Malia Baker | |
|---|---|
Baker in 2024 | |
| Born | Malia Simphiwe Baker (2006-12-18) December 18, 2006 |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2018–present |
Malia Simphiwe Baker (born December 18, 2006) is a Botswana-born Canadian actress. She is best known for her roles as Mary Anne Spier in the streaming series The Baby-Sitters Club,[1] Gabby Lewis in the television series Are You Afraid of the Dark?,[2] and Chloe Charming in the film Descendants: The Rise of Red[3][4] and its sequel Descendants: Wicked Wonderland.[5]
She is also starred in What We Hide and Thena in 2025 and Hair of the Bear in 2026.[6][7][8]
Early life
Malia Baker was born in Gaborone, Botswana, to a Tswana father and white Canadian mother. She moved to Canada when she was 2 and a half years old.[9] She also has a younger sister, Ivory Baker.[10]
Career
2018–2019: Beginnings
Baker made her acting debut in Hope at Christmas, a TV movie in which she was uncredited.[11] She then had her first TV role in an episode of ABC's A Million Little Things.[12][13][14] In 2019, she also featured in an episode of The CW's The Flash,[13][14] as well as appearing in an episode of The Twilight Zone.[15][16]
2020–present: Breakthrough
In 2020, Baker starred in season 1 of The Baby-Sitters Club on Netflix, as Mary Anne Spier.[1] She returned to the role in the second season of the show in 2021, before its cancellation.[17][18] She also featured in season 2 of Nickelodeon's Are You Afraid of the Dark?'s second revival series.[2] Baker also featured in the Lifetime TV movie Caught in His Web.[15] She was then cast in the Disney+ film Descendants: The Rise of Red,[3][4] as well as the Miramax dramedy Harvest Moon.[19] She was also cast in Spider & Jessie, later retitled as What We Hide,[20] and in the drama Thena.[7] Baker is set to star in the indie drama Hair of the Bear, which she will also executive produce.[21]
She defended Catherine Hernandez's novel Scarborough in the 2022 edition of Canada Reads.[22]
Filmography
Film
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Hope at Christmas | Malia Weir | Uncredited role | [11] |
| 2022 | Caught in His Web | Olivia | [15] | |
| 2024 | Descendants: The Rise of Red | Chloe Charming | Lead role | [3] |
| Wickedly Sweet: A Descendants Short Story | Short film; Voice role | |||
| 2025 | What We Hide | Alexis | [6] | |
| Shuffle of Love: A Descendants Short Story | Chloe Charming | Short film | [23] | |
| 12 Hours | Jasmine | Short film | ||
| 2026 | Hair of the Bear | Tori | Lead role; Also executive producer | [21] |
| Descendants: Wicked Wonderland † | Chloe Charming | Lead role | [5][24] | |
| TBA | Harvest Moon † | Bella | Post-production | [25] |
| TBA | Thena † | Lotus | [25] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | A Million Little Things | Little Girl | Episode: "Someday" | |
| The Flash | Alice Bolen | Episode: "Time Bomb" | ||
| The Twilight Zone | Young Anna | Episode: "Blurryman" | ||
| 2020–2021 | The Baby-Sitters Club | Mary Anne Spier | Main role | [1][17] |
| 2021 | Are You Afraid of the Dark? | Gabby Lewis | [2] |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora | Woai | Voice | [26] |
| Ahari |
Discography
Albums
Soundtrack albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Descendants: The Rise of Red |
|
Other charted songs
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Love Ain't It" | 2024 | Descendants: The Rise of Red[27] |
| "Fight of Our Lives" | ||
| "Life Is Sweeter" | ||
| "Get Your Hands Dirty" | ||
| "Life Is Sweeter (Remix)" |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Female TV Star (Kids) | The Baby-Sitters Club as Mary Anne Spier & Are You Afraid of the Dark? as Gabby Lewis[28] | Nominated |
References
- Villarreal, Yvonne (2020-07-03). "What you need to know about 'The Baby-Sitters Club' stars before watching on Netflix". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
- "Malia Baker On Nickelodeon's Are You Afraid of the Dark: 'The Adults Who Watched The Original Series Can Pass This Down To Their Kids'". CBS News. 2021-02-11. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
- "Malia Baker, Rita Ora, Brandy, & More Join Descendant Spin-Off, The Pocketwatch". BeautifulBallad. 2022-11-21. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
- Petski, Denise (2022-11-21). "Brandy & Rita Ora Among 7 Cast In 'Descendants' Sequel 'The Pocketwatch' At Disney+". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
- Nellie Andreeva (February 25, 2025). "'Descendants 5' A Go: Kylie Cantrall & Malia Baker Return, Liamani Segura & Kiara Romero Among New Cast Additions". Deadline.
- Marc, Christopher (2025-07-08). "'What We Hide' Trailer: Mckenna Grace Leads Sibling Thriller Coming To Theaters & Digital This August". The Playlist. Retrieved 2026-05-19.
- "'Thena': First Look At Peter Gold's Gritty Debut Ahead Of Taormina Premiere". Deadline. 2025-06-06. Retrieved 2026-05-19.
- Mack, Adrian (2026-02-25). "Hair of the Bear searches out psychological thrills in a lethal landscape". Stir. Retrieved 2026-05-19.
- "Malia Baker | Actress & Activist Talks 'Baby-Sitters Club', Daily Reminders & Crew Love". Flaunt. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
- MUSE TV (2024-07-02). Kylie Cantrall and Malia Baker Talk Descendants: The Rise of Red. Retrieved 2026-05-13 – via YouTube.
- Fofana, Oumou (July 12, 2024). "Malia Baker on Her Journey from Botswana to Disney Stardom". BET. Retrieved 2026-05-19.
- Moore, Camille (2020-06-30). "10 Things You Didn't Know about Malia Baker". TVovermind. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
- Shaffner, Joe (2021-01-04). "Uplift: A Conversation with Actress Malia Baker". ICRW. Retrieved 2026-05-19.
- Blake, Alan (October 9, 2023). "Malia Baker: Discover Hollywood's New Teen Sensation in Acting". BOMBSHELL. Retrieved 2026-05-19.
- Danvers, Preston (2022-02-24). "Caught In His Web's Malia Baker Describes Her Career Goals - Exclusive". The List. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
- Bruce, Amanda (2025-03-31). "Every Malia Baker Movie And TV Show, Ranked". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2026-05-19.
- Mboho, Edidiong (2022-03-12). "'The Baby-Sitters Club' Cancelled After Two Seasons at Netflix". Collider. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
- Porter, Rick (2022-03-11). "'The Baby-Sitters Club' Canceled at Netflix". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
- Kroll, Justin (2021-10-11). "Paul Bettany To Star In 'Harvest Moon' For Miramax; Carmen Ejogo, Candice Bergen And Cary Elwes Also On Board". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony (2022-10-03). "Mckenna Grace To Lead 'Spider & Jessie' With Jesse Williams & Jojo Regina Also Starring In Opioid Drama". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
- Grobar, Matt (2024-02-26). "Malia Baker To Exec Produce, Star In Indie Drama 'Hair Of The Bear'". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
- "Meet the Canada Reads 2022 contenders". CBC Books. January 26, 2022.
- Gibson, Kelsie (February 12, 2025). "Disney's New Descendants Short, Shuffle of Love, Has a Twist That Completely Changes Everything for the Franchise (Exclusive)". People.com.
- Petski, Denise (2025-04-02). "'Descendants 5' Production Is Underway – See New On-Set Cast Photo". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
- "Malia Baker". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
- "Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora / Details". Metacritic. December 7, 2023.
- "China Anne McClain & Kylie Cantrall Perform "What's My Name (Red Version)" From Descendants: The Rise Of Red Soundtrack In New Music Video". Disney Plus Press. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- Ryan Gajewski (April 9, 2022). "Kids' Choice Awards: Spider-Man: No Way Home Wins Big; Dr. Jill Biden Speaks". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
External links
- Malia Baker at IMDb