A native of Tulsa, Malese Jow first developed her performance skills at benefit concerts and local talent competitions. She began modeling at the age of 2, and by the age of 5 she appeared on Barney & Friends, as well as countless national commercials. When she was 7 she was chosen to be the opening act for Rodney Lay and the Wild West, a group of retired country musicians from Hee Haw fame at a live theater show in Grove, Oklahoma. Malese beat out 75 adult women for this gig, and began a year-long run as one of their leading ladies - opening for such legendary acts as Brenda Lee, George Jones, Ty Herndon, Ray Price, The Wilkinsons, Mark Chesnutt, and many others.

In the meantime the head of McDonald's advertising heard Malese's voice, and after a whirlwind corporate meeting with their executives in Chicago she was given the unique opportunity of appearing in several McDonald's/Disney commercials and radio jingles.

In the spring of 2000, 9-year-old Malese and her family moved to LA for pilot season. In 2002 she appeared on Ed McMahon's Next Big Star on PAX-TV. After winning 4 rounds against stiff competition, she made it to the finals where she suffered a devastating loss to her competitor by ONE audience vote - after the first balloting was a TIE.

Malese then decided to primarily focus on acting and continued the Hollywood "grind" of auditions until the fall of 2003, when she beat out thousands of girls and landed the role of the funky and fashionable Geena Fabiano for the pilot of Nickelodeon's hit show "Unfabulous". Unfabulous is now in their 3rd season, which gives Malese the opportunity to look to future goals and aspirations of where she wants to be after filming ends.



Her father is full Chinese, and her mother is Caucasian with a small degree of Cherokee Indian heritage (a CDIB card holder--her ancestors were on the official role). Has 3 siblings (2 brothers and 1 sister).