Ashley Michelle Tisdale (born July 2, 1985[1]) is an American actress and singer. Better known for her role as Maddie Fitzpatrick on the Disney Channel Original Series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and as Sharpay Evans in High School Musical, High School Musical 2 and will reprise her role in High School Musical 3: Senior Year. As of August 2008, Tisdale is voicing Candace Flynn in the Disney Channel original series Phineas and Ferb. Tisdale has also pursued a solo music career, and released her debut album Headstrong on February 6, 2007.
Tisdale was born in Monmouth County, New Jersey on July 2, 1985,[2] to Lisa (née Morris) and Mike Tisdale. She grew up there in Ocean Township. Her elder sister Jennifer Tisdale is also an actress. Tisdale is Jewish[3][4] and her maternal grandfather is Arnold Morris, the developer of Ginsu Knives; and through her grandfather, she is also related to businessman Ron Popeil.[5] She was discovered by Bill Perlman, her current manager, at South Shores Mall, when she was three.[6] At the age of eight, she got a leading role in the Broadway musical, Les Misérables and later toured internationally with the cast of Annie.[6] She began acting, appearing in stage productions of Gypsy: A Musical Fable and The Sound of Music at the Jewish Community Center of Monmouth County.[7][8]