Actor
Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman, known professionally as Raven-Symoné or simply Raven, is an American actress and singer. Raven-Symoné launched her career in 1989 after appearing in The Cosby Show as Olivia. She released her debut album, Here's to New Dreams in 1993; the single, "That's What Little Girls Are Made Of" charted number 68 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The next album, Undeniable, was released on May 4, 1999.
Raven-Symoné appeared in several successful television series, such as The Cosby Show and Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, in the late 1980s and early 1990s. From 2003 to 2007, she starred in the Disney Channel series, That's So Raven in which she played Raven Baxter, a psychic teenager who tried her best to keep her psychic powers a secret. During her time on That's So Raven, Raven-Symoné released her third studio album, This is My Time (2004) which was her best selling solo album to date, charting at number 51 on the Billboard 200. After a year of the end of That's So Raven, she released her fourth studio album, Raven-Symoné (2008). The album peaked at number 159 on the Billboard 200. During 2003 to 2006, she participated in four soundtracks from Disney, RIAA-certified double-platinum album, The Cheetah Girls (2003), RIAA-certified gold album, That's So Raven (2004), That's So Raven Too! (2006) and RIAA-certified platinum album, The Cheetah Girls 2 (2006). The soundtracks sold a combined 4.1 million copies in the U.S. alone. As of April 2008, Raven-Symoné has sold 314,000 albums in the United States. She is also the voice of Uniqua, in Nickelodeon series, The Backyardigans, during the fourth and final season.
Raven-Symoné transitioned to a film career, starring in several films aimed at young audiences, including Dr. Dolittle (1998), Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), College Road Trip (2008), and successful television films, including Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (1999), The Cheetah Girls (2003), its sequel Cheetah Girls 2 (2006), For One Night (2006), Revenge of the Bridesmaids (2010). Raven has also lent her voice to the animated series Kim Possible, for the character Monique and films such as Disney's Tinker Bell. She also owns a "how-to" video website, Raven-Symoné Presents. In 2011, Symoné starred in the short-lived ABC Family comedy series State of Georgia as Georgia Chamberlain, an aspiring actress with a huge ego who moves to New York City to try her hand at an acting career.
In 2012, Raven-Symoné ranked No. 8 on VH1's "100 Greatest Kid Stars Of All Time" list, and ranked No.1 on Loop21's "10 Richest Black Actresses Under 40" list.
In 1989, Raven-Symoné auditioned for a part in the Bill Cosby movie, Ghost Dad. At three years old she was considered too young for the role, but Bill Cosby liked her so much that he found a part for her on his show, The Cosby Show, as his step-granddaughter Olivia. She made her debut in the premiere episode of the show's sixth season, and remained until the series finale in 1992.
Character
Olivia Kendall, is Denise Huxtable's precocious stepdaughter, who is three years old when she first appears in the series. Olivia is the only child of Martin and Paula Kendall. After a few years of marriage, her parents divorced, and her mother, Paula, gave Martin full custody, as she felt overwhelmed by marriage and motherhood. Olivia was then raised by her grandparents and father.
When Olivia was almost four years old, her father Martin married Denise Huxtable, whom he met in Africa. The new family moved in with Denise's parents, Clair and Cliff Huxtable, who are now Olivia's step-grandparents. Martin, as a Naval officer, is required to travel a lot, so for a while, Olivia was unable to spend time with him. During his absences, her stepmother, Denise, raised her. Olivia continued to live with her step-grandparents while her parents were in Singapore during the final season.
The character was named after Bill Cosby's wife, Camille Olivia Hanks-Cosby.
