Joseph Lawrence Mignogna Jr. (born April 20, 1976) is an American actor, musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, and game show host. He got his start as a child star in the early 1980s and is best known for his role as Joey Russo in '' Blossom'' and Joe Longo in ''

Melissa & Joey ''Melissa & Joey'' is an American television sitcom starring Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence that aired for four seasons between 2010 and 2015 on ABC Family (now Freeform). The series follows local politician Mel Burke (Hart) and Joe Longo ...

''. Lawrence also starred in ''

Gimme a Break! ''Gimme a Break!'' is an American television sitcom created by Mort Lachman and Sy Rosen, that aired on NBC for six seasons from October 29, 1981, to May 12, 1987. The series starred Nell Carter as the housekeeper for a widowed police chief ( ...

'' (1983–1987), and the series '' Brotherly Love'' with his real-life brothers

Matthew Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497 * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Ch ...

and

Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...

, and for his film roles in ''

Summer Rental ''Summer Rental'' is a 1985 American comedy film directed by Carl Reiner, written by Mark Reisman and Jeremy Stevens, and starring John Candy and Richard Crenna. It tells the story of an overworked air traffic controller who is put on a five week ...

'' (1985) and ''

Oliver & Company ''Oliver & Company'' is a 1988 American animated musical adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released on November 18, 1988, by Walt Disney Pictures. The 27th Disney animated feature film, it is loosely based on the Cha ...

'' (1988).

Early life

Lawrence was born in Abington, Pennsylvania and raised in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, the son of Donna Lynn (''née'' Shaw), a personnel manager and former elementary school teacher and Joseph Lawrence Mignogna Sr., an insurance broker. He is of Italian, English, and Scottish descent. His family's surname was changed to "Lawrence" during his childhood. He has two younger brothers, Matt and

Andy Andy may refer to: People * Andy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Horace Andy (born 1951), Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer born Horace Hinds * Katja Andy (1907–2013), German-American pianist and pi ...

, who are also actors. He graduated from

Abington Friends School Abington Friends School is an independent Quaker school in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, United States, serving students from age 3 to grade 12. Abington Friends School has stood on its original campus in the Abington Township neighborhood of Jenkint ...

Jenkintown, Pennsylvania Jenkintown is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It is approximately 10 miles (16 km) north of Center City Philadelphia. History The community was named for William Jenkins, a Welsh pioneer settler. Jenkintown is located just ...

in 1994 and later attended the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

Career

Acting

Lawrence's first acting role was in a

Cracker Jack Cracker Jack is an American brand of snack food that consists of molasses-flavored, caramel-coated popcorn, and peanuts, well known for being packaged with a prize of trivial value inside. The Cracker Jack name and slogan, "The More You Eat The ...

commercial. At the age of five, he appeared on ''

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, ...

'', where he performed the song "

Give My Regards to Broadway "Give My Regards to Broadway" is a song written by George M. Cohan for his musical play ''Little Johnny Jones'' which debuted in 1904 in New York. Cohan, playing the title character, sings this song as his friend is about to sail to Americ ...

". After appearing in guest spots on ''

Diff'rent Strokes ''Diff'rent Strokes'' is an American television sitcom, which aired on NBC from November 3, 1978, to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985, to March 7, 1986. The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackso ...

'' and ''

Silver Spoons ''Silver Spoons'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from September 25, 1982, to May 11, 1986, and in first-run syndication from September 27, 1986, to May 30, 1987. The series was produced by Embassy Television for the f ...

'', Lawrence won the role of Joey Donovan on the hit

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

sitcom ''

'' in 1983. He continued in that role until the series ended in 1987. 1985 marked Lawrence's theatrical debut with the release of ''

''. Lawrence provided the voice of Oliver, the protagonist in the 1988

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

film ''

'' at the age of 12. From 1991 to 1995, at the age of 15, Lawrence co-starred in the hit TV series '' Blossom'' on

, playing Joey Russo. Lawrence has also starred in the series '' Brotherly Love'' (which featured his real life brothers, Matthew and Andrew Lawrence) and ''

Run of the House ''Run of the House'' is an American sitcom television series created by Betsy Thomas, that aired on The WB between September 11, 2003, and May 7, 2004. Nineteen episodes were produced but only sixteen were aired before the show was cancelled. The ...

'' and has guest starred on such programs as ''

American Dreams ''American Dreams'' is an American drama television series that ran on NBC for three seasons & 61 episodes, from September 29, 2002, to March 30, 2005. The show tells the story of the Pryor family of Philadelphia during the mid-1960s, with many ...

'' and ''

CSI: NY ''CSI: NY'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: New York'', stylized as ''CSI: NY/Crime Scene Investigation'') is an American police procedural television series that ran on CBS from September 22, 2004, to February 22, 2013, for a total of nine seaso ...

''. One of Lawrence's film credits is '' Urban Legends: Final Cut'' (2000). Melissa & Joey cast and crew at Paley Center

In 2006, Lawrence appeared on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

's '' Dancing with the Stars''. Paired with professional dancer

Edyta Śliwińska Edyta Śliwińska (; born May 6, 1981) is a Polish professional ballroom dancer who is starring in the stage show Dance Temptation. She is best known for her appearances on the American version of the reality television series ''Dancing with the S ...

, he placed third in the competition. In May 2007, he starred in the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

hit ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

'' as Billy Flynn. He next hosted a dance competition show on

The Learning Channel TLC is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. First established in 1980 as The Learning Channel, it initially focused on educational and instructional programming. By the late 1990s, after an acquisition by the ow ...

, ''Master of Dance'', which premiered June 9, 2008. In 2009, Lawrence starred in the television film ''

My Fake Fiancé ''My Fake Fiancé'' is a 2009 American television film starring Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence. It premiered on the ABC Family channel on April 19, 2009. Plot Jennifer Verti has spent all of her savings buying her first house and all of ...

'' with Melissa Joan Hart, which premiered on ABC Family to 3.6 million viewers, becoming the most-watched television film of the ratings season, sweeping top rank in its time-period in key demos. In August 2010, Lawrence returned to television in the ABC Family sitcom ''

'', again opposite Hart. Hart plays a woman who hires Lawrence as a nanny to help care for her incarcerated sister's kids. Lawrence's character is a former figure in the financial industry whose company came under investigation for wrongdoing and caused his professional life to be put on hold. Lawrence's brothers have guest starred on the show.

Matthew Lawrence Matthew William Lawrence (born February 11, 1980) is an American actor and singer, known for his roles in ''Mrs. Doubtfire'' and ''Boy Meets World''. Lawrence also starred in the series '' Brotherly Love'' with his real-life brothers Joey and An ...

played Tony Longo in season 1 episode 25 and Andrew Lawrence appeared in season 1 episode 26 as Ryder Scanlon's teacher, Evan McKay. The series was renewed for its fourth season and ended in 2015. In 2012, he was contracted to be a

Chippendales Chippendales is a touring dance troupe best known for its male striptease performances and for its dancers' distinctive upper body costume of a bow tie, collar, and shirt cuffs worn on an otherwise bare torso. Established in 1979, Chippenda ...

dancer for a special engagement in June at the

Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino The Rio is a hotel and casino near the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States. It is owned by Dreamscape Companies LLC and operated by Caesars Entertainment. It includes a casino and 2,520 suites. It features a Brazilian theme based ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. On March 19, 2013, Lawrence began appearing in the

reality show ''

Splash Splash or Splash! or The Splash may refer to: Common meanings * Splash (fluid mechanics), sudden disturbances on the surface of water Entertainment * ''Splash'' (film), a 1984 fantasy film starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah ** ''Splash, Too'' ...

'', co-hosting alongside

Charissa Thompson Charissa Jean Thompson (born May 4, 1982) is an American television host and sportscaster working for Fox Sports. Previously, Thompson worked for ESPN, Versus, as well as for GSN and the Big Ten Network. She was the co-host of '' SportsNation ...

. In 2022, Lawrence competed in season eight of ''

The Masked Singer ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' as "Walrus". He was eliminated on "90s Night" alongside

Le'Veon Bell Le'Veon Andrew Bell Sr. ( ; born February 18, 1992) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at Michigan State and was drafted 48th overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 20 ...

as "Milkshake".

Music career

Lawrence has said that music was always his passion, and at the height of his success began a recording career. Lawrence was 16 when his debut album '' Joey Lawrence'' was released in February 1993. Produced by

Steve Barri Steve Barri (born Steven Barry Lipkin in Brooklyn, New York on February 23, 1942) is an American songwriter and record producer. Career Early in his career, Barri was a staff writer with Dunhill Records. He produced such huge hits as " Dizzy" ...

Tony Peluso Anthony F. Peluso (March 28, 1950 – June 5, 2010) was an American guitarist and record producer. He was lead guitarist for pop duo Carpenters from 1972 to 1983. Peluso played the fuzz guitar solo on the Carpenters' song " Goodbye to Love". He ...

, Terry Lupton and Ian Prince. Lawrence co-wrote some material, including the international hit single " Nothin' My Love Can't Fix" (#6

Billboard Hot 100 Airplay The Radio Songs chart (previously named Hot 100 Airplay until 2014 and Top 40 Radio Monitor until 1991) is released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and measures the airplay of songs being played on radio stations throughout the United States acro ...

, No. 10 Billboard Top 40 Mainstream, No. 19 ''Billboard'' Hot 100, No. 13 United Kingdom, No. 68 Australia). The song was used as the end-title theme from the film ''

Cop and a Half ''Cop and a Half'' is a 1993 American family buddy cop-comedy film directed by Henry Winkler, and stars Burt Reynolds, Norman D. Golden II, and Ray Sharkey in his final role. Reynolds plays a veteran cop who reluctantly takes an eight-year-old ...

''; its music video received heavy airplay on MTV and MuchMusic, and Lawrence was invited to perform live on MTV's Spring Break, ''

The Arsenio Hall Show ''The Arsenio Hall Show'' is an American syndicated late-night talk show created by and starring comedian Arsenio Hall. There have been two different incarnations of ''The Arsenio Hall Show''. The original series premiered on January 3, 1989, ...

'', and the UK's ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most o ...

'' in 1993. In June 2011, he released a single, "Rolled", which was available as a free download for one week on ABC Family's website. In July, Joey released a second single, "Give It To Ya (Acoustic)" via

Pledge Music PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects; such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist p ...

. In 2017 Joey started a band with Matt and Andy called Still 3. They released their debut single "Lose Myself".

Personal life

Lawrence married Michelle Vella in 2002; the couple divorced in 2005. He met his second wife, Chandie Yawn-Nelson, earlier while on vacation in

Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, th ...

when the two were teenagers; they wed there in July 2005. Reports had surfaced in March 2018 that Lawrence and Yawn-Nelson had filed for bankruptcy in July 2017. On April 6, 2018, the Chapter 7 bankruptcy case was reportedly settled. Lawrence filed for divorce in July 2020. The couple has two children. In August 2021, Lawrence announced his engagement to actress Samantha Cope whom he met on the set of a Lifetime movie directed by his brother

and co-starring his daughter Charleston. On May 1, 2022, Lawrence and Cope were married in California. On September 9, 2022, they announced that they are expecting their first child together.

Filmography

Film

Television

''Dancing with the Stars''

Theater

* ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

'' (2007) as Billy Flynn (replacement)

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, Joey 1976 births Living people 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singers American child singers American dance musicians American game show hosts American male child actors American male dancers American male erotic dancers American male film actors American male pop singers American male singer-songwriters American male television actors American male voice actors American people of English descent American people of Italian descent American people of Scottish descent Curb Records artists Geffen Records artists Male actors from Philadelphia MCA Records artists Musicians from Philadelphia Participants in American reality television series People from Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania People from Jenkintown, Pennsylvania People from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Record producers from Pennsylvania Singer-songwriters from Pennsylvania Television producers from Pennsylvania University of Southern California alumni