Mitchel Musso

It was inevitable that this talented newcomer would venture to Hollywood from his native Rockwall, Texas. In his 17 years he already amassed an impressive list of credits in both television and film and now he has added music to his list of talents.

Mitchel Musso began his auspicious acting career at the mere age of seven years – By the age of nine he began to audition for commercials and print work in Texas and work quickly came his way. He was featured in print campaigns for McDonald’s, Rand McNally, to name a few. His adorable boy-next-door looks also landed him commercials for Sony Playstation, Hubba Bubba Bubble Gum, Six Flags, etc.

Musso has felt an inclination towards the arts, specifically acting since his early childhood years. In September of 2002, at the age of 11, his breakthrough role came when New Line Cinema needed two little boys to play Haley Joel Osment’s cousin and Robert Duvall and Michael Caine's nephews in Secondhand Lions (2003). Mitchel was fortunate enough to not only get the part but also to play opposite his own real life brother Marc Musso. He starred in Steven Spielberg’s Oscar nominated Monster House (Sony) in which plays the hero DJ. Produced by both Spielberg and Robert Zemekis, the motion capture film is about a haunted house that terrorizes a group of kids. Musso was nominated for a Saturn Award for his role.

Today, at the age of 17 Musso is easy to find. When he is not in the latest teen magazines, he is a regular on the Emmy-nominated Disney Channel series “Hannah Montana,” which has earned him a devoted following of frenzied fans. Musso portrays the role of Oliver ‘Smoken’ Oken and he is currently shooting the third season of the hit series. His other TV credits include guest-starring on Fox Network’s “Stacked” and “Oliver Beane,” the made for TV movie “Trial by Fire” with Chuck Norris, the Disney Channel Original Movies “Life is Ruff,” the forthcoming “Hatching Pete,” plus the 2008 Disney Channel Games. Musso is also the voice ‘Jeremy’ on the Disney Channel animated series “Phineas and Ferb.”

Musso made his musical debut the summer of 2007 where he performed at Universal Studios City Walk. While on hiatus from “Hannah Montana,” he toured with Radio Disney’s Jingle Jam and made additional stops throughout the U.S. for the “Hannah Montana” Pre-Parties that he hosted. Most recently, Mitchel and his band opened .. dates for the 2008 Tour of Gymnastics Superstars with Olympic medalists Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson and others.

Musso recently had two Top 10 hits on Radio Disney’s Top 30 chart. His cover of “Lean on Me,” which featured a music video in rotation on Disney Channel and The Snow Buddies DVD, spent 21 weeks on the chart and peaked at 7. In May 2008, the Disneymania 6 CD (Walt Disney Records) included the track “If I Didn’t Have You” which peaked at 5 and spent 16 weeks on the chart.

Last summer Musso toured with his band and dancers, started recording his debut album, and filmed his role as ‘Oliver’ in the Walt Disney Pictures film “Hannah Montana The Movie.”

For his debut album, Musso is working in Los Angeles and New York with some of the music industry's top producers and songwriters including Sam Hollander (Metro Station, Gym Class Heroes), Dave Katz (Coheed + Cambria, Gym Class Heroes, Boys Like Girls), Curt Schneider (Five for Fighting) and Matthew Wilder (No Doubt, Christina Aguilera). The album will feature 4 songs co-written by Musso, plus a collaboration with his brother Mason from Metro Station. The music video for “The In Crowd,” the first single from Musso’s forthcoming album is currently on rotation on Disney Channel and can be heard on Radio Disney. Musso was recently tapped Male Pop Rookie of 2009 during MTV News’ special feature “Pop Week,” which included a behind-the-scenes look at the music video shoot for “The In Crowd.”

Besides acting and being a part of the “Hannah Montana” cast, Mitchel enjoys spending time with his friends, skateboarding and listening to his iPod. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his mom and dad, two brothers Mason and Marc and his dog Stitch.