Monique Coleman

Monique Coleman was born on November 13, 1980, in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Monique knew from an early age that she wanted to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, but it was just as important to her (and her family) that she maintain as normal a childhood as possible. To that end, Monique tenaciously combined her everyday activities with various arts-oriented endeavors -- including a hefty dose of community theater. She also signed up for a stint at the Workshop Theatre School of Dramatic Arts, where she appeared in over a dozen plays and eventually landed her first commercial as a direct result of her ties to the organization.

Monique's high school career was equally hectic, as the aspiring actress divided her time between schoolwork and a bevy of theatrical activities. This was all in addition to her other extracurricular projects, including volunteer work, cheerleading and running track. In 1995, Monique's relentless auditioning regimen paid off after she landed a part in a locally shot independent short film Mother of the River. She followed that up with a more prominent role in a made-for-television movie: 1997's The Ditchdigger's Daughters. It was around that time, however, that she decided to put acting on the back burner while she completed her education.

After finishing high school, Monique enrolled in Chicago's DePaul University, where she attended their prestigious theater school and eventually graduated with a Bachelor's degree in acting. From there, Monique decided that since she was determined to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, her next step necessitated a move to California.

Beginning in 2003, Monique began popping up in one television show after another -- including Gilmore Girls (with Lauren Graham), Malcolm in the Middle (with Frankie Muniz) and Veronica Mars (with Kristen Bell). She even landed a recurring role on the high school drama Boston Public, as well as a substantial part in a made-for-television film opposite James Earl Jones in 2005's The Reading Room.

But everything changed for Monique after she was cast alongside Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens in 2006's High School Musical, a Disney Channel movie that premiered to instant success and whose album went three-times platinum. The film transformed Monique into an instant superstar among the tween set, and the actress quickly found herself in the enviable position of being able to sift through the various offers coming her way. Her first post-High School Musical effort returned her to the Disney universe, as she took on a recurring role on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody alongside High School Musical costarsVanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale.

Monique, eager to prove her dancing abilities among fans and detractors alike, signed up for the third season of the popular reality show Dancing with the Stars, where she was paired with professional hoofer Louis van Amstel. Though Monique managed to hang around longer during the show's run than such notable names as Willa Ford and Sara Evans, she was the seventh contestant eliminated -- beat out by Joey Lawrence, Mario Lopez and eventual winner Emmitt Smith.