Joey Lawrence Biography (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Joseph "Joey" Lawrence (born April 20, 1976) is an American actor. He became successful through the TV show Gimme A Break and followed that up with the TV series Blossom in the 1990s, in which he played the character Joey Russo, a dim-witted young man who frequently uttered the phrase "WHOA!" At that time he used his nickname Joey. In the wake of his acting success, he started a recording career, releasing two albums during the 1990s. In later years he went back to using his given name Joseph. Most recently he competed in the 2006 season of Dancing With the Stars competition, but was eliminated from the competition on November 9, 2006.

Biography

Personal life

Lawrence was born Joseph Lawrence Mignogna, Jr. in Abington, Pennsylvania, the son of Donna, a personal manager, and Joseph Lawrence Mignogna, Sr., an insurance broker. His family's surname was changed to "Lawrence" during his childhood. He has two brothers, actors Matthew Lawrence and Andrew Lawrence. He began acting at a very young age. He also attended Abington Friends School as a child. He also attended Southampton Summer Day Camp with his brother Matt when he was a kid. Lawrence was married to former producer Michelle Vella, but they divorced. In 2005, he married Chandie Yawn, whom he met at Disney World in 1993; Yawn hails from Roanoke, Alabama. In May 2006, he and Yawn had a daughter named Charleston "Charli" Lawrence.

Career

Lawrence has starred in shows such as Gimme a Break!, American Dreams, Brotherly Love, and Run of the House. One of Joseph's international movie credits was Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000) in which he costarred with Jennifer Morrison, Matthew Davis, and Hart Bochner.

In early 2006, a bald headed Lawrence, wearing earrings, made a cameo appearance in a commercial for Ice Breakers gum with sisters Hilary and Haylie Duff, ending the ad with his trademark, "WHOA!" Later, sporting his "new look", Lawrence had a recurring role on the UPN sitcom Half and Half as Brent. Lawrence now stars as Clay Dobson on CBS hit show CSI: NY. He also recently starred in Broadway hit Chicago as Billy Flynn.

Lawrence also had a music career. In the wake of his teenage heart-throb status and fame from the TV show Blossom, he recorded his debut album, Joey Lawrence, in 1993. The album was produced by US producers, such as Terry Lupton (Michael Learns to Rock, Jamie Stevens, Apollonia Kotero), Elliot Wolff (Paula Abdul), Ian Price (Sheena Easton), and Teddy Riley (Michael Jackson, Bobby Brown, Tevin Campbell, Color Me Badd). The album included the international hit single "Nothin`My Love Can't Fix" (US #19, UK #13, AU #68). Two more singles from this album also managed to crack the UK Top 50 ("I Can't Help Myself" #27, "Stay Forever" #41). A second album, Soulmates, followed four years later, in 1997. Although the album was not the major commercial success his debut album was, it did feature two singles. The song, "Never Gonna Change My Mind" became a moderate Rhythmic/Dance format radio hit. The second single, "Ven Ven Conmigo" became a minor radio hit.

He and his dance partner, Edyta Sliwinska, came in third place on ABC's Dancing with the Stars. On November 8, 2006, Joey and Edyta were eliminated from the show by viewer votes due to a three-way tie the night before.

He is currently a celebrity judge on an internet reality show called "Total Pop Star." He judges alongside Debbie Gibson, and Andrew Van Slee.

His next gig will be to host a dance competition show on TLC. Master of Dance will premier June 9, 2008.

Filmography

• Gimme a Break! (1981) (TV series) (1983"1987)
• Summer Rental (1985)
• Who's the Boss (1986)
• Pulse (1988)
• Oliver & Company (1988) (voice)
• Adventures in Babysitting (1989) (TV)
• Chains of Gold (1990)
• Blossom (1991) (TV series)
• Radioland Murders (1994)
• A Goofy Movie (1995) (voice)
• Brotherly Love (1995) (TV series)
• Horse Sense (1999)
• Tequila Body Shots (1999)
• Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000)
• Do You Wanna Know A Secret (2001)
• Jumping Ship (2001)
• Half & Half (2002) (TV series) (2005)
• Run of the House (2003) (US TV series)
• Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber (2005)
• Rest Stop (2006)
• Miss Teen USA (2007) (US TV special)
• Killer Pad (2008)

Discography

Singles

• "Nothin' My Love Can't Fix"
• "Stay Forever"
• "I Can't Help Myself"
• "Ven Ven Conmigo"
• "Never Gonna Change My Mind"
• "I Didn't Wanna Fall in Love Tonight"

This biography article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Joey Lawrence". Reality TV World is not responsible for any errors or omissions this article may contain.