Born Nov. 13, 1980 in Orangeburg, SC, Coleman developed an interest in performing at an early age. She trained at the Workshop Theatre School of Dramatic Arts, which led to her first screen appearance in a commercial, thanks to a guest teacher. More regional commercials soon led to supporting roles in film projects that were shooting in the region, including the first of these – the independent short “Mother of the River” (1995). This was quickly followed by a performance in The Family Channel original movie “The Ditchdigger’s Daughter” (1997), which earned her a Young Artists Award nomination. While pursuing her acting career, Coleman remained very active at the Heathwood Hall Episcopal School; in addition to participating in sports and academic activities, she also wrote, directed, and starred in a one-person show, “Voices from Within.”

After graduating from high school, Coleman attended DePaul University in Chicago and earned a BFA in Acting from the Theater School. She then dove into acting full-time, managing to garner an impressive list of television credits in a short amount of time, including “Gilmore Girls” (CW, 2000- ), “Malcolm in the Middle” (Fox, 2000-06), and a semi-recurring role on “Boston Public” (Fox, 2000-04). In 2005, she co-starred with one of her acting influences, the legendary James Earl Jones, in the Hallmark TV movie “The Reading Room.” The project earned her a Camie Award, which she shared with her castmates and director/co-star, Georg Stanford Brown.

Then in 2006 came “High School Musical.” Coleman was immediately thrust into the spotlight, thanks to the movie’s staggering success. As Taylor McKessie, head of the school’s academic club, Coleman was the best friend and voice of reason to Vanessa Anne Hudgens’ Gabrielle – though in true Hollywood musical fashion, her desire to keep Gabrielle out of the musical tryouts in order to use her brain for the academic competition – falls by the wayside in the face of a good old fashioned song and dance. Taylor even gets a hint of a romance with second banana Chad (Corbin Bleu), which would undoubtedly be pursued in great detail in the 2007 sequel.

Unlike several of her “HSM” co-stars, Coleman was not pursuing a pop music career, though her voice clearly indicated that she had the chops for it. Instead, she continued to make appearances on the very popular Disney Channel series “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” (2005- ) as Mary-Margaret, best friend to the show’s lead (and her “HSM” castmate) Ashley Tisdale (Coleman was also frequently joined by Vanessa Anne Hudgens for her “Suite Life” turns).

Adding further luster to her already burgeoning career, in 2006, Coleman became a contestant on the third season of the popular reality series, “Dancing With the Stars.” Partnered with Louis Van Amstel, Coleman fared well with the judges and voting public alike, even performing to “Bop to the Top” – one of the most popular tunes from the “HSM” soundtrack. Fans of the movie were undoubtedly delighted to see her castmates Tisdale, Bleu, and Lucas Grabeel cheering her on from the audience.