Shay Mitchell

Shay Mitchell (born Shannon Ashley Mitchell; 10 April 1987) is a Canadian actress, model, entrepreneur and author. She rose to prominence starring as Emily Fields in the Freeform series Pretty Little Liars (2010–2017).\n', '

Mitchell was born in Mississauga, Ontario, the daughter of Precious Garcia and Mark Mitchell. Her parents work in finance. Her father is of Scottish and Irish descent and her mother, a Filipina, is from the province of Pampanga, and left the Philippines at age 19. She has one younger brother named Sean. She is a first cousin-once-removed of Lea Salonga, a singer and Tony Award-winning theater actress well known for originating the lead role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon. Even as a young child, Mitchell was interested in performing arts, declaring to her parents that she would pursue such a career. Mitchell began dance lessons at the age of five, and she and se…