introduction

Brenda Xiong Song (born March 27, 1988) is an American actress. She currently co-stars in the Disney Channel Original Series, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody as the not-so-intelligent heiress London Tipton. She has made appearances in other Disney Channel original series and films, she became known to older audiences for starring in Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior which is currently the eighth highest viewed Disney Channel Original Movie with over 5.7 million viewers on the night of its premiere.

early life

Brenda Song was born in Carmichael, California (a suburb of Sacramento) to a Hmong American father and a Thai American mother. Her father is a second-grade teacher and her mother is a homemaker. Her family immigrated to America from Laos in 1976. Song lives in Greater Los Angeles with her parents and her two younger brothers, Timmy (three years younger) and Nathan (eight years younger). Song holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and was named an All-American Scholar in ninth grade. She began acting at the age of six. Her first television appearance was in a Little Caesars commercial.

television career

One of Song's more notable acting roles is her portrayal of London Tipton the air-headed heiress on the Disney Channel Original Series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. She played a recurring role as Tia in the Disney Channel Original Series Phil of the Future. She had a small role in That's So Raven as Amber.

In 2006, Song starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior, which received 5.7 million viewers making Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior the eighth highest viewed Disney Channel Original Movie. This is the first movie where Song does not play a sidekick character.

Song appeared in the Disney Channel Games 2006 as captain of the Blue Team. Song had appeared in the second rendition of the Disney Channel Games 2007 as captain of the Red Team.

film career

Song had roles in three feature films. Song's first feature film was in 1996, when she appeared with Hulk Hogan in Santa with Muscles. She played Susan Acustus in the 1997 film Leave it To Beaver; and in 2002, she played Reg in Like Mike. Song's first film appearance was the 1995 short film Requiem, an AFI student film by actress Elizabeth Sung.

Song was discovered at 7 years old to play a young version of "Fong," who is played as an adult in the film by Tamlyn Tomita. Song also had a voice over role to a movie called Holidaze: The Christmas That Almost Didn't Happen, which also features the voices of fellow Disney Channel stars Dylan and Cole Sprouse and Emily Osment. Brenda is set to star alongside Jennifer Lopez and Nicole Kidman in American Darlings.