Bianca Lawson

Bianca Jasmine Lawson is an American film and television actress. She's mainly known for her roles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Kendra Young, the second Vampire Slayer, and on Bones. Bianca was originally asked to be Cordelia on Buffy, a main role, but had to turn the role down due to other priorities. Bianca currently stars in ABC's drama TV series called Pretty Little Liars as Maya St. Germain.

Biography
Bianca Lawson was born on March 20, 1979 in Los Angeles, California, into a family of artists (her mother, Denise (née Gordy, was an actress and dancer; her father, Richard Lawson, was also an actor). Even though education was stressed heavily, Lawson naturally gravitated to the arts. She began her foray into the entertainment industry at the age of nine when she booked a national Barbie commercial with Mattel. Lawson spent her teen years studying acting at the Stella Adler Conservatory and graduating from the prestigious Marymount College Preparatory School. She went on to study film and psychology at University of Southern California. She also has appeared in television commercials for Revlon,as well as in several television shows. On Buffy the Vampire Slayer she portrayed Kendra Young, another Vampire Slayer who is activated as a result of the temporary death of title character, Buffy Summers, in the first season finale.

Lawson's big break came when she was cast in the hit television series "Saved by the Bell: The New Class." Her career continued with a string of successful television appearances, including roles on hit shows "Dawson's Creek," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "The Steve Harvey Show" and "Sister, Sister." She has also appeared on The WB's Dawson's Creek, where she portrayed Nikki Green, the daughter of the high school's new principal and competitor of the show's title character Dawson Leery. She has had roles in films such as Save the Last Dance and Breakin' All the Rules. She also was awarded the series regular role of Bianca Goode on the hit show "Goode Behavior," opposite Sherman Hemsley.

Lawson soon moved into the feature world, with roles in the films "Primary Colors" and "The Temptations" (she appeared as Diana Ross), but it was the box office smash "Save the Last Dance" that brought Lawson acclaim for her starring role opposite Julie Stiles, Sean Patrick Thompson and Kerry Washington. Lawson went on to star in the romantic comedy "Breakin' All the Rules" with Jamie Foxx.

Most recently, Lawson could be seen in successful recurring arcs on the popular series "The Vampire Diaries" and ABC Family's hit series "The Secret Life of the American Teenager."

In December 2009, Lawson was cast as Maya St. Germain in the TV series Pretty Little Liars based on the book series by Sara Shepard.