances on “The Hughleys” (1998-2002), “George Lopez” (2002- ) and “Still Standing” (2002- ), and had a cameo on the hit network show “Malcolm in the Middle” (2000-06), and “Charmed” (1998-2006) working along side friend and fellow actress Alyssa Milano.

In 2005, she was hired by Disney Entertainment for the series “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” (2005- ) as Maddie Corwin, the shows babysitter to Dylan and Cole Sprouse, who played the troublesome twin brothers. The series was second in ratings only to “That’s So Raven” (2003- ).

Having already shown she had what it took to star in a Disney production, the actress was hired along with fellow teen celebrity stars Zac Efron, Corbin Bleu, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Lucas Grabeel, and Monique Coleman in the smash hit television variety film that would profile both her singing and dancing. 

The result was “High School Musical” (2006), where two high school students who are worlds apart, the school's basketball star and the president of the science club, who decide to audition for their school's musical production, a decision that turns both their world and their school into disarray.

The show earned the highest ratings for a Disney production ever, and the musical soundtrack, which profiled the young actress singing went platinum within six months. The astounding success of both the film and the soundtrack helped put Tisdale in the music history books as the only female singer to ever have two songs (“Bop to the Top” and “We’re All in This Together”) rank at the same time on the “Billboard” Hot 100" chart. 

In 2007, she appeared in the much anticipated sequel "High School Musical 2" (2007), with the same cast as before, but this time during the summer vacation a talent show is organized in a local country club and Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Ryan, Chad and Taylor take part in it. Then the actress appeared in the third installment titled "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" (2008), where as seniors in high school ,Troy (Zac Efron) and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) struggle with the idea of being separated from one another as college approaches. Along with the rest of the Wildcats, they stage a spring musical to address their experiences, hopes and fears about their future. 

She went on to appear in the comedy "Picture This!" (2008) about a high school girl who is invited to a party by the most popular boy in school -- only trouble is, she's grounded. She then changed from comedy to adventure thriller in "They Came from Upstairs" (2009), set in Maine, about a group of young kids who must protect their vacation home from invading aliens. She wrapped up the year with the romantic comedy "You Wish" (2009) about a high school senior who gets his very own genie to help him win the girl of his dreams.