Adrienne Monique Coleman (born November 13, 1980)[1] is an American actress and dancer. She is best known for her role as Taylor McKessie in the High School Musical movies.
Coleman's first lead role was in the independent film Mother of the River (1995) directed by Zeinabu irene Davis.[4] Two years later, Coleman appeared as Young Donna in The Family Channel movie The Ditchdigger's Daughter,[5] for which she was nominated for a Young Artists Award of Hollywood. During her sophomore year of high school, Coleman wrote, directed, produced, and starred in a one-person play titled "Voices from Within." In Chicago, Coleman appeared in stage productions of Noises Off, Polaroid Stories, The Real Thing, and The Colored Museum.[6]
Coleman competed in the Fall 2006 third edition of the reality dance competition show Dancing with the Stars. She was paired with professional partner Louis van Amstel. The pair appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show before they were eliminated from the competition on November 1, 2006. Coleman and van Amstel finished fourth in the competition. She was the final female contestant in that season's competition.[13][14]
In 2010, Coleman worked with DoSomething.org[15] to produce a video tutorial for the series "Do Something U." Coleman's video focused on teaching young people the best way to utilize social media to spread ideas and actions.[16]
UN Youth Champion
Coleman was appointed a Youth Champion by the United Nations in November 2010. At a ceremony at the UN headquarters in New York, Coleman was presented with a letter of recognition of her role by Assistant Secretary-General Jomo Kwame Sundaram of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. In presenting the letter, Mr. Sundaram said Coleman would work "to raise awareness about the challenges young people face and will highlight the positive contribution they make to their communities." Coleman said receiving the designation of Youth Champion was "beyond an honor" and she would use her position to promote global efforts to achieve the anti-poverty Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).[17]
Personal life
In February 2012, Coleman married Walter Jordan.[18][19] The pair divorced in February 2022.[20]