Mandalynn Carlson (born August 25, 1999) is an American teen actress from Taylor, Michigan whose first film appearance was a supporting role in the 2011 action biopic Machine Gun Preacher, with Gerard Butler. Leaving Michigan for Hollywood, Carlson has found success with supporting and lead roles in dozens of independent films and television shows, including Greys Anatomy and CSI: NY.

Biography

Carlson was born in Detroit, Michigan on August 25, 1999, the only child of Eric and Sherri Carlson. She started performing in an annual family play at the age of two years old with her two cousins and her grandmother Pauline Ettore, a councilwoman for the City of Taylor. Her parents owned a Michigan Crafty & Motion Picture Catering which sparked her interest in the industry.

Homeschooled since the 6th grade, Carlson started her first year of college at the age of 15 years old. As a college sophomore at 16 years old, she was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa with a 4.0 gpa.


Community Involvement
She is an outspoken against bullying, coming from the perspective of "living in that moment" during elementary and middle school. The bullying by schoolmates in grades 4-6 lead her parents to choose home schooling for Mandalynn, allowing her to work at an accelerated pace as well as provided time in her schedule for training and acting. In 2013-14, Mandalynn was a guest speaker on the TBTG Music Is My Language Tour around southern California Schools, bringing a positive message about acceptance and advocating against bullying.

Carlson actively speaks with young girls about self-image and has written articles about the topic. She visits underprivileged children in the Watts projects, supports the Ronald McDonald House of Pasadena fundraisers and visits chronically ill children at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.