Courtnee Draper was born at the Naval Hospital in Orlando, Florida, in April of 1985. Growing up as a "Navy Brat," she has lived in and visited many areas of the United States and the Far East, including Florida, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Arizona, Hawaii, Mainland Japan, Okinawa Japan, Korea and Hong Kong..

Courtnee was an amusing and curious toddler. She loved books and was able to read anything put in front of her by the time she was 3 years old. She also loved to perform by imitating celebrities. As a 3-year-old, she placed balloons up the front of her nightshirt. She claimed she was Dolly Parton and she danced around the house singing a verse from Coat of Many Colors. At 4, Courtnee dressed in her mother's clothing to perform Erkel impressions. A neighbor once gave her $5.00 for one of her performances. Of course, getting paid so well only encouraged her to work harder and do more. She would memorize scenes from television shows and movies, then dress in make-up and costumes. She would perform until her audience would laugh, cry, cheer and applaud. Certainly, she always appreciated her audiences' generous donations to her piggy bank after each "gig."

When she was 5 years old, while living in Okinawa, Japan, Courtnee was introduced to the magical wonders of old movies and musicals. She soon began singing in public places, winning karaoke contests time and again. She later traveled (and performed) throughout Korea, Hong Kong, Mainland Japan and Hawaii, before moving to San Diego in 1994.

While in Okinawa, she also participated in community sports programs such as bowling, T-ball, soccer and softball.

Once she moved back to the United States, Courtnee discovered the joy of Musical Theater and Community Theater in San Diego. Of the various stage shows she performed with Christian Youth Theater and Children's Theater Network, her favorite role was as "Annie" in ANNIE. Her favorite non-musical role was as a pregnant teen in a traveling sex education program (NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY; see www.PhantomProjects.com) which encourages abstinence of teen sex. Courtnee also participated in programs discouraging under-aged drinking, illicit drug use and pornography.

This charismatic young lady continued to perform in various local talent contests. The highlight of her singing career came in 1995, when she was the top winner and child representative for San Diego County, allowing her to perform at the Hollywood Palladium in front of 3,000 spectators. As written in the San Diego Scene paper, Courtnee is a "true entertainer--a talented singer/actress/dancer who is a bundle of energy, wit and attitude."

After performing at the Palladium for such a large audience, Courtnee became determined to work in movies and television for even larger audiences. So for 3 years, she traveled 6-7 hours by car for each audition. In 1998, she started working steadily, which forced her mother to retire from the Navy and move closer to the Los Angeles area.

The talented Ms. Draper is currently starring as Morgan Hudson in Disney Channel's sports series, THE JERSEY. You can also see her as Sam in Disney Channel's original movie, THE THIRTEENTH YEAR, which has been airing over the past 6 months. Her first feature film, THE DUKE, was released on home video in April 2000. And starting in June, she will be seen again on the Disney Channel, starring as Megan Larson in the movie STEP SISTER FROM THE PLANET WEIRD

Among other things, Courtnee is proud to attend the Orange County High School of the Arts where she is studying Musical Theater and maintaining consistent Principal's Honor Roll status. She is in the 10th grade.

Volunteer activities are important to Courtnee, especially when the activity is for children's organizations. She has assisted with Meals-On-Wheels, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Olive Crest Abused Children Foundation, Ronald McDonald House and Special Olympics to name a few. Her other hobbies include singing, dancing, shopping, bowling, water sports, shopping, reading, snow sports, shopping, talking on the phone, "checking out guys," "hanging out at the beach," shopping, fishing with her dad, and more shopping. Keep your eye on her. She is headed for big things, and I don't mean Nordstroms.

Credit: courtneedraper.com