Q234299

Biography

Peyton Roi List (born April 6, 1998) is an American actress. She began her career as a child model, and transitioned to acting with a minor role in the film 27 Dresses (2008) at the age of nine. She appeared in the films Remember Me and Bereavement (both 2010), and achieved her breakout role as Holly Hills in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series (2011–2012). She gained further attention for portraying Emma Ross on the Disney Channel sitcom Jessie (2011–2015) and its spinoff Bunk'd (2015–2018, 2021). List transitioned to mainstream roles with the YouTube Premium thriller film The Thinning (2016) and the Hulu series Light as a Feather (2018). Her film credits since include Valley Girl, Hubie Halloween (both 2020), Paper Spiders (2021), and The Inheritance (2024). She played Tory Nichols in the Netflix series Cobra Kai (2019–2025) and leads the Paramount+ series School Spirits (2023–present).

== Early life == Peyton Roi List was born on April 6, 1998, in West Palm Beach, Florida to John and Suzanne List. She has two brothers, her twin brother Spencer, and a younger brother, Phoenix, both of whom are also actors. As a youth, List attended school in New York City at The Carroll School (P.S. 58) for elementary school, and the New Voices School for Academic and Creative Arts (M.S. 443) for middle school. She also trained as a dancer, studying ballet, jazz, tap, and hip-hop until she was in sixth grade. List attended Oak Park High School in Oak Park, California, graduating in 2016.

== Career ==

=== 2002–2008: Early work and debut ===

List first began her career as a child model, and in 2009 appeared on the cover of the American Girl's 2009 Back to School issue. In 2011, she modeled for Justice magazine. List had also appeared in over 400 advertisements in various formats for various companies. She began acting on television and in film appearances. List made an uncredited appearance on the soap opera As the World Turns in 2002. In 2004, she appeared on the television show All My Children as Bess, and in the same year made a cameo appearance in the feature film Spider-Man 2, which went uncredited. In 2008, List appeared in the feature film 27 Dresses, starring as the young version of the character Jane Nichols. The film was a commercial success, and served as her acting debut.

=== 2010–2015: Breakthrough with Disney and films === List began to appear in more feature films, and in 2010 was cast alongside Robert Pattinson in the film Remember Me as Samantha, a girl who bullies Pattinson's character's younger sister. The film was a box-office success. In the same year, List had begun her work with Disney, and appeared as the younger version of Becky in the fantasy film The Sorcerer's Apprentice, which turned to be a financial failure. She also was cast in the Lifetime television film Secrets in the Walls, and played Wendy Miller in the crime horror film Bereavement. In 2011, List starred as Holly Hills, the crush of Greg Heffley, in the comedy film Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, the second installment of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series. The film performed well commercially, and List later reprised her role for its sequel, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days. The film was a success alike to its prequels, and the acting ensemble, including List, had won a Young Artist Award.

List next had a role in the romantic comedy film Something Borrowed in 2011, which was received negatively. That same year, List began her work on Disney Channel, and was cast as Emma Ross, the eldest of four affluent children, on the Disney Channel series Jessie alongside Debby Ryan and her Diary of a Wimpy Kid co-star Karan Brar. The show attained millions of viewers on average per episode, and soon became List's biggest role at the time. The show ran for four seasons and ended in February 2015. At the same time, it was announced that List, along with Brar and Skai Jackson, would reprise their roles in the spinoff series Bunk'd. The show began airing in 2015. Along with reprising the role on Bunk'd, List also had appeared as Emma Ross on other Disney Channel shows, such as Austin & Ally and I Didn't Do It. Along with her television work, List continued her work in films. In 2012, List appeared in the drama film The Trouble with Cali, which was received negatively. From 2013 to 2014, she co-hosted the Disney Channel program Pass the Plate, a segment focusing on healthy eating, with Karan Brar. In 2014, List voiced Princess Rose in the English dub of the German animated film The Seventh Dwarf. Though the film was a moderate financial success, it was received unfavorably by critics. In 2015, List performed with Ingrid Michaelson at one of Michaelson's concerts.

=== 2016–present: Mainstream transition ===