Birth Name : Adrienne Monique Coleman
Date of Birth : 13 November 1980, Orangeburg, South Carolina, USA
Height : 5' 2½" (1.59 m)
Occupations : Actress, philanthropist, dancer
Monique Coleman was born on November 13, 1980, in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Monique knew from an early age that she wanted to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, but it was just as important to her (and her family) that she maintain as normal a childhood as possible. To that end, Monique tenaciously combined her everyday activities with various arts-oriented endeavors -- including a hefty dose of community theater. She also signed up for a stint at the Workshop Theatre School of Dramatic Arts, where she appeared in over a dozen plays and eventually landed her first commercial as a direct result of her ties to the organization.
In 2005, Coleman had the honor of working opposite one of her heroes – the legendary James Earl Jones when she played Leesha in the 2005 Hallmark TV Movie The Reading Room. She received a 2006 Camie Award for the role and represented the film at the NAACP Image Awards. In 2006, Coleman rose to prominence in High School Musical, where she portrayed Taylor McKessie, the best friend of the new girl, Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Hudgens). Before then, she was a recurring guest star in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody episodes. In 2007, she appeared in High School Musical 2 and voiced the Winx Club character Layla/Aisha in the live-action film Secret of the Lost Kingdom. In 2008, she again repeated her role as Taylor McKessie in High School Musical 3.