Aly Michalka stars as Marti Perkins, an ambitious pre-law student who joins the Hellcats cheer squad to keep her scholarship on The CW’s new drama “Hellcats.” At age 21, Michalka is an accomplished musician, songwriter, actress and martial artist. She is a star on the rise with several exciting projects on the horizon.

Michalka also starred in Summit Entertainment’s “Bandslam,” opposite Vanessa Hudgens and Gaelen Connell. She recently wrapped production on the Screen Gems thriller “The Roommate,” starring alongside Leighton Meester and Minka Kelly, as well as the Screen Gems comedy, “Easy A,” opposite Emma Stone. In addition to her many film roles, she is also a platinum selling recording artist. She is half of what used to be known as “Aly & AJ,” now known as “78violet.”

Michalka began her acting career with a starring role on The Disney Channel’s “Phil of the Future” about a family from the future trying to live in the modern world. She next starred in two Disney Channel films, “Now You See It” and “Cow Belles,” as well as the Disney pilot “Haversham Hall.” She also starred in the MTV original movie “Super Sweet Sixteen: The Movie.”

Michalka is perhaps best known for her musical talents. In addition to singing and songwriting, she also plays guitar, piano and percussion. As part of the rock/pop duo “Aly &AJ,” Michalka and her younger sister AJ became platinum-selling recording artists at a very young age. In 2006, Aly & AJ were nominated for an American Music Award. They have also written or co-written all of the songs on their two hit records, and their holiday release “Acoustic Hearts of Winter” was one of the best-selling Christmas albums of 2006. Their hit single, “Potential Breakup Song,” was noted in Time magazine as one of the Top 10 Songs of the Year for 2007, and the video has received over 30 million hits on You Tube.

In 2006 and 2007, Aly & AJ had two consecutive sold-out tours, headlining amphitheaters and arenas across the United States, as well as international success in Japan and the UK. The duo has also contributed to the soundtracks for the films “The Game Plan,” “Herbie Fully Loaded,” “Ice Princess,” and most recently “Bandslam,” in which Michalka also stars. In addition to her music and acting, Michalka has an abundance of other activities keeping her busy. She penned a deal with Penguin Books, who published a 4-book series entitled, Aly & AJ’s Rock ‘n Roll Mysteries, for which she is the credited illustrator. She and her sister have also partnered with Performance Designed Products (PDP) to launch a line of video game accessories targeted at female gamers. Michalka is also very involved with philanthropic activities. She supports the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation and Race to Erase MS. Previously, she was a co-chair of the AmberWatch Foundation, an organization that promotes child safety and awareness.

Michalka currently resides in Los Angeles.

Source: CW