Katie Stevens

"American Idol" (Fox, 2002-2016) finalist Katie Stevens soon distanced herself from her talent show beginnings with leading roles in subversive teen hit "Faking It" (MTV, 2014-16) and workplace dramedy "The Bold Type" (Freeform, 2017-). Born in Southbury, CT in 1992, Stevens began performing in local theater productions such as "The Wizard of Oz," "High School Musical" and "South Pacific" from a young age, but first gained national attention when she applied for the ninth season of "American Idol" (Fox, 2002-2016). Following an impressive rendition of Etta James' "At Last" at the Boston auditions, Stevens sailed through to the live stages, where she performed hits by Corinne Bailey Rae, The Rolling Stones and Aretha Franklin to millions of viewers, before being eliminated in eighth place. She subsequently performed on the "American Idols LIVE!" tour and various daytime and late-night talk shows but shortly after switched her attention back to acting. Following a minor part in short "Running Up That Hill" (2013), she landed her first major role, playing aspiring teen actress Gina in indie comedy "Friends and Romans" (2014). That same year she was cast as Karma Ashcroft, a high school junior who gains popularity when she and her best friend are mistaken for lovers, in the coming of age romantic comedy "Faking It" (MTV, 2014-16). During her three-season stint on the show, Stevens also guested as crime lab assistant Lindsey Willows in the final episode of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (CBS, 2000-2015), and appeared in the web series "I'll Bring the Awkward" (2015) and the shorts "Jimmy" (2015) and "Billy Tupper's Knockout Bout" (2015). Stevens then bagged the leading role of newly-promoted writer Jane in "The Bold Type" (Freeform, 2017), a comedy drama based on the true experiences of Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief Joanna Coles. She then returned to the big screen when she played Avery in "Polaroid" (2017), a horror about a cursed vintage camera.