Kyliegh Curran (born , 2005) is an American actress. She starred in the horror film '' Doctor Sleep'' and plays Harper on the Disney Channel mystery series '' Secrets of Sulphur Springs''. She previously played young Nala in a Broadway production of ''

The Lion King ''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance ...

''.

Early life and education

Curran was born in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

on December 10, 2005. Her maternal grandfather is the Bahamian-American writer and scholar Whittington B. Johnson. She started taking acting classes at seven years old. She moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

for her career. Through first and second grades, Curran practiced theater at an Actors' Playhouse conservatory close to the

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

area. Curran, not finding film-related opportunities in Miami and New York, started attending the British Academy of Performing Arts in

Marietta, Georgia Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Cobb County, Georgia, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 60,972. The 2019 estimate was 60,867, making it one of Atlanta's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth larges ...

and the Renaissance International School of Performing Arts in

Milton, Georgia Milton is a city in Fulton County, Georgia, United States. Located about 30 miles due north of Atlanta, Milton is known for its rural and equestrian heritage. The City was incorporated on December 1, 2006, out of the unincorporated northernmost p ...

. As part of growing up with an acting career, she is

homeschooled Homeschooling or home schooling, also known as home education or elective home education (EHE), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted by a parent, tutor, or an onlin ...

Career

Curran's first show was ''Madeline's Christmas'' in

Coral Gables, Florida Coral Gables, officially City of Coral Gables, is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city is located southwest of Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 49,248. Coral Gables is known globally as home to the ...

. When she was 10 years old, she was cast as Young Nala in

Julie Taymor Julie Taymor (born December 15, 1952) is an American director and writer of theater, opera and film. Her stage adaptation of ''The Lion King'' debuted in 1997, and received eleven Tony Award nominations, with Taymor receiving Tony Awards for Best ...

's Broadway production of ''

''. In 2015, she was cast in her first film role in the independent film ''I Can I Will I Did'', which was released in 2017. While living in Georgia, she auditioned for the Stephen King-based horror film '' Doctor Sleep'' and was cast in a leading role opposite

Ewan McGregor Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the BAFTA Britannia Humanitarian Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British ...

playing Abra, a girl with psychic powers. Following ''Doctor Sleep'', she began work on the Disney Channel series '' Secrets of Sulphur Springs'' playing Harper.

Personal life

Living in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Curran works with the organizations

Girls, Inc. Girls Inc. (established in 1864) is a United States 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which encourages girls to be "Strong, Smart, and Bold" through direct service and advocacy. The organization prioritizes equipping girls with the skills to na ...

and

Reach Out and Read Reach Out and Read, Inc. (ROR) is a US nonprofit organization that promotes reading. Reach Out and Read is a national early literacy organization working directly with pediatric care providers to share the lifelong benefits that result from f ...

Georgia. She is also involved with environmental issues.

Credits

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Curran, Kyliegh Living people 2005 births 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Miami African-American actresses African-American child actresses American child actresses American people of Bahamian descent