50 facts about Selena Gomez: became the youngest UNICEF ambassador ever

Gomez came to prominence after being cast in the Disney Channel television series Wizards of Waverly Place. Learn 50 facts about Gomez.

1. Selena Marie Gomez is an American actress, singer and fashion designer.

2. Born and raised in Grand Prairie, Texas, she was first featured on the children's series Barney & Friends in the early 2000s.

3. In 2007, Gomez came to prominence after being cast in the Disney Channel television series Wizards of Waverly Place. She portrayed the starring character Alex Russo until its conclusion in 2012.

4. She formed her band Selena Gomez & the Scene after signing a recording contract with Hollywood Records in 2008; they released the studio albums Kiss & Tell, A Year Without Rain, and When the Sun Goes Down before beginning a hiatus in 2012.

5. Gomez entered the film industry with star billings in feature films including Ramona and Beezus, Monte Carlo, and Hotel Transylvania.

6. She embraced an increasingly mature public image with her star billing in the controversial film Spring Breakers and her debut solo studio album Stars Dance.

7. Stars Dance debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and spawned the Billboard Hot 100 top-ten single "Come & Get It".

8. Gomez was released from her recording contract with Hollywood Records following the completion of her greatest hits album For You.

9. She subsequently signed with Interscope Records to continue work on her second studio album.

10. She has worked with numerous organizations for charitable causes, and has most notably worked with UNICEF for several years.

11. She formed her own production company, July Moon Productions, in 2008.

12. In Fall of 2010, Gomez launched her clothing line "Dream Out Loud" through Kmart; the brand features all material that was made from eco-friendly or recycled material.

13. In 2011, she released a self-titled perfume.

14. Selena Marie Gomez was born to Ricardo Joel Gomez and former stage actress Amanda Dawn "Mandy" Cornett.

15. Gomez was named after Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez.

16. Her father is of Mexican descent while her mother, who was adopted, has some Italian ancestry.

17. Regarding her Hispanic heritage, Gomez has stated, "My family does have Quinceañeras, and we go to the communion church. We do everything that's Catholic, but we don't really have anything traditional except [that we] go to the park and have barbecues on Sundays after church."

18. Gomez's parents divorced when she was only five, with Gomez staying with her mother.

19. Gomez has two siblings.

20. Her sister, Gracie Elliot Teefey, was born to Amanda and her second husband Brian Teefey on June 12, 2013.

21. Gomez has a second sister, Victoria Gomez, born to Ricardo and his wife Sara on June 25, 2014.

22. She earned a high school diploma through homeschooling in May 2010.

23. When Gomez was born, her mother was sixteen years old.

24. The family had financial troubles during Gomez's childhood, with her mother struggling to provide for the pair. At one point, Gomez recalled the pair had to search for quarters just to get gas for their car. Her mother later recalled the two would frequently walk to their local dollar store to purchase spaghetti for dinner, though got by.

25. Gomez had a close relationship with her grandparents as a child, and appeared in various pageants growing up.

26. Her grandparents often took care of Selena while her parents finished their schooling, and the pair went as far as stating that they "raised her" up until she found success in the entertainment industry.

27. She first gained an interest in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry watching her mother prepare for stage productions.

28. She began auditioning for various roles, meeting Demi Lovato during an audition for Barney and Friends. Both girls were later selected to appear on the series in 2002, with Gomez portraying the character Gianna.

29. Gomez made a guest appearance in a 2006 episode of the Disney series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.

30. The following year, Gomez was given a recurring role on the Disney series Hannah Montana; she made three appearances on the series spanning two seasons.

31. She later auditioned for a role in the Disney series Wizards of Waverly Place, ultimately landing the lead role of Alex Russo.

32. Upon receiving the role, Gomez and her mother moved to Hollywood.

33. Wizards of Waverly Place saw Gomez portraying a teenage girl in a family of wizards who own a restaurant in New York. The series quickly became a hit for the network, propelling Gomez to more mainstream success.

34. The series received numerous awards and nominations. Gomez recorded the theme song for the series, titled "Everything is Not What It Seems".

35. With Gomez achieving mainstream success, the media began to compare her to fellow Disney star Miley Cyrus; both had a hit series on the network.

36. Forbes magazine later listed Gomez as one of the "Eight Hot Kid Stars to Watch" in 2008.

37. Further attention was drawn to Gomez when it was reported that she was in a relationship with fellow Disney star Nick Jonas. Gomez later appeared in the music video for the song "Burnin' Up" by the Jonas Brothers.

38. While working on the second season of Wizards of Waverly Place, Gomez appeared on the Disney channel special Studio DC: Almost Live alongside various other Disney stars.

39. She had a leading role in the musical film Another Cinderella Story that same year, portraying an aspiring dancer. The film was released to generally positive reviews, and won the 2010 Writers Guild of America Award for Children's script-long form or special.

40. She was signed a recording contract with Hollywood Records, who had already signed both Cyrus and Lovato.

41. As of 2015, Gomez has been working with Dreamlab and the LA-based producer Ruffian on her second solo album.

42. She provided vocals on Zedd's song "I Want You to Know", released on February 23, 2015.

43. Gomez released a single titled "Good for You", featuring rapper ASAP Rocky on June 22, 2015.

44. Her second studio album, Revival, will be released on October 9, 2015 and Gomez revealed the first two tracks will be "Good for You" and a new song titled Same Old Love.

45. Aside from music, Gomez became the face of hair care brand Pantene.

46. She reprised the role of Mavis in Hotel Transylvania 2, which will come out in September.

47. She will also star in The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving alongside Paul Rudd.

48. In October 2008, Gomez participated in St. Jude's Children's Hospital "Runway For Life" benefit.

49. Gomez was named UNICEF's spokesperson for the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign, which encouraged children to raise money on Halloween to help children around the world.

50. In August 2009, a 17-year-old Gomez became the youngest UNICEF ambassador ever, passing fellow songstress Hayley Westenra, who was 18 when she was chosen.

Source: Wikipedia.org