Shelley Hennig | |
|---|---|
 Hennig in 2019 | |
| Born | (1987-01-02)January 2, 1987 (age 38) Metairie, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
| Title | Miss Louisiana Teen USA 2004 Miss Teen USA 2004 |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Major competition(s) | Miss Teen USA 2004 (Winner) |
Shelley Hennig (born January 2, 1987) is an American actress, model and beauty queen. She is the recipient of several accolades, including aTeen Choice Award and twoDaytime Emmy Award nominations.
Prior to pursuing an acting career, Hennig competed in beauty pageants and won the Miss Teen USA 2004 competition. She landed her first major role as Stephanie Johnson on the soap operaDays of Our Lives (2007–2011, 2017) and went on to appear inThe CW supernatural teen dramaThe Secret Circle (2011–2012). She gained further prominence for portraying Malia Tate on theMTV supernatural drama seriesTeen Wolf (2014–2017) andCIA agent Ava Winters in theNetflix action comedyObliterated (2023). She has appeared in the filmsOuija (2014),Unfriended (2014), andWhen We First Met (2018).
Hennig was born inMetairie, Louisiana,[1] on January 2, 1987,[2] the daughter of Cathy Distefano Gosset and Glenn H. Hennig Sr.[3] She lived inSt. Rose, Louisiana, and later moved toDestrehan, Louisiana. Three years before she won the Miss Teen USA title, one of her older brothers was killed in an accident caused by a drunk driver.[4]
Hennig won theMiss Louisiana Teen USA 2004 in a state pageant held inLafayette, Louisiana, in November 2004. This was the first time she competed in the state pageant. She represented Louisiana in the Miss Teen USA 2004, held inPalm Springs, California.[5] She won the Miss Teen USA title, becoming the first winner from Louisiana and the first girl from Louisiana to win a national title sinceAli Landry was Miss USA 1996. Her Miss Teen USA winnings included a one-year modeling contract with Trump Modeling Management, and a scholarship to the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts.
As Miss Teen USA, Hennig represented theMiss Universe Organization. Her sister 2004 titleholders wereJennifer Hawkins (Miss Universe, of Australia) andShandi Finnessey (Miss USA, of Missouri), with whom she made appearances, which included a trip toBangkok, Thailand.[6] During her reign, Hennig made numerous television guest and public-speaking appearances, including a guest appearance in the NBC soap operaPassions, which was part of her prize package.[7] Hennig also worked with a number of other nonprofit organizations, includingSeeds of Peace,DARE, Sparrow Clubs, and SHiNE. Her reign ended on August 8, 2005, when she crownedAllie LaForce ofOhio as the new Miss Teen USA.[8] Soon after she relinquished her crown, Hennig participated inMTV'sThe Reality Show, where she attempted to win her own show,After the Crown, but was eliminated.[8] She hosted theMiss Teen USA 2008 pageant on August 16, 2008, along with co-hostSeth Goldman.
On April 20, 2007, Hennig joined the cast ofDays of Our Lives in the contract role of Stephanie Johnson.[9] In 2010, she received a nomination for the37th Daytime Emmy Awards in the Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series category.[10] On January 18, 2011, Hennig announced that she was leavingDays of Our Lives. She was quoted inSoap Opera Digest, saying: "It just feels right. I have been preparing for this for a while, so I have said my mental good-byes. I will miss the faces I see here every day, but everybody has been really encouraging and has embraced my decision ... I feel like I'm going out with a bang after last week's show airs and I feel great about it creatively and I am thankful to the writers for giving me that. It's been a lot of fun to play and I wouldn't change anything."
From 2011 to 2012, she played Diana Meade, a main character in the TV seriesThe Secret Circle, based on the books written byL. J. Smith.[11] On May 11, 2012, it was announced that the series would not be returning for a second season. She then appeared in the MTV seriesZach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous as Christy.[12] The show was cancelled after one season.
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Beginning in the third season, Hennig appeared as Malia Tate on the MTV seriesTeen Wolf. She was promoted to series regular for the fourth season and remained part of the show until it ended in 2017.[13] For her portrayal of Malia, she won Choice Summer TV Star: Female at the 2016 Teen Choice Awards. In 2014, she appeared in theBlumhouse horror filmsOuija andUnfriended.[14] She also appeared onthe Band Perry's music video for "Gentle on My Mind". In 2017, she starred in country music artistMaren Morris' music video for "I Could Use a Love Song". In 2018, she played a supporting role as a photographer, Carrie Grey, in theNetflix romantic comedyWhen We First Met.[15] On March 10, 2020, Hennig was cast in an upcoming NBC comedy pilotCrazy for You in a leading role. The pilot was to be produced by Rachele Lynn, who is known for her work inSaturday Night Live. The series' release date was unknown at that time.[16]
In September 2021, it was announced that areunion film forTeen Wolf had been ordered byParamount+, withJeff Davis returning as a screenwriter and executive producer of the film. The majority of the original cast members, including Hennig herself, were set to reprise their roles.[17][18] The film was released on January 26, 2023.
Hennig has spoken out against underage drinking. She has done work with a local Louisiana nonprofit, Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, for whom she has mentored peers and other youths about the impacts and consequences of drug and alcohol abuse.[19]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Ouija | Debbie Galardi | |
| Unfriended | Blaire Lily | ||
| 2015 | About Scout | Melinda Riley | |
| 2016 | Summer of 8 | Lily Hunter | |
| 2017 | Roman J. Israel, Esq. | Olivia Reed | |
| 2018 | When We First Met | Carrie Grey | |
| The After Party | Alicia Levine | ||
| 2022 | Gatlopp | Alice | |
| 2023 | Teen Wolf: The Movie | Malia Tate | |
| The List | Sam | ||
| 2024 | Cult Killer | Jamie Douglas | |
| TBA | Fluxx | TBA | Post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Passions | Crane Maid | Guest role; 2 episodes |
| 2007–2011, 2017 | Days of Our Lives | Stephanie Johnson | Regular role; 470 episodes |
| 2011–2012 | The Secret Circle | Diana Meade | Main role |
| 2012 | Friend Me | Isabelle | Unaired television series[citation needed] |
| 2013 | Justified | Jackie Nevada | Episode: "Money Trap" |
| Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous | Christy Ackerman | Recurring role | |
| 2014–2017 | Teen Wolf | Malia Tate | Recurring role (season 3), Main role (seasons 4–6) |
| 2014 | Blue Bloods | Maya Lawman | Episode: "Insult to Injury" |
| Friends with Better Lives | Molly James | Episode: "Yummy Mummy" | |
| 2018 | Liberty Crossing | Carly Ambrose | Main role |
| False Profits | Hilary Jenkle | Unaired television pilot | |
| 2019 | Dollface | Ramona | Guest role; 3 episodes |
| 2021 | Mythic Quest | A.E. Goldsmith / Ginny | Guest role; 2 episodes |
| 2022 | The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window | Lisa Maines / Chastity Linkous | Recurring role[20] |
| 2023 | Obliterated | Ava Winters | Main role |
| TBA | Crazy For You | Daisy | In production |
| Year | Title | Artist | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | "Gentle On My Mind" | The Band Perry | Tatum |
| 2017 | "I Could Use a Love Song" | Maren Morris | Shelley |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series | Days of Our Lives | Nominated | [10] |
| 2012 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series | Days of Our Lives | Nominated | [21] |
| 2016 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Summer TV Star: Female | Teen Wolf | Won | [22] |
| 2017 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Summer TV Star: Female | Teen Wolf | Nominated | [23] |
actor Shelley Hennig in 1987 (age 32)
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