Shay Mitchell

Shay (Shannon) Ashley Mitchell, born 10th April 1987 in Ontario, Canada, is an acress and model.

She is best known for portraying the role of Emily Fields in the ABC Family hit mystery drama Pretty Little Liars.

Shay started dancing when she was 5 and at 10, her family moved to Vancouver so that she could pursue a career in the performing arts. Within a year of moving to Vancouver, she was cast by an international modelling agency and had a successful modelling career, travelling the world to do so.

Acting Career
After a successful modelling career, Shay returned to Canada, going to Toronto to study acting. Whilst there, she signed with her first theatrical agency, through which she landed a role in the teenage drama series, Degrassi: The Next Generation, as well as cameos in several commercials, such as for Pantene.

In December 2009, Shay was cast as Emily Fields in ABC Family's new show Pretty Little Liars, which was to be based off the novels of the same name by Sara Shepard. This was her breakthrough role.

She originally auditioned for the part of Spencer Hastings, a role which was later given to Troian Bellisario, but she was actually cast as Emily Fields, a swimming hopeful whose life is turned upside down when her best friend, Alison DiLaurentis, disappears and her and her best friends start receiving texts from "A", a mysterious figure who threatens to expose all their secrets.

The show is currently in the middle of its fifth season and it has been confirmed that it will be renewed for a further 2 seasons, making a run of 7 seasons in total. It is assumed that Shay will continue to play Emily until the end of Pretty Little Liars, after the seventh season.

Shay was nominated for the Teen Choice Award for Choice Summer TV Star in 2014 for her role as Emily, but lost out to co-star Ashley Benson, who plays Hanna Marin.

Films

 * Immediately Afterlife (2013) - Marissa

TV Series

 * Degrassi: The Next Generation (2009) - Model
 * Pretty Little Liars (2010-present) - Emily Fields
 * Aaron Stone (2010) - Irina Webber
 * Rookie Blue (2010) - Cute Girl
 * Punk'd (2012) - Herself