Janel Parrish

Janel Parrish is an American actress and singer whose career spans Broadway, television, and film. Parrish began her acting career as Young Cosette in "Les Misérables," first performing in the U.S. national tour before joining the Broadway production. She won a statewide singing contest at age 6, and her Broadway experience led to acting auditions in Hollywood. While studying acting, Parrish continued vocal training, learned piano, and began writing her own music. She became the lead singer in the pop group Impulse and signed a recording deal with Geffen Records.

Parrish gained widespread recognition for her role as Mona Vanderwaal in the Freeform series "Pretty Little Liars," which follows a group of friends who receive menacing messages after one of their friends disappears. She originally auditioned for Spencer Hastings but was cast as Mona, a character who became central to the series. Parrish won four Teen Choice Awards for TV villain and reprised the role in the spin-off series "Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists."

Her film credits include playing Margot Covey in the Netflix franchise "To All the Boys I've Loved Before." She also appeared in the romantic comedy "Celeste & Jesse Forever" and had roles in "Christmas is Cancelled" for Lionsgate and "Run & Gun" for Paramount. Parrish has starred in multiple Hallmark original movies, including "Sugarplummed," "Haunted Wedding," "Never Been Chris'd," and "Right in Front of Me."

Parrish competed on "Dancing with the Stars," finishing in third place with partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy. She was also a finalist on "The Masked Singer," performing as Gazelle. Her stage credits include "Grease" and "Cruel Intentions: The Musical," reflecting her ongoing commitment to live performance. Parrish's career bridges drama, comedy, music, and dance, establishing her as a versatile entertainer in the entertainment industry.