A former child actress, China Anne McClain launched her acting career at the tender age of seven in the film, The Gospel (2005). Though she soon played a few other roles, it wasn’t until she joined the main cast of House of Paynes (2007) that she first rose to fame. Since then, the Georgia native has appeared in countless other shows including A.N.T. Farm (2011), Descendants: Wicked World (2015), and K.C. Undercover (2017).
Born on August 25, 1998 in Atlanta, Georgia, China Anne McClain is the daughter of Shontell and Michael McClain, a songwriter and music producer respectively. Having inherited her parents’ musical abilities, she was discovered by a music executive at the age of seven, after she was heard singingdi. As one thing led to another, she was eventually offered a small role in the feature film, The Gospel (2005).
From there, McClain appeared in another film, Madea’s Family Reunion (2006), before scoring a lead part in the TV series, Tyler Perry’s House of Payne (2007). As it happened, her role in The Gospel had caught the attention of the show’s creator, Tyler Perry.
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How China Anne McClain Became Famous
Ultimately, it was in Tyler Perry’s House of Payne that the actress first rose to prominence. Produced and directed by Tyler Perry, the show centered around a multi-generational family in Atlanta, led by Curtis and Ella Payne (played by actors Lavan Davis and Cassi Davis respectively). Cast as one of the main protagonists, the actress portrayed the role of Jazmine Payne, their teen daughter who constantly struggles with feeling invisible in the family.
Debuted on Syndication on June 21, 2006, the cast also included actors Allen Payne, Lance Gross, Larramie Shaw, Demetria McKinney, and Denise Burse. One of the longest-running sitcoms with a predominantly African American cast, it ran for well over 200 episodes between 2006 and 2012. After playing Jazmine for many years, her portrayal earned her a NAMIC Vision Award for Best Actress of Comedy.
China Anne McClain’s Other TV Appearances
While still starring in Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, McClain landed a lead role in the Disney teen sitcom, A.N.T. Farm. Created by Dan Signer, it revolved around a few middle school students in a gifted program known as A.N.T. (Advanced Natural Talent). The main female character, the actress took on the role of Chyna Parks, an eleven year old musical prodigy capable of playing over a dozen instruments, who joins the A.N.T. program at Webster High School.
Released on May 6, 2011, the show garnered 4.4 million viewers during its premiere night. Relatively popular, A.N.T. Farm continued for three years before coming to an end in 2014.
Aside from the above mentioned series, McClain also guest starred in a few other title around that same time frame including Doc McStuffins (2012), and R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour: The Series (2014). In 2014, she even participated in the ABC reality singing competition, Sing Your Face Off.
Since then, she has appeared in How to Build a Better Boy (2015), Bones (2015), Descendants: The Wicked World (2015), The Night Shift (2016), and K.C. Undercover (2017).
China Anne McClain on Film
Though her primary focus is on TV, she has appeared in many movie titles- mostly playing supporting roles. For instance, McClain has taken part in the films, Madea’s Family Reunion (2006), A Dennis the Menance Christmas (2007), Daddy’s Little Girls (2007), Grown Ups (2010), Grown Ups (2013), and Descendants 2 (2017).
Aside from live action acting, she has also played a couple of voice-acting roles in Bilal (2016), and Sheep & Wolves (2016).
China Anne McClain as a Singer
In 2004, she formed an all-girl group called 3McClainGirls with her sisters, Sierra and Lauryn. Eventually changing their name to McClain in 2011, she landed a record deal with Hollywood Records later that year. On November 6, 2012, they released their debut single, Go via the label. Produced by Rock Mafia, the song itself was co-written by none other than the girls themselves.
Praised by many critics including those writing for The Pop State and Black Starz, the sisters’ vocals were compared to the likes of the Jonas Brothers and Rihanna. On Youtube, the official audio has been streamed close to four million times to date!
Two years later, they released their second single, He Loves Me. Though not as big of a hit compared to Go, it has still managed to garner a few tens of thousands of hits online.
Some of the other records that they’ve come out with over the years include Rise, The Great Divide, Daddy’s Girl and The Holiday Song.
Aside from her work with her sisters, McClain has also contributed to the original soundtrack albums of A.N.T. Farm and Descendants 2, both of which eventually went on to reach the US record charts.
Awards Received by China Anne McClain
Despite her young age, McClain has received her fair share of awards over the past few years. As mentioned earlier, she received her firs taccolade, an NAMIC Vision award for her acting in Tyler Perry’s House of Payne.
For her portrayal of Chyna Parks- easily her best remembered role on television, she later won a NAMIC Vision Awards for Best Performance and an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance in a Youth Program (among three nominations).
Back in 2011, her talent was also recognized with a Teen Icon Award nomination for Icon to Tomorrow.
China Anne McClain’s Snapchat Name – chichimcclain
Want to add the A.N.T. Farm star to your friend’s list on Snapchat? You can do so by clicking here.
China Anne McClain’s Other Social Media Accounts
China Anne McClain’s Facebook Account
If you want to follow the actress on Facebook, simply like her official page at @chinamcclain. Easy!
China Anne McClain’s Instagram Account
Should you be interested in seeing some behind the scene photos (and occasional videos), you can add the actress on Instagram- you can find the 19-year-old’s official account at @chinamcclain.
China Anne McClain’s Twitter Account
Want to stay atop of her announcements and news? Why not follow McClain on Twitter? Her username on the site is @chinamcclain.
China Anne McClain’s Youtube Channel
You can find the actress’ official Youtube channel at @ChinaMcClainChannel. Alternatively, she also has a joint account with her sister at @Laurynandchina.
