# Sasha Pieterse
**Sasha Pieterse** (born 1996) is a South African-born American actress, singer, and songwriter best known for playing [Alison DiLaurentis](https://www.edgepedia.org/alison-dilaurentis) on the Freeform mystery series *Pretty Little Liars* from 2010 to 2017 and in its 2019 spinoff *Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1199888/) • [2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/5961/sasha-pieterse) Born in [Johannesburg](https://www.edgepedia.org/johannesburg), she immigrated to the United States in 2000 with her parents, both professional dancers, and began acting and modeling at age four and a half.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1199888/) • [3](https://abc.com/cast/eb0aa10a-4fdd-45d8-8030-28fb0fdad507)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1996, Johannesburg, South Africa; immigrated to the United States in 2000[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1199888/) |
| Breakthrough role | Alison DiLaurentis on *Pretty Little Liars*, 2010–2017, 160 episodes over seven seasons; cast at age 12[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1199888/) • [3](https://abc.com/cast/eb0aa10a-4fdd-45d8-8030-28fb0fdad507) |
| Early work | Buffy on the WB comedy *Family Affair* (2002) at age six; Young Artist Award in 2003[3](https://abc.com/cast/eb0aa10a-4fdd-45d8-8030-28fb0fdad507) • [4](https://prettylittleliars.fandom.com/wiki/Sasha_Pieterse) |
| Notable films | *The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D* (2005), *Good Luck Chuck* (2007), *X-Men: First Class* (2011), *Inherent Vice* (2014)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1199888/) |
| Music | Four singles released with co-writer and producer Dan Franklin[3](https://abc.com/cast/eb0aa10a-4fdd-45d8-8030-28fb0fdad507) |
| Other television | Competed on *Dancing with the Stars* season 25 with professional partner Gleb Savchenko[3](https://abc.com/cast/eb0aa10a-4fdd-45d8-8030-28fb0fdad507) |
| Personal life | Married Hudson Sheaffer in 2018; son Hendrix born in 2020; advocate for PCOS awareness[5](https://parade.com/tv/pretty-little-liars-cast-now) |
## Early life and start in television
Pieterse was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, into a show business family; her parents were professional acrobatic dancers, and she toured the world with them before the family settled in the United States.[3](https://abc.com/cast/eb0aa10a-4fdd-45d8-8030-28fb0fdad507) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/sasha_pieterse) She has described her childhood home life simply: "My dad threw my mom around for a living."[7](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/12/sasha-pieterse-inherent-vice) The family moved to Las Vegas when she was three, and she later moved to Los Angeles to pursue her career.[7](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/12/sasha-pieterse-inherent-vice) • [4](https://prettylittleliars.fandom.com/wiki/Sasha_Pieterse)
At four and a half years old she met a Los Angeles agent who signed her, and she has worked in acting and modeling since.[3](https://abc.com/cast/eb0aa10a-4fdd-45d8-8030-28fb0fdad507) Her first television role came at age six, as Buffy on the WB comedy *Family Affair* (2002), a remake of a late-1960s sitcom, appearing opposite [Gary Cole](https://www.edgepedia.org/gary-cole) and [Tim Curry](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-curry).[3](https://abc.com/cast/eb0aa10a-4fdd-45d8-8030-28fb0fdad507) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1199888/) In 2003, a year into her career, she won a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV series.[4](https://prettylittleliars.fandom.com/wiki/Sasha_Pieterse)
Through the 2000s she built a steady resume of guest and supporting parts: *Stargate SG-1* (2003), *House* (2004), *Wanted* and *Medium* (2005), *CSI: Miami* (2007), *Without a Trace* (2008), and a recurring role as Amanda Strazzulla on *Heroes* (2009–2010).[8](https://www.metacritic.com/person/sasha-pieterse/) Her first major film role was as Marissa, the [Ice Princess](https://www.edgepedia.org/ice-princess), in [Robert Rodriguez](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-rodriguez)'s *The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D* (2005), with [Taylor Lautner](https://www.edgepedia.org/taylor-lautner) and George Lopez.[3](https://abc.com/cast/eb0aa10a-4fdd-45d8-8030-28fb0fdad507) She also appeared in *The Air I Breathe* (2007), *Good Luck Chuck* (2007), the telefilm *Claire* opposite Valerie Bertinelli, and the Disney Channel Original Movie *Geek Charming* (2011).[3](https://abc.com/cast/eb0aa10a-4fdd-45d8-8030-28fb0fdad507)
## Pretty Little Liars
In 2010 Pieterse joined the cast of *Pretty Little Liars*, ABC Family's (later Freeform's) adaptation of [Sara Shepard](https://www.edgepedia.org/sara-shepard)'s book series, as Alison DiLaurentis, the queen bee whose disappearance drives the show's central mystery.[3](https://abc.com/cast/eb0aa10a-4fdd-45d8-8030-28fb0fdad507) • [9](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/pretty-little-liars-star-sasha-pieterse-original-sin-emison-interview) She was by far the youngest regular cast member. She filmed the pilot at age 12, while the actresses playing the other four leads were in their twenties.[9](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/pretty-little-liars-star-sasha-pieterse-original-sin-emison-interview) In a 2022 [Teen Vogue](https://www.edgepedia.org/teen-vogue) interview she explained that she had originally tested for the role of Hanna, and that moving her to Alison was, in her words, "a smart business decision because I was so young. My hours were limited"; as a minor she could work fewer hours on set.[9](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/pretty-little-liars-star-sasha-pieterse-original-sin-emison-interview)
The series ran for seven seasons and 160 episodes, ending in 2017, and became one of the network's most popular shows.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1199888/) • [3](https://abc.com/cast/eb0aa10a-4fdd-45d8-8030-28fb0fdad507) Pieterse has said the show was among the first to build a worldwide fan community through social media as Twitter was gaining traction, with fans forming friendships around the series.[9](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/pretty-little-liars-star-sasha-pieterse-original-sin-emison-interview) She has also spoken about the legacy of the relationship between Alison and [Emily Fields](https://www.edgepedia.org/emily-fields), played by [Shay Mitchell](https://www.edgepedia.org/shay-mitchell), noting that viewers told the cast it was the first queer couple they had seen on television, and that she and Mitchell understood the importance of portraying it.[9](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/pretty-little-liars-star-sasha-pieterse-original-sin-emison-interview)
While the series was in production she continued film work, most prominently as Japonica Fenway in [Paul Thomas Anderson](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-thomas-anderson)'s *Inherent Vice* (2014), an adaptation of the [Thomas Pynchon](https://www.edgepedia.org/thomas-pynchon) novel, appearing alongside [Joaquin Phoenix](https://www.edgepedia.org/joaquin-phoenix), Reese Witherspoon, and Martin Short.[7](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/12/sasha-pieterse-inherent-vice) Of the character, a runaway and cocaine addict, she said, "I am pretty sure I will never get a better character name than Japonica Fenway."[7](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/12/sasha-pieterse-inherent-vice) She also played Fawcett Brooks in the comedy *G.B.F.* (2013), which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and is her highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes at 80 percent.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/sasha_pieterse)
## After Pretty Little Liars
Pieterse reprised Alison DiLaurentis in the 2019 spinoff *Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists*, which ran for ten episodes.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1199888/) In 2017 she competed on season 25 of *Dancing with the Stars*, partnered with professional dancer [Gleb Savchenko](https://www.edgepedia.org/gleb-savchenko).[3](https://abc.com/cast/eb0aa10a-4fdd-45d8-8030-28fb0fdad507)
**Music.** Alongside acting she has pursued singing, releasing four singles with co-writer and producer Dan Franklin; her first country single, "This Country Is Badass," appeared in 2013, followed by "R.P.M," "I Can't Fix You," and "No."[3](https://abc.com/cast/eb0aa10a-4fdd-45d8-8030-28fb0fdad507) • [4](https://prettylittleliars.fandom.com/wiki/Sasha_Pieterse)
**Recent work.** After the spinoff, her screen appearances included *The Honor List* (2018), *Coin Heist* (2017), Netflix's *Ivy + Bean* films (2022), and the 2024 psychological thriller *The Image of You*, in which she played identical twins Anna and Zoe.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1199888/) • [5](https://parade.com/tv/pretty-little-liars-cast-now) She also starred in and executive produced the 2024 television movie *A Carpenter Christmas Romance*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1199888/) • [10](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/sasha-pieterse/credits/3000519129/) Her upcoming projects include the title role in *Rosemary*, a psychological thriller about Rosemary Kennedy, the sister of John F. Kennedy, told from her perspective; Pieterse has said the role is personally resonant because both she and Kennedy have experienced seizures.[11](https://irvinemomsnetwork.com/meet-a-mom-pretty-little-liars-star-sasha-pieterse/)
## Personal life and advocacy
Pieterse married Hudson Sheaffer in 2018 at a castle in Ireland, and their son Hendrix was born in 2020.[5](https://parade.com/tv/pretty-little-liars-cast-now) • [9](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/pretty-little-liars-star-sasha-pieterse-original-sin-emison-interview) After her own diagnosis, she became a vocal advocate for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) awareness.[5](https://parade.com/tv/pretty-little-liars-cast-now) Around 2021 she and her family moved to Nashville.[9](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/pretty-little-liars-star-sasha-pieterse-original-sin-emison-interview)
## References
1. [Sasha Pieterse, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1199888/)
2. [Sasha Pieterse, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/5961/sasha-pieterse)
3. [Sasha Pieterse Star Biography, Dancing with the Stars, ABC](https://abc.com/cast/eb0aa10a-4fdd-45d8-8030-28fb0fdad507)
4. [Sasha Pieterse, Pretty Little Liars Wiki](https://prettylittleliars.fandom.com/wiki/Sasha_Pieterse)
5. [Pretty Little Liars Cast: Where Are They Now in 2026?, Parade](https://parade.com/tv/pretty-little-liars-cast-now)
6. [Sasha Pieterse Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/sasha_pieterse)
7. [Actress Sasha Pieterse Is Getting Big-Screen Time in Inherent Vice, Vanity Fair](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/12/sasha-pieterse-inherent-vice)
8. [Sasha Pieterse, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/sasha-pieterse/)
9. ["Pretty Little Liars" Star Sasha Pieterse Talks "Original Sin," Emison, and Advice for Spinoff Cast, Teen Vogue](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/pretty-little-liars-star-sasha-pieterse-original-sin-emison-interview)
10. [Sasha Pieterse List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/sasha-pieterse/credits/3000519129/)
11. [Meet a Mom: Pretty Little Liars Star Sasha Pieterse, Irvine Moms Network](https://irvinemomsnetwork.com/meet-a-mom-pretty-little-liars-star-sasha-pieterse/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Pi to Q*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license