Miriam Katherine McDonald (born July 26, 1987 in Oakville, Ontario, Canada), better known plainly as Miriam McDonald, is a actress who stars in the hit television show Degrassi: The Next Generation.

McDonald, whose nickname is Billy, is also an accomplished dancer who has dedicated herself to the practice of ballet, hip hop, tap and jazz dancing. She has worked hard at her craft as an entertainer, taking acting classes with reknown television actor Dean Armstrong .

McDonald, who is red haired and has freckles, was awarded adancing scholarship at the prestigious school, the Toronto's Canadian Children's Dance Theatre academy.

Although she was happy to receive consideration for that academy, this was also what has been, so far, one of the hardest moments of her life, as she had to choose between her two passions: acting and dancing. McDonald decided on the former, landing a short time period job in the hit series, System Crash , in 1999.

McDonald found a niche as a voice-over actress, after she was cast in 2001 to participate in a cartoon series named Ripping Friends. The change from dancer to full time actress was easy for the young lady, and, soon enough, she found herself doing voice-overs in two other series. She has done a total of 39 voice-overing jobs.

Then came Degrassi: The Next Generation, a show that would change McDonald's life: not only was she acting in front of the television cameras for the second time in her career, but she also happened to be participating in a show that became a major hit across Canada, thus her looks becoming known by a wide Canadian audience. The show, which is part of the successful Degrassi series, has lasted four seasons on the air, with McDonald present during each season. McDonald plays Emma Nelson in the series.

In 2004, she participated as "Dawn Gender" in the made for television film, She's Too Young .

That same year, American children and teenager television network giant, Nickelodeon, bought over the rights to show Degrassi: The Next Generation in the United States. The show was placed in The N, a Nickelodeon channel geared towards teenagers, and McDonald found fame in the United States as well.

See also:

• Melissa McIntyre.

External Links

• IMDB's entry on McDonald
• McDonald and other Degrassi actors at ABC.com