lauren collins

Lauren Felice Collins was born on August 29, 1986, in Thornhill, Ontario, Canada. Her acting career began in 1998 with roles in various television series, including “Once a Thief,” “Noddy,” and “I Was a Sixth Grade Alien.” From 2000 to 2001, she held a recurring role on “In a Heartbeat.” Her breakthrough came in 2001 when she secured the role of Paige Michalchuk on “Degrassi: The Next Generation,” a role she maintained until 2008 for 143 episodes. During this period, she also appeared in theatrical productions, playing lead roles in “Alice in Wonderland” and “Annie,” and starred in the television film “Virtual Mom.” Collins is a graduate of Thornlea Secondary School and comes from an Ashkenazi Jewish family, with her father originating from England and her mother being Canadian-born. She is married to actor Jonathan Malen, with whom she has two children, Charlie Sebastian Malen and Leo Wilder Malen.

In 2006, Collins made her feature film debut in “Take the Lead,” co-starring with Antonio Banderas. The following year, she appeared in “Charlie Bartlett.” In 2008, she co-starred in the direct-to-DVD film “Picture This” alongside Ashley Tisdale and Shenae Grimes. Her collaboration with Disney Channel continued with the 2011 “High School Musical” spin-off, “Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure,” where she played Tiffani. From 2013 to 2014, Collins hosted MTV’s “1 Girl 5 Gays,” following Aliya Jasmine Sovani. During this period, she also appeared in four episodes of the sketch comedy series “Kroll Show.” She further expanded her creative roles in 2014 by co-writing and starring in the short film “Zero Recognition,” which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Collins reunited with her “Degrassi” co-stars in 2018 for Drake’s “I’m Upset” music video. More recently, in 2023, she was cast in a lead role opposite Megan Follows in “My Dead Mom,” a six-part short-form comedy for Crave. In 2025, she is scheduled to appear as Hunter’s wife in Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein.” Throughout her career, Collins has received recognition for her work, including a Young Artist Award for Best Ensemble in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) for “Degrassi: The Next Generation” in 2002, and nominations for the same award in 2003 and 2006.