Kaylee Kaneshiro (formerly credited as Kaylee Bryant) is an American actress and model. She is known for portraying Josie Saltzman on The CW television spin-off of The Vampire Diaries and The Originals titled, Legacies.

Kaylee Kaneshiro
Born
Kaylee Kaneshiro[1]

November 1, 1997
Florida, U.S.
Other namesKaylee Bryant
Occupations
  • Actress
  • model
Years active2011–present

Biography

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Kaneshiro grew up in Southern California.[2] Due to her early career in modeling and acting, she was homeschooled for part of her upbringing and entered junior year in high school at the age of 15 years old.[2] Kaneshiro is of 1/4 Japanese descent through her paternal grandfather, who is from Okinawa,[3] and spoke Japanese while growing up.[3][4] Kaneshiro publicly came out as queer in June 2021.[5]

Career

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Kaneshiro began her career as a model when she was seven years old for clothing brands like Ralph Lauren walking runways and doing print ads.[2][6] She began acting when she was eight years old[6] and participated in children's theater.[7] She went to appear on shows like American Horror Story, Santa Clarita Diet, The Real O'Neals, and Kickin' It among others.[8][9] Her first lead role was in the 2014 independent film in Mary Loss of Soul.

In 2018, Kaneshiro was cast in The CW's supernatural drama series Legacies as Josie Saltzman, one of the series' starring roles,[10] a role she portrayed on the show through its fourth season.[11] In 2021, she was cast in the thriller film The Locksmith.[12]

On November 30, 2023, she announced on Instagram that she would no longer be using the stage surname "Bryant" she'd chosen as an 11-year old, and would be henceforth go by her birthname "Kaylee Kaneshiro."[1]

Filmography

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Television and film roles
Year Title Role Notes
2011 American Horror Story Zombie slut 1 episode
2012 Body of Proof Musician 1 episode
2013 Dog with a Blog Maddie 2 episodes
A.N.T. Farm Tina Garcetti 1 episode
2014 Suburgatory Girl 1 episode
2012–2014 Kickin' It Tori / Carrie 3 episodes
2014 Mary Loss of Soul Mary Solis Film
2015 News Readers Madison Jordan 1 episode
Backstrom Amber 1 episode
Double Daddy Paula Television film
Chasing Life Sydney 2 episodes
2016 The Real O'Neals Lacey 3 episodes
Criminal Minds Amanda Bergstrom 1 episode
What Goes Around Comes Around Charlotte Television film
2017 Speechless India Hertzfled 1 episode
2017–2018 Santa Clarita Diet Sarah 3 episodes
2018–2021 Legacies Josie Saltzman Main role (seasons 1–4)[10][11]
2022 The Journey Ahead Sarah Television film[13][14]
2023 The Locksmith Tanya Saunders Film

References

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  1. ^ a b "itskayleekaneshiro". Instagram. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Borama, Jennifer (October 27, 2019). "10 Things You Didn't Know about Kaylee Bryant". TVOvermind. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Fuentes, Tamara (February 14, 2020). "Kaylee Bryant Opens Up About Bringing Dark Josie to Life in "Legacies"". Seventeen. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  4. ^ 'Legacies': Watch Kaylee Bryant and Jenny Boyd Interview Each Other!, retrieved June 23, 2020
  5. ^ "'Legacies' Star Kaylee Bryant Comes Out As Queer For Pride Month". www.out.com. June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Interview: Teen Actress Kaylee Bryant (Mary Loss of Soul)". Fountain of Youth Productions. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  7. ^ "Young actors from Tustin on stage in 'Frog Prince'". Orange County Register. February 9, 2010. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  8. ^ Fuentes, Tamara (October 24, 2018). "Here's Everything You Need To Know About The "Legacies" Cast". Seventeen. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  9. ^ Fuentes, Tamara (October 10, 2019). "Kaylee Bryant Was Actually Team Stefan When She Watched "The Vampire Diaries"". Seventeen. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  10. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (March 6, 2018). "'TVD/The Originals' Universe Spinoff: Matt Davis & Danielle Rose Russell Lead Cast of Hope-Centric Series In Works At the CW". Deadline. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  11. ^ a b "Kaylee Bryant Exits Legacies After 4 Seasons — Read Her Full Statement". December 17, 2021.
  12. ^ "'The Locksmith': 'Big Little Lies' Actor Jeffrey Nordling & 'Legacies' Star Kaylee Bryant Among Cast to Join Thriller". December 2021.
  13. ^ "Holly Robinson Peete, 'Legacies' Star Kaylee Bryant to Lead Hallmark Road Trip Movie (Exclusive) | Entertainment Tonight".
  14. ^ "The Journey Ahead".
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