Biography
Bailee Madison began her career as a young actress lauded for her maturity, her naturalness before the camera and for her approachable likeability. Her first significant credit was appearing in the 2006 crime drama "Lonely Hearts," starring John Travolta, James Gandolfini and Salma Hayek. The film was barely released in the United States, but the following year Madison co-starred in the family film "Bridge to Terabithia" (2007), receiving a major career boost in the process. Her resume quickly bulked up over the next few years, appearing in the season one finale of the science-fiction show "Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles" (Fox, 2008-09), in the hard-hitting domestic drama "Brothers" (2009) -- starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman -- and she was a regular guest character during season four of the Disney program "Wizards of Waverly Place" (Disney, 2007-2012). In 2011, Madison's career hit a new high point when the young actress co-starred with Katie Holmes in the horror film remake "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark." This was quickly followed by a recurring role as Young Snow White in the fantasy hit "Once Upon A Time" (ABC 2011- ). Madison was born in October of 1999, and two weeks later was already appearing in an Office Depot commercial. Although she was a bit young to make a proper decision about her future career trajectory, Madison eventually did follow a show business path. Encouraged by her parents to pursue acting, Madison was also taught to keep her feet on the ground and to remain humble. Raised in Florida in a household of seven siblings, Madison attended private school when not filming. Her Christian faith also influenced Madison in her approach to stardom and served as a guide in choosing her film and television projects. After her breakthrough role in the emotional fantasy "Bridge to Terabithia," where she played Josh Hutcherson's sister, Madison appeared in the faith-based movies "Saving Sarah Caine" (2007) and "Letters to God" (2009). Although much of Madison's work was family-friendly, some of the material has inched into darker territory. She appeared several times on the playfully spooky dark fantasy anthology series "R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour" (The Hub, 2010- ); skirted grim realism when she appeared as a guest on an episode of "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" (NBC, 1999- ); and descended into pure supernatural horror with her lead performance in "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark," written and produced by one of the genre's modern masters, Guillermo del Toro. She also appeared several times as a young Snow White on the hit fantasy show "Once Upon a Time" (ABC, 2011- ). In 2012, Madison could also be seen in another major motion picture, co-starring opposite Billy Crystal and Bette Midler in the critically panned comedy "Parental Guidance." Madison returned to TV starring with Catherine Bell in the family fantasy series "Good Witch" (Hallmark 2015- ).
