Dove Cameron is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Liv Rooney on the Disney Channel television series Liv and Maddie and as Mal, daughter of Maleficent in Descendants.
Cameron was born Chloe Celeste Hosterman on January 15, 1996, in Seattle, Washington. Her father, Philip Alan Hosterman, died of stomach cancer on March 26, 2011, when she was fifteen years old. Her mother, Bonnie Wallace, later remarried to Keith Thomas Graff. She has an older sister named Claire Hosterman and two paternal half-sisters from her father's second marriage: Olivia Rose Graff and Isabella Grace Graff. Cameron's maternal grandmother was Jewish (of Russian Jewish descent), while her paternal grandfather was of English descent; Cameron has stated that she hasn't really explored her religious background. When she was 14 years old, Cameron began homeschooling through a public school independent study program which allowed her to take online courses from a certified teacher; she graduated with honors in 2013 at age 17.
In 2012, Dove changed her name from Chloe Celeste Hosterman to Dove Olivia Cameron. The new name better suited Hollywood and also helped distance herself from her former life prior to acting.