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Bridgit Claire Mendler (born December 18, 1992) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. She first became known as a child actress and continued acting into adulthood, which overlapped with a musical career in the 2010s. After enrolling at MIT and Harvard from 2017 to 2024, she co-founded a multi-million dollar satellite data startup.
Mendler's early acting credits include the films Alice Upside Down (2007), The Clique (2008) and Labor Pains (2009). After signing with Disney Channel in 2009, she played Juliet van Heusen on Wizards of Waverly Place (2009–2012) and soon rose to fame for her lead role as Teddy Duncan on Good Luck Charlie (2010–2014); she also starred as Olivia White in the original film Lemonade Mouth (2011) for the network. After the conclusion of Good Luck Charlie, she appeared on the NBC sitcom Undateable (2015–2016), the ABC/CMT musical television series Nashville (2017), and the Netflix comedy series Merry Happy Whatever (2019).
Mendler began her music career contributing to the soundtrack of Lemonade Mouth in 2011, and signed with Hollywood Records that same year. Her debut studio album, Hello My Name Is... (2012), peaked at number 30 on the Billboard 200 and spawned the hit platinum and gold certified singles "Ready or Not" and "Hurricane". She then embarked on two concert tours: (2012) and Summer Tour (2013–2014). With the Black Box record label, she independently released an extended play, Nemesis (2016), which peaked at number 46 on Billboard
From 2010 to 2012, Mendler was an ambassador for nonprofit First Book, which encourages reading, and Give with Target, to raise funds to reform schools in the United States. She was a student and researcher with the MIT Media Lab from 2017 to 2023. She is also registered as a PhD candidate with MIT's Center for Constructive Communications and Social Machines group. In 2024, she became the CEO and co-founder of the satellite data startup Northwood Space, and earned a JD from Harvard Law School. As of 2025, Northwood raised over $38 million.
In the 2010s, Mendler studied towards a degree in anthropology at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles, California. Two members of her band also studied at USC. In an interview with Brian Mansfield of USA Today, Mendler said: "My plan right now is just to do one class at a time and see how that goes. I'm just going to study something that will be interesting and doable from the road and just take care of my general education courses for now. I want to know something outside of what I do." In 2013, she chose anthropology and studied Medieval art, and medical anthropology. To the University Star, Mendler said USC was important: "I think seeing that college life and what that would've been like, it does make you wonder what sort of lifestyle that would be, but I'm really grateful for what I have, and I think it's cool that, because my career path is not as formulaic, I can kind of decide when I want to take time off to do certain things." Her mother was pursuing a doctorate in public policy at USC at the time. Mendler Dropping out of USC in 2016. In May 2017, Mendler was announced as one of the 2017 MIT Media Lab's Director's Fellows.
In May 2018, she announced on Twitter that she started a graduate program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a focus on improving social media: "As an entertainer, for years I struggled with social media because I felt like there was a more loving and human way to connect with fans." In 2020, she completed an M.S. in media arts and sciences at MIT. Her master's thesis was titled OurStory: Dispute System Design Technology for Stakeholder Inclusion. Deb Roy was her thesis advisor. She later began working on her Ph.D with MIT's Center for Constructive Communications and Social Machines group. During 2022, she was enrolled at Harvard Law School and at MIT. In May 2024, she was awarded a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law.
In 2008, it was announced that Mendler would play the role of Kristen Gregory in the film adaption of the popular teen novel series The Clique by Lisi Harrison. She had begun working on a film with actress and singer Lindsay Lohan titled Labor Pains, which kept being pushed back due to various conflicts and problems. Though initially slated for a theatrical release, the film did not receive one in the US and was instead released as a TV film on ABC Family in 2009. It became the week's top Cable television film among coveted female demographic groups. She had a supporting role in the film . In 2009, Mendler became a recurring character in the Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place. Mendler portrayed the role of Juliet van Heusen, a vampire who later forms a romance with David Henrie's character Justin Russo. Mendler would go on to appear in eleven episodes total for the series, spanning from 2009 to 2012 when the series ended. (left) and Bradley Steven Perry in October 2010]]
In 2010, Mendler played Teddy Duncan in the Disney Channel series Good Luck Charlie, centering on a teenage girl who makes videos for her baby sister to watch as she gets older.
(Copy of original) The series premiered on April 4, 2010, and was met with a positive critical reception and viewership. In 2011, she starred as Olivia White, the lead role in the Disney Channel Original Movie Lemonade Mouth, watched by 5.7 million viewers on its premiere night. In an interview with Kidzworld Media, Mendler confirmed that there will not be a sequel to Lemonade Mouth, commenting: "There's not going unfortunately. We had such a great experience working on the movie, and they tried to figure something out for a sequel, but everyone at Disney felt like the movie had completed its story in the first movie. It was a great experience, and I loved working with the cast members and still see them frequently." In 2011, Mendler had the supporting role of Appoline in the straight to DVD film Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2. Also in 2011 Mendler starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas!, which premiered on December 2, 2011. In 2012, she guest-starred in the television series House as Callie Rogers, a homeless runaway teenager with a mysterious illness. She voiced the lead role of Arrietty in the American English dub of The Secret World of Arrietty.
On November 25, 2014, Mendler was announced as an unlucky yet optimistic waitress Candace in the NBC comedy series Undateable in season two. In early 2015, NBC renewed with Mendler for a third season that consisted entirely of live episodes, which premiered October 15 of that year. Following the third season, it was announced that NBC had cancelled continuation of the series. In October 2016, Mendler was cast as Ashley Willerman on the fifth season of the CMT television series Nashville.
On February 10, 2017, Mendler was cast in lead role of the Fox comedy television pilot Thin Ice, created by Elizabeth Meriwether, but the network ultimately passed on the pilot in May. She appeared in the Netflix comedy film Father of the Year along with David Spade, Joey Bragg, Matt Shively and Jackie Sandler, which was released July 20, 2018. In November 2019, Mendler appeared in the eight-part Netflix comedy television series, Merry Happy Whatever, along with Dennis Quaid, Ashley Tisdale, and her Undateable co-star Brent Morin.
On February 12, 2013, her second single, "Hurricane", was released for radio airplay. The song peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 in the United States. On April 2 Mendler released a remix single version and, on June 21, an EP remixed. Also in June Mendler debuted her second tour, the Summer Tour, reaching only the United States. On April 30 she released the extended play Live in London, by Universal Music, recorded at a special performance in the United Kingdom. On November 16, 2013, was premiered the music video for acoustic version of "Top of the World", directed by Matt Wyatt. She recorded it on her own, independent of Hollywood Records, and filmed in Griffith Park, in Los Angeles. On June 28, 2014, Mendler began the second leg of her Summer Tour, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. On that date, she sang one of her new songs, "Fly to You", about a relationship that was said to be on the rocks but worth fighting for. On July 5, she performed another new song, "Deeper Shade Of Us", with disco influences. In 2013, Mendler began working on a second album. Mendler discussed some of the producers and songwriters she was working with, including Mitch Allan, Dan Book, Alexei Misoul, Augie Ray, Beloryze, TMS, Ina Wroldsen, and Steve Mac. The entire album was rewritten at a point after her computer failed and she lost all of her entries. After initial reports, it was confirmed on July 2, 2015, that Mendler left Hollywood Records earlier in the year. On August 4, 2016, Mendler announced the title of her new single, "Atlantis", featuring Kaiydo, which was released on August 26, 2016. She released a follow-up single "Do You Miss Me at All" on November 4. Both tracks were featured on her EP Nemesis, which was released on November 18. In an interview with MTV News, she said that "I feel like I've poured the most of myself of anything I've done into this project. That's been a very therapeutic process." She also hoped that the EP would give fans a "more well-rounded perspective" on her image post-Disney. To support the album, she went on the Nemesis Tour from 2016 to 2017. On February 3, 2017, Mendler announced her new single, "Temperamental Love" featuring Devontée. The music video was featured the YouTuber Jam in The Van. On August 25, 2017, Mendler released a single titled "Diving" with American group RKCB. The official music video was released hours after the release of the song.
In an article for Hero magazine with Lemonade Mouth co-star Naomi Scott, Mendler explained her career shift: "I think I started to feel a bit of that disconnect with what I was doing in my day-to-day, in entertainment and started to put out feelers into more of the research domain. Then visiting the MIT media lab, I just felt like it was such fertile territory to explore something about an impact that would go into a different space, and beyond. I palpably remember that point in the transition, because music is always my first love, I love it so deeply, but I remember being at South by Southwest and just feeling… Lonely. Finding your artistic community can be so hard."
Northwood launched with $6.3 million in funding from investors including the Founders Fund and Andreessen Horowitz. In 2025, Mendler reported to Bloomberg News that Northwood had raised $30 million.
Mendler was featured in a March 2013 public campaign Delete Digital Drama with Seventeen magazine to end cyberbullying. About the campaign she said "Being bullied is something I experienced in school and it is not fun...I love working to end cyberbullying. People don't have to push back as much as they would in real life. People need to realize bullying has just as much of an impact online because words are so cutting and difficult to deal with". She also worked with Acuvue being a mentor to help Katie, a winner of the 2013 Acuvue 1-Day Contest, get closer to her dream of making a difference. In October 2013, Mendler hosted the event We Day of Free The Children Foundation, a campaign that helps build schools for underprivileged children in Canada and the United States. Also for Free The Children Foundation she was godmother of We Create a Change to help needy children.
In November 2013, Mendler participated in the World Challenge Marathon for Save the Children Foundation, a charity race to helps children with health problems. In March 2014, Mendler traveled to region of El Quiché, Guatemala to participate in the other project of Save the Children that helps underprivileged children in developing countries. On April 8, she released the Baby Sit In, that asks for teens to help give parents a break and give babies a healthy start to their life. Mendler said "It's an easy way for kids to help little ones everywhere get a healthy start and an opportunity to learn just by doing something they do most weekends anyway". Mendler represented the institution during the charity congress Save the Children's annual Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C. Carolyn Miles, the Save the Children's president, thanked Mendler publicly for humanitarian work: "We are thrilled to have Bridgit on board. Her passion for helping children truly came through when she met with families and kids during her visits to the remote communities in the deserts of California and Guatemala's western highlands".
She said hip hop trio Fugees had great influence in her music training and also the recording of the debut album and song "Ready or Not", "One of the writers was like 'Check out this Fugees song, 'Ready or Not'. So we all listened to it and were like that would be kind of fun to do some sort of interpolation off of that song, which is what we did. I think it stands by itself as its own song but it still has that memorable quality of the Fugees song, which is fun. I think we were all really proud of it and hoping it will go far". For her debut album, Hello My Name Is..., Mendler was inspired by indie pop singers Ingrid Michaelson and Feist. Among pop music artists, she cited Maroon 5, No Doubt, Destiny's Child, Justin Timberlake, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé and Bruno Mars. She cited Jamie Foxx as a great model of how to have a career in acting and music.
Mendler says that she is influenced by British neo-soul music, and listed Ellie Goulding, Florence and the Machine, Marina Diamandis, Lily Allen, and Lianne La Havas as her biggest British influences. She has also mentioned Natasha Bedingfield, Broken Bells, Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse. In 2013, Mendler revealed to have a big admiration for the Adele's musical style. To Disney Channel UK she said that "admire the career of Adele, because she has her own musical style. She does things her way and writes about things she is passionate about. It is really working out well for her". She was also influenced by Canadian artists Feist and Tegan and Sara. To Hartford Courant, she commented: "I've been a fan of Tegan and Sara's for awhile. They just do what they want to do. They don't follow trends". She covered the song "I Was a Fool" by the duo and released with the message: "I heard this song by Tegan and Sara a couple weeks ago and couldn't stop singing it, so I just had to do my own version". In 2014, she mentioned in an interview to CKQK-FM Canadian artists Nelly Furtado, Joni Mitchell and European bands Coldplay and Little Dragon as influences in composing her second album.
In acting career, Mendler has cited some influences as Jamie Foxx, Natalie Portman and Rachel McAdams. About McAdams she said that "She plays a variety of roles, she has a lot of charisma, and she doesn't try to live her life in the public eye". She also admires the dedication of Christian Bale: "I could not live my life as committed to the craft as he does, with body transformations and such, he goes to such extremes but he is very admirable". Mendler also mentioned Lindsay Lohan as a great actress.
To Hartford Courant, she commented that writing is a compulsion. "It's also something I really enjoy. I like to create. It's part of being a recording artist. I love to write songs". Mendler also said she didn't want to make commercial songs, but timeless songs. "I want to make music that stands the test of time. You look at what Bob Dylan and artists like him have done and you just can't help but be blown away. I'm just glad I have the opportunity to start with this and I just want to take it as far as I can. I wanted variety and to just make things really interesting. This isn't just something that comes out of a machine. It came out of me. This isn't about product. I want to grow as an artist. I remember listening to certain recording artists and songs that had a really big impact on me".
Mendler's acting performances have been praised by critics. She was called "likeable and amazing" in Lemonade Mouth (2011) by Khalid McCalla of The Oberlin Review. Carolina Malis of the South China Morning Post believed the role "truly showcased her versatility, blending acting with singing and setting the stage for a career that would soon blossom beyond the boundaries of Teen idol." Cami Seymore of The Post agreed that Lemonade Mouth brought attention to her acting and musical abilities. In a review of Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas! (2012), Kihoon Lee of The Cardinal Times called Mendler "talented", "loveable and sweet". James Knight of Classicalite opined that Undateable (2015–2016) "only showed up on the radar" because of Mendler's casting and performance. David Bloom of Deadline agreed and deemed Mendler a "powerhouse". Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter noted Mendler's chemistry with Undateable co-star Brent Morin, which he believed was utilized well in Merry Happy Whatever (2019), Mendler's last screen performance. In his review of the latter series, Brett White of Decider called her and the cast a "real gift".
Mendler's music has received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics. Her debut album Hello My Name Is... was compared to the works of Carly Rae Jepsen and Demi Lovato by Seventeen. Tim Sendra of AllMusic defined Mendler's voice as "idiosyncratic" while reviewing Hello My Name Is... and called it "an impressive debut from a singer who shows real talent and has every chance to break out of the Disney mold and do something all her own down the road." Sendra also praised Mendler's "songwriting chops". Sherman Yang of MSN deemed the tracks of Hello My Name Is... "catchy" but felt "Mendler either needs to find some inspiration to write better songs or cover other artists' works because her songs sound the same after a while." Her second extended play Nemesis was reviewed positively by Ailbhe Malone of The Irish Times, who believed Mendler was "back and trendy," and described it as "delicate and interesting but still vibey. Welcome to grown-up pop, Bridge – we're happy to have you." Andrea Domanick of Vice agreed, believing that with Nemesis, Mendler "heeds honesty over any kind of carefully crafted post-Disney identity."
Mendler's shift to business and entrepreneurship has been cited as one of the few examples of a successful career reinvention. Sarah Bregel of BBC News wrote: "as a woman in science who changed career paths to pursue her dream, Mendler may likely inspire other women to make timely career pivots." Katie Louise Smith of Capital praised Mendler's "incredible career path", and Lynette Rice of Deadline said Mendler had "quite the career trajectory for a former Disney Channel darling". People magazine deemed her a "Triple Threat" in 2025 for her work in acting, music, and entrepreneurship.
Endorsements
In 2012, Mendler signed with Target to release an exclusive line of clothing inspired by her character Teddy Duncan of Good Luck Charlie. The D-Signed by Teddy Duncan fashion collection includes clothing, accessories, hats, scarves, and souvenirs for girls in range from 4 to 18 years old. In March 2013, a Spring edition was also released. While promoting her debut single "Ready or Not", Mendler signed with The Hunt, a mobile app which combines clothes and shows fashion tendencies. She released exclusively her music video and registered some personal clothes and fashion searches. She also had her own version in the games FanFUN FANfinity. While promoting her debut album Hello My Name Is..., Mendler offered exclusive album promotions through Target. In 2014, she signed with the line of dermatology products Clean & Clear and recorded several commercials and campaigns for real beauty.
Artistry
Influences
Mendler has cited Bob Dylan as her biggest musical influence. To Ed Condran of Hartford Courant she said that: "You look at what Bob Dylan and artists like him have done and you just can't help but be blown away. I'm just glad I have the opportunity to start with this and I just want to take it as far as I can". In an interview with Disney Channel Netherlands, she revealed that her favorite song was "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" from Dylan's 1963 album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. To Taylor Trudon of Huffington Post she said: "He was the first musician I got into where I paid attention to songwriting. He has a way of writing songs that's really playful with lyrics, but at the same time he's saying something that people feel is important and that they relate to. He spoke for a whole generation.". Also to Trudon, Mendler cited Etta James, Elvis Presley, B. B. King, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, and talked about these artists: "I love that they have soul in their voices. I think that's something important". Other musical influences include Elvis Costello, The Delfonics, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Van Morrison. During an interview with Yahoo!, in 2012, Mendler also commented that her first female influence was the Hip hop girl group Salt-N-Pepa and sang an impromptu a cappella rendition of the song "Shoop".
Lyrical themes and songwriting
Thematically, Guilherme Tintel of Portal It Pop has noted that Mendler was not immature as the first work of other Hollywood Records artists. Tintel compares her songs to Jessie J, Katy Perry, Natalia Kills and Taylor Swift. Mendler said that the writing process isn't hard, because she was influenced by her own experiences. Her debut single, "Ready or Not", talks about self-confidence and deal with boys. To Pop Dirt Mendler said: "I consider myself to be that girl sitting at the curb waiting for the world, so I think it's a great message to send to just go for the things that you want to take charge of". Her debut album discussed relationships ("Rocks at My Window", "Top of the World", "Love Will Tell Us Where to Go", "The Fall Song" and "Hold On for Dear Love"), break-up (""), alienation and romantic chaos ("Hurricane" and "Forgot to Laugh"), self-confidence ("Ready or Not"), self-esteem ("City Lights"), friendship ("We're Dancing"), and blonde girls ("Blonde").
Musical and voice style
Mendler is a mezzo-soprano. She plays guitar, keyboard, and keytar. Sávio Alves of Febre Teen Magazine said that Mendler's voice was "strong and sweet". He calls Mendler's voice as having a "metallic tone" and this being "rare in young female singers". Her voice was compared to indie and blues artists. Her music is generally pop and reggae fusion and has features of R&B, funk, and hip hop soul. In an interview, she said she prefers to escape the traditional pop and dance-pop and adding other elements. "I have funky, R&B tendencies when I write by myself. I really love doo-wop and a swing beat. Rhythm is a big emphasis in my own writing". Her voice and style has been compared to Cher Lloyd and Lily Allen. Her vocals were compared to Miley Cyrus, who also started on the Disney Channel, but in a 2009 interview to Christian Post Mendler said: "I'm not Miley Cyrus. There may be some similarities but I'm my own person." In 2013, during an interview with the Huffington Post, Mendler was compared to other young artists and asked if she would follow the footsteps in pop music. Mendler said that "They've done so much and they're so talented. I think it's tricky because they've been obviously very successful, but I think you always want to be your own person and not be categorized by doing the same thing".
Public image
Mendler was included on Billboards "21 Under 21: Music's Hottest Minors" list in 2012. In 2013, she also appeared in the list of thirteen. She was also chosen as one of the ten hottest young female artists by Forbes. In 2012, Mendler was chosen as role model of the year by Common Sense Media, a non-profit organization that honors innovative minds from the worlds of entertainment, public policy and technology and rewards mainly teachers, scientists and philanthropists. She was honored for her charity work in anti-bullying actions, improving the lives of families by providing a trustworthy role model and creating a positive impact in the world. Mendler was the second youngest artist to win the award, after Miranda Cosgrove.
Personal life
From May 2011 to November 2015, Mendler dated long time friend and former co-star Shane Harper. In October 2019, Mendler announced via Instagram that she had married Griffin Cleverly. In February 2024, Mendler announced that she and Cleverly adopted a 4-year-old boy around Christmas 2022 after they began fostering him in 2021.
Filmography
Film
2004
!scope="row" The Legend of Buddha Young The Buddha Voice acting 2007
!scope="row" Alice Upside Down Pamela Jones 2008
!scope="row" The Clique Kristen Gregory 2009
!scope="row" Becca Kingston 2011
!scope="row" Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 Appoline Direct-to-video; voice role 2012
!scope="row" Arrietty Arrietty Voice role 2014
!scope="row" Muppets Most Wanted Wedding Guest Deleted scene 2018
!scope="row" Father of the Year Meredith
Television
2006
!scope="row" General Hospital Lulu's dream daughter 1 episode 2009
!scope="row" Jonas Penny Episode: "Wrong Song" 2009–2012
!scope="row" Wizards of Waverly Place Juliet van Heusen Recurring role 2010–2014
!scope="row" Good Luck Charlie Teddy Duncan Lead role 2011
!scope="row" Lemonade Mouth Olivia White Television film 2012
!scope="row" House Callie Rogers Episode: "Runaways" 2013
!scope="row" Violetta Herself Episode: "A Celebrity, a Song" 2015–2016
!scope="row" Undateable Candace Main role 2017
!scope="row" Nashville Ashley Willerman Recurring role 2019
!scope="row" Merry Happy Whatever Emmy Quinn Main role
Video games
Discography
Tours
Awards and nominations
Explanatory notes
External links
Categories: 1992 Births, 21st-century American Actresses, 21st-century American Singer-songwriters, 21st-century American Singers, 21st-century American Women Singers, Actresses From Washington, D.c., American Singer-songwriters, American Child Actresses, American Child Singers, American Film Actresses, American Sopranos, American Television Actresses, American Voice Actresses, American Women Pop Singers, American Women Singer-songwriters, Hollywood Records Artists, Living People, Massachusetts Institute Of Technology Fellows, Singers From Washington, D.c., Singers With A Three-octave Vocal Range, Songwriters From Washington, D.c., University Of Southern California Alumni, Walt Disney Records Artists, Harvard Law School Alumni, Massachusetts Institute Of Technology Alumni, American Technology Company Founders, Businesspeople From Washington, D.c., American Women Chief Executives, 21st-century American Businesswomen
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