Born 6 February 2002 in Richmond, Virginia, American actress Shelby Simmons is known for her appearance in Netflix show Prince of Peoria as Sydney and in Bunk’d as Ava King. The 19-year-old TV and film star has also featured in other projects like Reven’s Home, Selfie Dad, Stargirl, Andi Mack, School of Rock, and Bugaloos, among others.
Just like many others in the acting profession, Simmons always had the dream to go into acting. Although she also fancied the option of being a veterinary doctor. She started out while still in school, officially debuting in the year 2017. Shelby began a short supportive role in the TV series Game Shakers, and her impressive performance got her referrals to other producers. Soon, she landed a job on another series, Henry Danger.
Shelby’s is yet another case of the apple not falling too far from the tree, although she’s the only actor in her family. Her love for the arts is not a surprise, as she was born to a mother who she claims is the most creative in the family. Starting her career early has worked in her favor, as the teenage actress has managed to accomplish a lot in the few years of her active practice.
In this article, we will shed more light on the life and career of young Shelby Simmons, providing answers to frequently asked questions along the way. Firstly, here are ten facts you probably didn’t know about her.
10 interesting Shelby Simmons facts
- In September 2017, Shelby made her first TV show appearance by playing the role of Shanelle in an episode titled “The Trip Trap” on the family comedy series Game Shakers.
- She is a Sunday School teacher in her church, who started out just as a volunteer assistant but came to love the little kids and was later asked to teach.
- Shelby is a pro at making stuffed animals, a skill she picked up as a child.
- She also loves poetry and has a bookshelf where she stores the many books filled with poems she wrote from childhood till adolescence.
- As of 2020, Simmons was co-writing a book with her mom, who she claimed was is the most creative person in the family.
- She brought to life the character of Sydney Quinn, Teddy’s crush who discovers Emil’s real identity and helps him keep it a secret, in the comedy web television series Prince of Peoria, from 2018 to 2019.
- Shelby Simmons is an all-around animal lover and has a pet dog named Daisy and a rabbit named Luenell.
- Simmons loves sports too and claims to be particularly good at any position in softball; she has also played outfield on a champion softball team.
- Apart from her acting and vet doctor dreams, Shelby used to aspire to be a ninja too, and she watched a lot of karate movies to learn skills.
- Shelby’s net worth is estimated to be approximately $1 million.
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Early life and family background
Shelby Simmons was born and bred in Richmond, Virginia, alongside her two siblings Nicolas (brother) and Alyssa (sister). Her birth name is Paulina Mary Jean Gretzky. There is no information about her parents except for the photos she shares on the internet. Although there is little known about her education, it is known that she was active in school plays. She later relocated to Los Angeles, where she trained to become a professional actor.
Career – Shelby Simmons movies and TV shows
Shelby’s move to Los Angeles was in pursuit of her acting career, and she promptly began to audition for roles after the completion of her training. She got guest roles in TV series like Game Shakers, School of Rock, Andy Mack, and a few others. Until 2018, she got her breakthrough role in the comedy series Prince of Peoria.
The Bugaloos
The Bugaloos is an American children’s television series that aired on NBC on Saturday mornings in the early 1970s. The show features a musical group composed of four British teenagers in insect-themed outfits, constantly beset by the evil machinations of the talent-challenged Benita Bizarre. In 2015, an updated version of the show as a preschool television series was announced, its pilot’s teaser was released in 2017, but the series wasn’t picked up by Nickelodeon as hoped. Nonetheless, it was Shelby’s first casting in a major role.
Prince of Peoria cast
Prince of Peoria is an American comedy streaming television series created by Nick Stanton and Devin Bunje. It follows “Emil, a 13-year-old prince from a wealthy island kingdom,” who “travels to the United States to live incognito as an exchange student” and “strikes up an unlikely friendship with Teddy, a fastidious overachiever who is Emil’s total opposite.”
The show premiered on Netflix in November 2018 and broke Shelby into the limelight. She features in the main role as Sydney Quinn, Teddy’s crush, who discovers Emil’s real identity and helps him keep it a secret.
Bunk’d
Bunk’d is an American comedy television series created by Pamela Eells O’Connell that premiered on Disney Channel in July 2015. The series is a spinoff of Jessie and includes returning stars from the main cast of the original series for the first three seasons. Bunk’d is popular among audiences and is currently in its fifth season. The series follows Emma, Ravi, and Zuri, who leave New York City and head off to Moose Rump, Maine, to spend the summer at Camp Kikiwaka, where their parents met as teenagers. The Ross children and their new friends try their best to adapt to their lives at the camp, founded by Jedediah Swearengen and named after a legendary Bigfoot-like creature that lives in the nearby forest.
Shelby Simmons joined the cast in 2019 for the series’ fourth season, starring as Ava King. Ava is a teenager from the big city and a new counselor who has never camped before.
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Stargirl
Stargirl is a 2020 American jukebox musical romantic drama film based on the novel of the same name by Jerry Spinelli. The film explores the tense emotions, non-conformity, and self-expression of teenagers in high school and the exuberance of first love. Shelby played the role of Hillari Kimble, a popular student whose brother was permanently injured while riding a bicycle given to him by Stargirl. She confronts Stargirl and scolds her openly about the incident.
Personal life
Back in 2019, Shelby was speculated to be dating her Henry Danger co-star, actor Jace Norman. The rumors started after fans caught them together at the 2019 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards. After walking the orange carpet together, Jace Norman posted an adorable snap with Shelby from the night. Later that same year, Jace posted yet another lovely Instagram snap of him and Shelby sitting at a table together.
In fairness, neither Simmons nor Jace commented on the rumors, and there probably wasn’t anything going on between them. The Instagram post in May 2019 was the last time they were seen together.
As already hinted, Simmons is very much in touch with her faith and religion. In an interview with JustJaredJr. she revealed that she is a Sunday School teacher in her church and enjoys working with the children.
Shelby Simmons height
The talented and beautiful 19-year-old actress stands at a height of 5 ft and 4 inches (1.63 meters). Simmons weighs 114.5 pounds (52 kg) and has light brown hair and blue eyes.
Shelby Simmons net worth
There is no exact figure to young Ms. Simmon’s net worth. While some sources report a few hundred thousand dollars, others report over a million. Going by the many figures reported, we estimate her wealth to be in the region of $1 million.
Conclusion
Shelby Simmons’ story is a familiar kind. Like many others like herself who knew very early what they wanted to do and promptly pursued it, Shelby has made good progress at a very young age. She is one of the budding talents expected to be the next big thing in the film industry. Like we always say, we hope she has eyes for good content, as it usually proves to be the determining factor in the acting profession.
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