Joey Lawrence

Joseph Lawrence Mignogna III (born April 20, 1976) is an American actor, musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, podcaster and game show host.

He was a child actor in the early 1980s and portrayed Joey Russo in Blossom and Joe Longo in Melissa & Joey.

In 1981, when he was five years old, Lawrence landed his first acting role in a Cracker Jack commercial.

Three weeks before turning age six, he appeared on the March 31, 1982, episode of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, where he performed the song "Give My Regards to Broadway" and tap danced.

Lawrence also starred in Gimme a Break! (1983–1987), and the series Brotherly Love with his real-life brothers Matthew and Andrew.

After appearing in guest spots on Diff'rent Strokes and Silver Spoons, Lawrence won the role of Joey Donovan on the hit NBC sitcom Gimme a Break! in 1983.

His film appearances include Summer Rental (1985) and Oliver & Company (1988).

Lawrence was born and raised in Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia.

He is the eldest son of Donna Lynn (née Shaw), a personnel manager and former elementary school teacher, and Joseph Lawrence Mignogna Jr., an insurance broker.

He is of Italian, English, and Scottish descent.

His family's stage surname was changed to "Lawrence" during his childhood when he started acting.

He has two younger brothers, actors Matthew and Andrew.

1985 marked Lawrence's theatrical debut with the release of Summer Rental.

He continued in that role until the series ended in 1987.

Lawrence provided the voice of Oliver, the protagonist in the 1988 Disney film Oliver & Company at the age of 12.

From 1991, at the age of 15, to 1995, Lawrence co-starred in the hit TV series Blossom on NBC, 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 and has guest starred on such programs as American Dreams and CSI: NY.

Lawrence was 16 when his debut album Joey Lawrence was released in February 1993.

Produced by Steve Barri, Tony Peluso, Terry Lupton, and Ian Prince.

Lawrence graduated from Abington Friends School in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, in 1994 and later attended the University of Southern California.

One of Lawrence's film credits is Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000).

In 2006, Lawrence appeared on ABC's Dancing with the Stars.

Paired with professional dancer Edyta Śliwińska, he placed third in the competition.

In May 2007, he starred in the Broadway hit Chicago as Billy Flynn.

He next hosted a dance competition show on The Learning Channel, Master of Dance, which premiered June 9, 2008.

In 2009, Lawrence starred in the television film My Fake Fiancé with Melissa Joan Hart, which premiered on ABC Family with 3.6 million viewers, becoming the most-watched television film the rating season, sweeping top rank in its time period in key demos.

In August 2010, Lawrence returned to television in the ABC Family sitcom Melissa & Joey, 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 played Tony Longo in season 1 episode 25 and Andrew Lawrence appeared in season 1 episode 26 as Ryder Scanlon's teacher, Evan McKay.

In 2012, he was contracted to be a Chippendales dancer for a special engagement in June at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

On March 19, 2013, Lawrence began appearing in the ABC reality show Splash, co-hosting alongside Charissa Thompson.

In 2022, Lawrence competed in season eight of The Masked Singer as "Walrus".

He was eliminated on "90s Night" alongside Le'Veon Bell as "Milkshake".

In August 2023, Lawrence resurged his Blossom catchphrase, "Whoa!"

by starring in the US Debut of VinFast's VF8 ad campaign, writeups of which circulated publications such as Automotive News, Ad Age, MSN and others.

In December of the same year, Lawrence reprised his role in a second installment of VinFast's "Changing Lanes" campaign.

Lawrence has said that music was always his passion, and at the height of his success began a recording career.

The series was renewed for its fourth season and ended in 2015.