With his easygoing demeanor and schoolboy charm, actor Cody Linley was easily every young schoolgirl’s crush. Raised by a family of actors, Linley spent his teen years as a heartthrob to millions of girls who watched him on “Hannah Montana” (Disney Channel, 2006- ) as Jake Ryan, the guy who gave Miley Cyrus her first onscreen kiss. In 2008, Linley danced his way to an even bigger audience when he competed on “Dancing with the Stars” (ABC, 2005- ) with two-time series champion and audience favorite, Julianne Hough.
Cody Martin Linley, who was born on Nov. 20, 1989, was not part of some Hollywood acting camp, nor did he hail from New York’s theater community. The blonde-haired, green-eyed star was raised in Lewisville, TX and lived with his parents Lee and Cathy Linley – who later divorced and remarried others – and his four brothers. However, Cathy was also a locally known acting coach, who taught future Disney stars such as Demi Lovato from “Camp Rock” (2008) and Madison Pettis from “The Game Plan” (2007).
Linley helped his mom teach at the school while pursuing his own acting career. He made his onscreen debut in the TV movie “Still Holding On: The Legend of Cadillac Jack” (1998) opposite real-life entertainment couple Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black. Linley’s older brother, Chad, also acted in the movie where they played the same role in different years of his life. In 2000, Linley had small parts in a handful of films including the family movie “My Dog Skip,” the drama “Where the Heart Is,” and the Sandra-Bullock comedy hit, “Miss Congeniality.”
Even with four brothers at home, Linley’s 2003 movie “Cheaper By The Dozen” pitted him against a family of 12 that included then Disney darling, Hilary Duff. The young star played the bully, Quinn, who teased the younger members of the Baker clan. A year later, Linley appeared in another Disney project, “That’s So Raven” (Disney Channel, 2003-07), that starred Raven Symone. Linley’s next big movie project was, literally, a “Hoot.” The 2006 film focused on three friends who save a local colony of Burrowing owls, and starred Luke Wilson. Linley’s close friend, singer-actress Brie Larson, also appeared in the movie.
Establishing himself as a hardworking actor with all-American good looks and an endearing smile made Linley a Disney Channel staple, highlighted by his recurring role as Jake Ryan – an obvious reference to the similar dreamboat character from “Sixteen Candles” (1984) – on the network’s hit “Hannah Montana.” The show’s title character, played by pop princess Cyrus, falls in love with Jake, and in the 2006 episode, “People Who Use People,” the two shared their first onscreen kiss. “I thought it might be weird, but it wasn’t,” Linley said. “It was a kiss for a scene and then we went back to being just friends.”
Another “Hannah” star, Emily Osment, acted with Linley in the straight-to-DVD release “The Haunting Hour: Don’t Think About It” (2007), based on a novel by R.L. Stine. Rumors swirled among fans that the Texas-born star was dating both Cyrus and Osment, but the three of them claimed they were all just friends. It was revealed two years later that Linley briefly dated fellow Texas native Lovato, but the couple split up a few months before “Camp Rock” premiered. That same year, Linley reunited with Lovato when he was made an online correspondent for the third installment of “Disney Channel Games” (2006- ), a series of competitions that featured the network’s biggest stars.
Linley kept busy in 2008. Aside from his “Disney Channel Games” hosting duties, he also lent his voice to a video game production titled “The Hardy Boys: The Hidden Theft” along with singer Jesse McCartney, as well as appeared in the independent film “Forget Me Not.” He took center stage that summer when he joined the eclectic cast of ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars.” The seventh season of the hit reality series paired the young star – at age 18, the youngest contestant to date – with professional dancer and country artist Hough, and had him battling for the coveted trophy against celebrities like Lance Bass, Kim Kardashian, and Cloris Leachman, as well as athletes Misty May-Treanor and Warren Sapp.