Riley Weston
Encyclopedia
Riley Elizabeth Weston is an actress and screenwriter from Poughkeepsie, New York. Weston became embroiled in a debate about ageism
in Hollywood after it was discovered that she lied about her age to get work as an actress in the entertainment industry.
Weston had film and television roles as a young girl, including the sitcoms Growing Pains
and Who's the Boss?
. In May 1997, she began claiming her date of birth as 1979 in order to be considered for acting roles. The deception was assisted by her small size, with a height of 4' 11" and weight of 93 pounds.
In 1998, she began drafting screenplays and marketing herself to television studios as a recent high school graduate. She was soon hired by the WB
Network as a writer for the show Felicity after they saw one of her scripts about teenage sisters. Hailed as a child prodigy and "wunderkind," she was featured on Entertainment Weekly
's October 1998 list of the "100 Most Creative People in Entertainment," which described her as an up-and-coming 19-year-old. Shortly thereafter, she was offered a half-million dollar screenwriting deal with Disney.
After Entertainment Tonight
began working on a segment about Weston, her real identity and age soon emerged. Soon after, her contract with WB expired and was not renewed, and her deal with Disney fell through. The story sparked much discussion about age bias in entertainment. Weston herself was quoted as asking "If I were getting a job in any other industry, do you think anyone would care how old I am?" She continues to work as a singer, actress, writer and author. Weston's first novel, Before I Go, was published in September 2006. The book earned Weston a 2007 Independent Publisher (IPPY) award for Storyteller of the Year. Her debut novel also received the 2007 New York Book Festival Grand Prize as well as being named Best Fiction. Before I Go has also received a Book Sense Pick. Weston's debut single "If I Said Howdy to You" was released in late 2009.
Ageism
Ageism, also called age discrimination is stereotyping of and discrimination against individuals or groups because of their age. It is a set of beliefs, attitudes, norms, and values used to justify age based prejudice, discrimination, and subordination...
in Hollywood after it was discovered that she lied about her age to get work as an actress in the entertainment industry.
Weston had film and television roles as a young girl, including the sitcoms Growing Pains
Growing Pains
Growing Pains is an American television sitcom about an affluent family, residing in Huntington, New York, with a working mother and a stay-at-home psychiatrist father raising three children together, which aired on ABC from September 24, 1985 to April 25, 1992.-Synopsis:The show's premise is based...
and Who's the Boss?
Who's the Boss?
Who's the Boss? is an American sitcom created by Martin Cohan and Blake Hunter, which aired on ABC from September 20, 1984 to April 25, 1992...
. In May 1997, she began claiming her date of birth as 1979 in order to be considered for acting roles. The deception was assisted by her small size, with a height of 4' 11" and weight of 93 pounds.
In 1998, she began drafting screenplays and marketing herself to television studios as a recent high school graduate. She was soon hired by the WB
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
Network as a writer for the show Felicity after they saw one of her scripts about teenage sisters. Hailed as a child prodigy and "wunderkind," she was featured on Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
's October 1998 list of the "100 Most Creative People in Entertainment," which described her as an up-and-coming 19-year-old. Shortly thereafter, she was offered a half-million dollar screenwriting deal with Disney.
After Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
began working on a segment about Weston, her real identity and age soon emerged. Soon after, her contract with WB expired and was not renewed, and her deal with Disney fell through. The story sparked much discussion about age bias in entertainment. Weston herself was quoted as asking "If I were getting a job in any other industry, do you think anyone would care how old I am?" She continues to work as a singer, actress, writer and author. Weston's first novel, Before I Go, was published in September 2006. The book earned Weston a 2007 Independent Publisher (IPPY) award for Storyteller of the Year. Her debut novel also received the 2007 New York Book Festival Grand Prize as well as being named Best Fiction. Before I Go has also received a Book Sense Pick. Weston's debut single "If I Said Howdy to You" was released in late 2009.