Date of Birth

23 December 1984, Naaldwijk, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands

Birth Name

Anneliese Louise van der Pol

Nickname

Lieske
Annie

Height

5' 4" (1.63 m)

Mini Biography

Anneliese van der Pol was born on September 23, 1984 in Naaldwijk, Netherlands, to Dyan Ross and Willem van der Pol. She moved to the United States when she was a young child. Her American-born mother named her after Holocaust victim Anne Frank. A graduate of the Musical Theater Program at The Orange County High School of the Arts, California, Anneliese (pronounced AH-na-LEE-zah) has already made an impressive mark in the world of entertainment. For her captivating performance as Eva Péron in the Buena Park Civic Theater production of Evita (1996), she not only won rave reviews from the Los Angeles Times but also earned a place in history as the the youngest actress - at the age of 15 - to play the role in a professional production. More recently, Anneliese starred as Laurey in Oklahoma! (1955) for Austin Musical Theater, and received both an Austin Critics Table Award nomination for "Best Actress In a Musical" and a B. Iden Payne Award nomination for "Best Featured Actress in a Musical." In 2009, Van der Pol returned to theatre in Theatre Under the Star's Musical Production of Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) as Esther Smith, in Houston.

On television, she starred as Chelsea Daniels, Raven's best friend and sidekick who often draws her into humorous escapades in the Disney Channel original comedy series That's So Raven (2003). The series went on to become Disney's most successful show to date surpassing the 100th episode mark.

On the big screen, Van der Pol starred in Divorce: The Musical (2001). Van der Pol also appeared in one of the Summer's most anticipated film, Bratz (2007) as Avery.

With Disney, Van der Pol participated in many musical projects. She performed part of the theme song for That's So Raven (2003), and was also a part of the Disney Channel Circle of Stars which recorded covers of "The Circle of Life" and "A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes" along with other Disney Stars. Van der Pol was also asked to record the main track, "Over It", for the Disney Channel Original Movie, Stuck in the Suburbs (2004). Van der Pol also recorded several tracks for the "That's So Raven Too!" Soundtrack, including the album's second single, "A Day in the Sun." In attempt to jump start a musical career, she has worked with veteran music producer/song writer, Bob Esty and Jud Friedman on her first Demo CD.

Van der Pol made her Broadway debut in 2007 as Broadway's final Belle in "Beauty and the Beast." The musical ran for 13 years before closing to make room for "The Little Mermaid". "Beauty and the Beast" is Broadway's sixth-longest running production in history. in 2009, Anneliese originate the role of Kathy in Off-Broadway's "Vanities" and recorded the show's Original Cast Recording.

Trivia

• Good friends with Raviv Ullman.
• Favorite Films: What About Bob? (1991), The Shawshank Redemption (1994) and The Big Lebowski (1998).
• Her childhood home was in Bellflower, California.
• Has an older sister, Sarah, who is also a performer.
• Childhood friends with Dayna Price. Anneliese, her older sister Sarah, and Dayna often carpooled to stage auditions and rehearsals around Southern California.
• Attended the Orange County High School for the Arts.
• Won a Bobbi Award ("Best Actress/Musical") for her portrayal of Sandy in the Huntington Playhouse production of "Grease". [1999]
• Received an Austin Critics Table nomination and a B. Iden Payne nomination, both for Best Actress in a Musical, for her portrayal of Laurey in the Austin Musical Theater production of "Oklahoma!".
• Her mother is from a Jewish family from New York. Anneliese is named after Holocaust victim Anne Frank, who spent several years hiding in the Netherlands during World War II, before her capture. Her full name was Annelies Frank.
• Honored for Outstanding Achievement in 2008/9 by StageSceneLA.com for Outstanding Achievement by a Lead Actress (Musical) for "Vanities, A New Musical.".
• Preparing for Broadway previews of the musical, "Vanities." [May 2008]
• Finishing the last week of previews for "Vanities: A New Musical" at Second Stage Theatre, before it's Off-Broadway debut on July 16 in New York. [July 2009]
• Started to film her scenes for Shalom Sesame (2010) in Israel on August 26. [August 2009]
• Has been announced to play the role of Esther in the Theatre Under the Stars' production of "Meet Me in St. Louis" in Houston, TX from September 29 to October 11. [August 2009]
• Performed alongside her Vanities co-stars at "Broadway in Bryant Park" at Bryant Park in New York on July 23. [July 2009]
• Officially opened "Vanities: A New Musical" Off-Broadway, as Kathy, at Second Stage Theatre in New York. The musical opened on July 16 and is expected to run through August 9. [July 2009]
• Recording the "Vanities: A New Musical" Original Cast Album for Sh-K-Boom Records. [August 2009]
• Playing the role of Belle in the Broadway musical, "Beauty and the Beast." [April 2007]
• Holds originary Dutch Citizenship on her father's side and originary American Citizenship on her mother's side.
• Holds originary Dutch Citizenship and naturalized American Citizenship.
• Is also a model.
• Daughter of Willem van der Pol (b. The Netherlands), Director of the Physical Plant at the California State University in Fullerton, Orange County, California, and wife Dyan Ross (b. Brooklyn, New York, Kings County, New York, of Ashkenazi Jewish descent).

Quotes

• [on That's So Raven] We were very diverse... I always laugh and joke and say I'm the token white Jew on that show, you know? Because really, we're so diverse, and we still are and will be as we continue to film and shoot and cast, and that's important to represent. It's the only way to show truth.