Monique Coleman

Adrienne Monique Coleman (born November 13, 1980) is an American actress and dancer. She is best known for her role as  Taylor McKessie in the High School Musical movies.

Early life and education
Adrienne Monique Coleman was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina. She started her acting career in theater and television at a young age in Columbia, South Carolina.  She trained at the Workshop Theater School of Dramatic Arts where she performed in over 15 plays.

Coleman went to Heathwood Hall Episcopal School. She later attended The Theater School at DePaul University in Chicago, earning her BFA in Acting in 2002.

Career
Coleman's first lead role was in the independent film Mother of the River (1995) directed by Zeinabu irene Davis. Two years later, Coleman appeared as Young Donna in The Family Channel movie The Ditchdigger's Daughter, for which she was nominated for a Young Artists Award of Hollywood. During her sophomore year of high school, Coleman wrote, directed, produced, and starred in a one-person play entitled "Voices from Within." In Chicago, Coleman appeared in stage productions of Noises Off, Polaroid Stories, The Real Thing, and The Colored Museum.

In 2005, Coleman acted alongside James Earl Jones in the Hallmark TV Movie The Reading Room. She received a 2006 CAMIE Award for the role and represented the film at the NAACP Image Awards.

Disney Channel 

In 2006, Coleman starred in High School Musical, in which she portrayed Taylor McKessie, the best friend of the new girl at school, Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Hudgens). She had previously worked with Disney Channel as a recurring guest star in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. Coleman also took part in the first Disney Channel Games in 2006. Coleman was also the host of 3 Minute Game Show: High School Musical Edition on Disney Channel. She recorded a song called "Christmas Vacation" for the holiday album entitled A Disney Channel Holiday. In 2007, she appeared in High School Musical 2. In 2008, she again repeated her role as Taylor McKessie in High School Musical 3.

Coleman has had several other guest appearances on television, including Boston Public, Gilmore Girls, Malcolm in the Middle, Strong Medicine, 10-8: Officers on Duty, Married to the Kellys, and Veronica Mars.

Dancing with the Stars
Coleman competed in the Fall 2006 third edition of the reality dance competition show Dancing with the Stars. She was paired with professional partner Louis van Amstel. The pair appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show before they were eliminated from the competition on November 1, 2006. Coleman and van Amstel finished fourth in the competition. She was the final female contestant in that season's competition.

UN Youth Champion

At a ceremony at UN headquarters in New York, Coleman was presented with a letter of recognition of her new role by Assistant Secretary-General Jomo Kwame Sundaram of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. In presenting the letter, Mr. Sundaram said Coleman will work "to raise awareness about the challenges young people face and will highlight the positive contribution they make to their communities." Coleman said receiving the designation of Youth Champion was "beyond an honor" and she would use her new position to promote global efforts to achieve the anti-poverty Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Philanthropy
In 2010, Coleman worked with dosomething.org to produce a video tutorial for the series "Do Something U." Targeting young activists in need of guidance and inspiration, Coleman's video focused on teaching youth the best way to utilize social media to spread word of ideas and actions.

Personal life
Coleman married Walter Jordan in February 2012. The couple divorced in February 2022.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music 

 High School Musical, Start of Something New (Concert) Featuring Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Lucas Grabeel, Ashley Tisdale, Vanessa Hudgens & Drew Seeley (2006)
Disney Channel Holiday's Christmas Vacation (2007)
 Pop It Rock It 2: It's On, What Time Is It (2007)

Awards
19th Annual Young Artist Awards (1996–1997)
Best Performance in a TV MOVIE or FEATURE FILM: Young Ensemble – "Ditchdigger's Daughter"
Best Family TV MOVIE/ PILOT/MINI-SERIES (CABLE) – The Ditchdigger's Daughters, Family Channel
Character and Morality in Entertainment Awards (CAMIE) 2006 – The Reading Room
Teen Choice Awards 2006 Award for Choice TV Show: Comedy/Musical – High School Musical
American Music Award 2007 for High School Musical 2
Teen Choice Awards 2009 Award for Choice Movie: Music/Dance – High School Musical 
Daytime Emmy Awards 2019 : Outstanding Host ( Nominated)

References

External links

Monique Coleman's Official Site

1980 births
Living people
People from Orangeburg, South Carolina
African-American actresses
American television actresses
DePaul University alumni
Participants in American reality television series
Actresses from South Carolina
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
20th-century African-American women
20th-century African-American people
21st-century African-American women
21st-century African-American people