Carly Jayne Schroeder was born on October 18, 1990, in Valparaiso, Indiana. She began her career at the young age of three doing print work in Chicago. Her big break came when she got her role on Port Charles when actor Kin Shriner saw her in a Shake 'N Bake commercial and immediately wanted to have her play his on-screen daughter. She has completed over 480 episodes as Serena Baldwin in the soap operas General Hospital and Port Charles. Carly has guest-starred in 12 episodes as the devilish character Melina Bianco in the number-one Disney Channel hit show Lizzie McGuire. She reprised playing Melina Bianco in The Lizzie McGuire Movie. She has also guest-starred in two episodes of _"Dawson's Creek" (????)_ (q_, one episode of George Lopez, and added a thrilling performance in Cold Case as Brandi Beaudry.

She has starred in two other movies, playing Susan Olsen/Cindy Brady in the movie Growing Up Brady, and she played Millie in the independent film Mean Creek, in which she was part of the ensemble cast that went on to win a Special Distinction Award at the 20th annual Independent Spirit Awards. She has also provided her voice in two movies, Babe: Pig in the City and Toy Story 2. She has appeared in dozens of commercials over time and was fortunate to be chosen to model for Abercrombie & Finch's quarterly catalog.



Remains close to the cast of Mean Creek (2004), in which she starred. Not only did actor Kin Shriner discover her by asking that she play his daughter Serena in the soap operas "General Hospital" (1963) and "Port Charles" (1997) after seeing her in a commercial, he also named his boat the "Serena" after the character that she portrayed. Is good friends with her "Lizzie McGuire" (2001) co-star Jake Thomas. Co-starred with her younger brother, Hunter Schroeder, in her new movie Gracie (2007). Was only supposed to do one show of "Lizzie McGuire" (2001). Producers liked Carly's interpretation of Melina so they wrote her into the show. Received Best Emerging Actress award from Kids First Awards (October 2007). Is of no relation to Rick Schroder, although asked many times. Dyed her trademark platinum-blonde hair brown for her role as Joy Griffith in the Lifetime movie Prayers for Bobby (2009) (TV).