Who is Kiami Davael?
Kiami Davael was born on 21 August 1986, in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, USA. She is a psychologist, actress, producer, and writer, best known for her appearance in the film “Matilda” in which she played Lavender Brown. Other acting credits include “Bruno”, “Conan”, and “Grown Ups”, later focusing more on background roles in producing as opposed to acting.
The Riches of Kiami Davael
As of early-2020, Kiami Davael’s net worth is estimated to be over $600,000, earned largely through a successful career in acting. She’s also worked on several theatre productions during her career, and practiced professionally as a psychologist.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
At a young age, Kiami aspired to a career in the performing arts, so took lessons in singing and dancing, honing her skills, and eventually found opportunities to perform in theatrical productions in her locality. Her breakthrough came when she was cast in her first film at 10 years of age.
The film was “Matilda”, which would become her most career-defining role thus far. The film is based on the novel of the same name written by Roald Dahl, and follows the life of the titular character who discovers she has psychic abilities that she could begin to use in her school and on her family.
The film starred Danny DeVito and had positive reviews but failed to perform well at the box office, losing $3 million. Regardless, after her work in the film, she gained more opportunities, and the following year was cast in a minor role in the television series “The Pretender”. The show follows the life of an impostor who has managed to accrue numerous skills during his lifetime, to be able to impersonate almost any professional. The show ran for four seasons, with the titular pretender working various cases to discover his origin and evade the company after his skills.
While the show was canceled, a few television movies were created to continue the story, while books have also been published about it.
Continued Acting Work
In the next two years, Davael had a string of acting projects, mostly independent films or B-movies, but which helped in building her wealth, including “Promised Land” and “Conan”. She also made a guest appearance in the inaugural season of “Moesha” which aired on UPN, starring Brandy Norwood as the titular character, and follows her life with her family in Los Angeles.
The show was intended only as a replacement, but became a huge hit for the network, making it one of its most successful productions. She also had a minor role in the sitcom “The Steve Harvey Show”, which starred the titular comedian and follows his character’s life as a teacher and vice-principal, who was formerly a very successful musician.
Last Projects, Hiatus, and Education
In 1999, Kiami had a guest role in the television show “Grown Ups” on UPN, which tells the story of three friends who have to adjust from their lives as college students to become full-fledged adults; she got her opportunity because of her previous work with the network.
Her last professional acting project came the following year when she worked on the 2000 film “Bruno” also known as “The Dress Code”. The film is the only known directorial project of actress Shirley MacLaine, aired during the Los Angeles Film Festival and then went straight to television through the Starz network.
Kiami left her acting career behind after that project, going on an hiatus and prioritizing the completion of her studies. Another reasons she decided to take a break from the industry was due to the difficulty and stress it could produce.
She also wasn’t making any big hits that could mark her for stardom as an actress, so after matriculating from high school, she enrolled at the University of Kentucky where she took up a degree in Psychology.
Recent Projects and Child Actors
Davael completed her psychology degree in 2008, and then pursued a career in theatre. She became a part of several productions, after settling in Atlanta, Georgia where she is active with her local theatrical community. She has only returned to film projects once, in 2012 when she became the writer for the short film “Reckless”, which tells the story of a woman struggling with making the right decisions in life.
Like many child actors, her success early in life didn’t translate to a full career in acting. Many young stars find it difficult to adjust as the years pass, with their bodies and lives changing. The stress and pressure they experience as a child can also lead to numerous problems later on. Actresses like Lindsay Lohan experienced continuous problems with drugs, while other child actors like Amanda Bynes have been struggling with issues of mental health. There are a few exceptions however, with actors such as Drew Barrymore and Joseph Gordon-Levitt comfortably finding their roles as adult stars, earning millions in the process.
One factor that can significantly affect child actors is their parents, who can push their career to the point of resentment.
Personal Life
Kiami is known to be single, though she is the type to keep secrets when it comes to her romantic life. She hasn’t talked about her relationships, and hasn’t been heavily covered by the media in recent years. Her social media accounts indicate that she has a child, though it is not known publicly who the child’s father is, and if they are still together.