Joey Lawrence
Joey Lawrence | |
---|---|
Born | Joseph Lawrence Mignogna Jr. April 20, 1976 Abington, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Education | |
Occupation | Actor, musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, game show host |
Years active | 1982–present |
Spouse(s) | Michelle Vella
(m. 2002; div. 2005)Chandie Yawn-Nelson
(m. 2005; div. 2020) |
Children | 2 |
Family |
|
Joseph Lawrence Mignogna Jr. (born April 20, 1976) is an American actor, musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, and game show host. He got his start as a child star in the early 1980s and is best known for his role as Joey Russo in Blossom and Joe Longo in Melissa & Joey. Lawrence also starred in Gimme a Break! (1983–1987), and the series Brotherly Love with his real-life brothers Matthew and Andrew, and for his movie roles in Summer Rental (1985), and Oliver & Company (1988).
Early life[]
Lawrence was born in Abington, Pennsylvania, and raised in Philadelphia, the son of Donna, a personnel manager and former elementary school teacher[1] and Joseph Lawrence Mignogna, an insurance broker.[2][3] He is of Italian, Scottish and English descent.[4] His family's surname was changed to "Lawrence" during his childhood. He has two younger brothers, Matt and Andy, who are also actors.[5]
He graduated from Abington Friends School in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania in 1994, and later attended the University of Southern California.[6]
Career[]
Acting[]
Lawrence's first acting role was in a Cracker Jack commercial. At the age of five, he appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, where he performed the song "Give My Regards to Broadway".[7]
After appearing in guest spots on Different Strokes and Silver Spoons, Lawrence won the role of Joey Donovan on the hit NBC sitcom Gimme a Break! in 1983. He continued in that role until the series ended in 1987. 1985 marked Lawrence's theatrical debut with the release of Summer Rental. Lawrence provided the voice of Oliver, the protagonist in the 1988 Disney film Oliver & Company at the age of 12. From 1991 to 1995, at the age of 15, Lawrence co-starred in the hit TV series Blossom on NBC, playing Joey Russo.
Lawrence has also starred in the series Brotherly Love (which featured his real life brothers, Matthew and Andrew Lawrence) and Run of the House and has guest starred on such programs as American Dreams and CSI: NY.[8] One of Lawrence's film credits is Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000).
In 2006, Lawrence appeared on ABC's Dancing with the Stars. Paired with professional dancer Edyta Śliwińska, he placed third in the competition.
In May 2007, he starred in the Broadway hit Chicago as Billy Flynn.[9] He next hosted a dance competition show on The Learning Channel, Master of Dance, which premiered June 9, 2008.[10]
In 2009, Lawrence starred in the television movie My Fake Fiancé with Melissa Joan Hart, which premiered on ABC Family to 3.6 million viewers, becoming the most-watched television movie of the ratings season, sweeping top rank in its time-period in key demos. In August 2010, Lawrence returned to television in the ABC Family sitcom Melissa & Joey, again opposite Hart.[11] Hart plays a woman who hires Lawrence as a nanny to help care for her incarcerated sister's kids. Lawrence's character is a former figure in the financial industry whose company came under investigation for wrongdoing and caused his professional life to be put on hold. Lawrence's brothers have guest starred on the show. Matthew Lawrence played Tony Longo in season 1 episode 25 and Andrew Lawrence appeared in season 1 episode 26 as Ryder Scanlon's teacher, Evan McKay. The series was renewed for its fourth season and ended in 2015.[12]
In 2012, he was contracted to be a Chippendales dancer for a special engagement in June at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.[13] On March 19, 2013, Lawrence began appearing in the ABC reality show Splash, which he co-hosts alongside Charissa Thompson.
Music career[]
Lawrence has said that music was always his passion, and at the height of his success began a recording career. Lawrence was 16 when his debut album Joey Lawrence was released in February 1993. Produced by Steve Barri, Tony Peluso, Terry Lupton and Ian Prince. Lawrence co-wrote some material, including the international hit single "Nothin' My Love Can't Fix" (#6 Billboard Hot 100 Airplay, No. 10 Billboard Top 40 Mainstream, No. 19 Billboard Hot 100, No. 13 United Kingdom, No. 68 Australia).[14] The song was used as the end-title theme from the movie Cop and a Half; its music video received heavy airplay on MTV and MuchMusic, and Lawrence was invited to perform live on MTV's Spring Break, The Arsenio Hall Show, and the UK's Top of the Pops in 1993.[citation needed]
In June 2011, he released a single, "Rolled", which was available as a free download for one week on ABC Family's website.[15] In July, Joey released a second single, "Give It To Ya (Acoustic)" via Pledge Music.[16] In 2017 Joey started a band with Matt and Andy called Still 3. They released their debut single "Lose Myself".[17]
Personal life[]
Lawrence married Michelle Vella in 2002; the couple divorced in 2005.[18] He met his second wife, Chandie Yawn-Nelson, earlier while on vacation in Disney World when the two were teenagers; they wed there in July 2005.[19] Lawrence filed for divorce in July 2020.[18] The couple has two children.[20][21][22] In August 2021, he announced his engagement to actress Samantha Cope whom he met on the set of a Lifetime movie his brother Andrew directed.[23]
Reports surfaced in March 2018 that Lawrence and Yawn-Nelson had filed for bankruptcy in July 2017.[24][25] On April 6, 2018, the Chapter 7 bankruptcy case was reportedly settled.[26][27]
Filmography[]
Film[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1985 | Summer Rental | Bobby Chester | |
1988 | Pulse | David Rockland | |
Oliver & Company | Oliver (voice) | ||
1991 | Chains of Gold | Tommy | |
1994 | Radioland Murders | Frankie Marshall | |
1995 | A Goofy Movie | Chad (voice) | |
1999 | Tequila Body Shots | Johnny Orpheus | |
2000 | Urban Legends: Final Cut | Graham Manning | |
Desperate But Not Serious | Darby | ||
2001 | Do You Wanna Know a Secret? | Hank Ford | |
A Christmas Adventure ...From a Book Called Wisely's Tales | Wolfpack Leader (voice) | Video | |
2002 | Trois 2: Pandora's Box | Det. Anderson | |
2006 | Rest Stop | Officer Michael Deacon | Video |
2008 | Killer Pad | Joey Lawrence | |
Together Again for the First Time | Carey Krzyznyk | Video | |
2010 | Sinatra Club | Louie 'Pipes' Pepitone | |
2011 | Tumor & Gooch | Gooch | Short film |
Hit List | Lyle | ||
2016 | Saved By Grace | Rick | |
Emma's Chance | Kevin Chambers | ||
Arlo: The Burping Pig | David | ||
Isle of the Dead | Lt. Paul Gibson | ||
2017 | Girl Followed | Jim | |
2018 | Sk8 Dawg | Mr. Hoffman | |
2020 | Money Plane | The Concierge | |
My Brother's Keeper | Preach | ||
Pardoned by Grace | Scott Highberger | ||
2021 | Roe v. Wade | Robert Byrn | |
TBA | Turning Tables | Reid |
Television[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1982 | Scamps | Sparky | TV film |
Diff'rent Strokes | Joey | Episode: "Big Brother" | |
Silver Spoons | Joey Thompson | Episode: "The Best Christmas Ever" | |
1983 | Little Shots | Pete | TV film |
Wait till Your Mother Gets Home! | Chris Peters | ||
1983–1987 | Gimme a Break! | Joey Donovan | Main role (77 episodes) |
1984 | Young People's Specials | Billy | Episode: "Umbrella Jack" |
1985 | ABC Afterschool Special | Mattie | Episode: "Don't Touch" |
1989 | Adventures in Babysitting | Brad Anderson | Pilot |
1990–1995 | Blossom | Joey Russo | Main role (114 episodes) |
1993 | Olsen Twins Mother's Day Special | Singer | TV special |
Almost Home | Jeff Thornton | Episode: "Girls and Boy" | |
Empty Nest | Wade | Episode: "Aunt Verne Knows Best" | |
1995 | The John Larroquette Show | Carly's Brother | Episode: "Whipping Post" |
Something Wilder | J.J. Travis | Episode: "Bergman of Alcatraz" | |
Prince for a Day | Ralph Bitondo / Ricky Prince | TV film | |
Wheel of Fortune | Himself | Episode #2398: Celebrity Week | |
1995–1997 | Brotherly Love | Joe Roman | Main role (40 episodes) |
1996 | Brothers of the Frontier | Ethan Frye | TV film |
1999 | Touched by an Angel | Jesse | Episode: "Fool for Love" |
Horse Sense | Michael Woods | TV film Co-producer | |
Recess | Franklin Dudikoff (voice) | Episode: "The Dude" | |
2001 | Jumping Ship | Michael Woods | TV film |
2002 | Romantic Comedy 101 | Mark Gibson | |
The Zeta Project | Dex Finley (voice) | Episode: "Eye of the Storm" | |
2002–2003 | American Dreams | Michael Brooks | 11 episodes |
2003–2004 | Run of the House | Kurt Franklin | Main role (19 episodes) |
2004 | Love Rules! | Michael Warner | TV film |
2005 | Bow | Matt | |
Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber | Ferguson | ||
2005–2006 | Half & Half | Brett Mahoney | 9 episodes |
2006 | Android Apocalypse | DeeCee | TV film |
2007 | CSI: NY | Clay Dobson | 3 episodes |
2007–2008 | The Emperor's New School | Dirk Brock (voice) | 2 episodes |
2009 | My Fake Fiancé | Vince | |
2010–2015 | Melissa & Joey | Joe Longo | Main role (104 episodes) |
2011 | The Dog Who Saved Halloween | Zeus | TV film |
2012 | Hitched for the Holidays | Rob Marino | |
The Dog Who Saved The Hollidays | Zeus | ||
2013 | Splash | Himself | Co-host |
2015 | Celebrity Family Feud | Episode: "Lawrence vs Lopez" | |
2016 | Cupcake Wars | Runner-up | |
2017–2019 | Hawaii Five-0 | Aaron Wright | 4 episodes |
2019 | Celebrity Big Brother | Himself / Houseguest[28][29] | 9th place |
Dollface | Himself | Episode: "Mystery Brunette" | |
2021 | Danger Force | Himself | Episode: "Vidja Games" |
Dancing with the Stars[]
Week # | Dance / Song | Judges' scores | Result | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
1 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "I Like the Way (You Move)" | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
2 | Quickstep / "I Got Rhythm" | 10 | 9 | 10 | Safe |
3 | Jive / "Blue Suede Shoes" | 8 | 6 | 8 | Safe |
4 | Waltz / "Take It to the Limit" | 9 | 9 | 9 | Safe |
5 | Samba / "Freedom! '90" | 8 | 8 | 9 | Safe |
6 | Rumba / "Father Figure" | 8 | 8 | 8 | Bottom two |
Group Disco / "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" | No scores given | ||||
7 | Foxtrot / "Singin' in the Rain" | 10 | 9 | 10 | Safe |
Mambo / "Mambo No. 5" | 9 | 9 | 10 | ||
8 Semi-finals |
Tango / "The Addams Family Theme" | 10 | 9 | 9 | Safe |
Paso Doble / "Sympathy for the Devil" | 9 | 8 | 9 | ||
9 Finals |
Quickstep / "42nd Street" | 9 | 10 | 10 | Third place |
Rumba / "Eternal Flame" | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Theater[]
- Chicago (2007) as Billy Flynn (replacement)
Discography[]
Year | Album | Peak positions | |
---|---|---|---|
Billboard 200 |
UK Albums Chart | ||
1993 | Joey Lawrence | 74[30] | 39[31] |
1997 | Soulmates | — | — |
EPs[]
- 2017: Imagine
Singles[]
Year | Title | Peak positions | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Hot 100 |
UK Singles Chart |
AUS | |||
1993 | "Nothin' My Love Can't Fix" | 19[30] | 13[32] | 68[33] | Joey Lawrence |
"I Can't Help Myself" | — | 27[32] | — | ||
"Stay Forever" | — | 41[32] | — | ||
1998 | "Never Gonna Change My Mind" | — | 49[32] | — | Soulmates |
Other non-charting singles
- 2011: "Rolled"
- 2011: "Give It to Ya" (acoustic)
- 2013: "Our Time"
- 2017: "Imagine"
- 2017: "Christmas Time"
References[]
- ^ Gliatto, Tom (March 15, 1993). "A Method to His Doofus". People. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
- ^ "Joey Lawrence Biography (1976–)". FilmReference.com. Archived from the original on July 31, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
- ^ "Grown Up Joey Lawrence Kept the 'Y' – Here's Why". PopEater.com. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
- ^ Gostin, Nicki (July 26, 2010). "Grown Up Joey Lawrence Kept the 'Y' — Here's Why". PopEater.com. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
- ^ Radovsky, Vicki Jo (April 23, 1993). "Stonecoldfox". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
- ^ Lipton, Michael A. (June 27, 1994). "Class of '94". People. 41 (24). ISSN 0093-7673.
- ^ "Joey Lawrence". TVGuide.com. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
- ^ Snierson, Dan (October 16, 2002). "'Whoa' Be Gone". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (May 4, 2007). "Joey Lawrence Joins Broadway's Chicago May 4". playbill.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
- ^ Master of Dance Archived May 30, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, tlc.discovery.com; accessed March 20, 2017.
- ^ Bockelman, Andy (April 1, 2010). "Melissa Joan Hart, Nikki Blonsky Among Stars To Appear In New ABC Family Shows". allheadlinenews.com. Retrieved June 12, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Hart & Lawrence Land New Sitcom". February 2010. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
- ^ "Joey Lawrence – Whoa, I'm a Stripper!". TMZ. May 16, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
- ^ "Joey Lawrence: Billboard chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
- ^ "ABC Family's Hit Comedy "Melissa & Joey" Returns With All-New Episodes, Premiering Wednesday, June 29 at 8:00 ET/PT". thefutoncritic.com. June 24, 2011. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
- ^ "Give it to ya". PledgeMusic. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
- ^ Whoa! Hear Joey Lawrence's New Song with Brothers Matthew and Andy
- ^ Jump up to: a b Drysdale, Jennifer (July 18, 2020). "Joey Lawrence Files for Divorce From Wife Chandie After 15 Years of Marriage". MSN.com. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- ^ Rizzo, Monica (November 13, 2006). "Whoa, It's Joey!". People. 66 (20). ISSN 0093-7673.
- ^ Lawrence's son Trevor Lawrence is a quarterback at Clemson and expected to be an early first round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Michaud, Sarah (November 13, 2009). "Joey Lawrence, Wife Expecting Second Daughter". people.com. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
- ^ Michaud, Sarah (March 4, 2010). "Joey Lawrence Welcomes Second Daughter". people.com. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
- ^ Walsh, Shannon (January 21, 2019). "Joey Lawrence Kids & Family: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". heavy.com. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ "Joey Lawrence Is Engaged to Girlfriend Samantha Cope: 'We Are Beyond Excited'". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
- ^ Dave Quinn (March 9, 2018). "Joey Lawrence files for bankruptcy after accumulating over $355K in liabilities". People. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
- ^ Ryan Naumann (March 9, 2018). "Joey Lawrence Filed for Bankruptcy After Things Got So Bad, He Had to Sell His Clothes". Blast. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
- ^ Ryan Naumann and Daniel Goldblatt (April 9, 2018). "Joey Lawrence's Bankruptcy Case Comes to a Close, Several Creditors Get the Shaft". Blast. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
- ^ Sarah Hearon (April 9, 2018). "Joey Lawrence's Bankruptcy Case Settled, IRS Won't Receive Full Payment". Us Weekly. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
- ^ Porreca, Brian (January 13, 2019). "'Celebrity Big Brother' Cast Includes Anthony Scaramucci, Dina Lohan and Ryan Lochte". www.hollywoodreporter.com/. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
- ^ Ross, Dalton (January 13, 2019). "Anthony Scaramucci among 12 new Celebrity Big Brother houseguests". www.ew.com/. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Joey Lawrence – Chart history". billboard.com. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
- ^ "joey-lawrence – full Official Chart History – Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Official Charts > Joey Lawrence". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending May 1, 1994". ARIA. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
External links[]
- Official website
- Joey Lawrence at the Internet Broadway Database
- Joey Lawrence at IMDb
- Joey Lawrence discography at Discogs
- 1976 births
- 20th-century American male actors
- 20th-century American singers
- 20th-century male singers
- 21st-century American male actors
- 21st-century American singers
- 21st-century male singers
- American dance musicians
- American game show hosts
- American male child actors
- American male dancers
- American male erotic dancers
- American male film actors
- American male pop singers
- American male singers
- American male singer-songwriters
- American male television actors
- American male voice actors
- American people of English descent
- American people of Italian descent
- American people of Scottish descent
- Living people
- Male actors from Philadelphia
- Musicians from Philadelphia
- Participants in American reality television series
- People from Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
- People from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
- Record producers from Pennsylvania
- Singers from Pennsylvania
- Songwriters from Pennsylvania
- Television producers from Pennsylvania
- University of Southern California alumni