If you’ve spent any amount of time on the Disney Channel or Netflix in the last few years, you’ve definitely seen her face. Lauren Lindsey Donzis has this specific kind of energy—sharp, funny, and surprisingly grounded—that makes her stand out even when she’s playing the "perky kid" archetype. Most people recognize her as Ruby from the final season of Liv and Maddie, but her filmography goes way deeper than just being the Rooneys' cousin.
Honestly, tracking lauren lindsey donzis movies and tv shows is like looking at a roadmap of modern youth television. Born in Los Angeles in 2004, she didn't just stumble into acting; she’s been working since she was a literal child, starting out in commercials before hitting the sitcom circuit. She’s one of those rare child stars who actually feels like a person you’d know in real life, which is probably why Netflix and Disney kept hiring her.
The Disney Breakthrough and Beyond
The big one, obviously, is Liv and Maddie: Cali Style. When the show moved to Los Angeles for its fourth season, they needed a spark to keep the dynamic fresh. Enter Ruby. Lauren didn’t just play a side character; she became a series regular who could actually keep up with Dove Cameron’s dual-role chaos. If you go back and watch episodes like "Sing It Louder!!-a-Rooney," you’ll hear her singing, too. She and Dove actually recorded a few promotional singles for the show, which most casual fans totally forget.
But before she was Ruby, she was already popping up in the background of your favorite shows. Did you catch her in Austin & Ally? She played Sadie in a guest spot. She also played a younger version of Cyd (Landry Bender's character) in Best Friends Whenever. It’s that classic Disney pipeline where they test a kid in small roles to see if they can handle a full series.
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Breaking the "Disney Kid" Mold with No Good Nick
Then came the Netflix era. If you haven't seen No Good Nick, you're missing out on a weirdly dark but heartwarming sitcom. Lauren played Molly Thomas, the youngest child of a family that gets "infiltrated" by a teenage con artist.
What made this role interesting was the complexity. Molly wasn't just a ditz; she was an overachieving, socially conscious girl who was arguably the smartest person in the room. The show was cancelled way too early (a classic Netflix move), but it proved she could handle more than just slapstick comedy. She had to play a character who was suspicious, empathetic, and slightly neurotic all at once.
A Career Built on Revivals and Voice Work
One of the coolest things about Lauren's career is how she’s become a go-to for reboots. In 2021, she landed the role of Hannah in the Punky Brewster revival on Peacock. Playing the daughter of an icon like Soleil Moon Frye is a lot of pressure, but Lauren’s Hannah brought a Gen Z sensibility to the show that actually worked.
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She's also been doing a ton of work that you might have heard but not seen. She voices Destiny and Déjà Vu in the animated series 101 Dalmatian Street. If you’ve ever sat through that with a younger sibling, you’ve heard her playing multiple characters at once. It’s a completely different skill set than live-action sitcom work, requiring a lot of high-energy vocal gymnastics.
Movies and Genre Hopping
While she’s primarily known for TV, her film credits are starting to pile up. She starred in the Amazon original movie An American Girl Story: Summer Camp, Friends for Life as Drew. It’s exactly what you’d expect from an American Girl movie—wholesome, lesson-oriented, and sweet—but it showed she could carry a feature-length narrative.
More recently, she’s dipped her toes into slightly "spookier" or more mature waters. She appeared in an episode of the Disney+ anthology series Just Beyond, based on R.L. Stine’s graphic novels. She played Heather in the episode "Leave Them Kids Alone," which felt like a nod to the Goosebumps era of storytelling. She also had a role in the 2021 sci-fi film I Am Mortal, playing Amanda. Seeing her in a sci-fi setting was a sharp turn from the brightly lit sets of a multi-cam sitcom.
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A Quick Cheat Sheet of Her Biggest Projects
- Liv and Maddie (2016-2017): Played Ruby Smith, the cousin from Cali. This was her "star is born" moment.
- No Good Nick (2019): Played Molly Thomas. This is arguably her best acting work to date.
- Punky Brewster (2021): Played Hannah, the eldest daughter in the revival.
- 101 Dalmatian Street (2018-2020): Voice work as Destiny, Déjà Vu, and Dallas.
- A Christmas Mystery (2022): Played Maddie Pierce in this holiday whodunit.
- Just Beyond (2021): Guest starred as Heather.
Why She’s Still One to Watch in 2026
The transition from "child actor" to "adult actor" is notoriously brutal, but Lauren Lindsey Donzis seems to be navigating it by being versatile. She isn't just sticking to one genre. Between the voice acting, the sitcoms, and the occasional indie-style film, she’s building a resume that doesn't pigeonhole her.
She’s now in her early twenties, and the roles are shifting. You’re seeing less of the "precocious kid" and more of the "young adult navigating weird situations." Whether she’s doing a guest spot on a show like Ghosted or leading a holiday movie like A Christmas Mystery, she brings a professional polish that most people don't appreciate until they realize how hard it is to make sitcom acting look natural.
If you’re looking to catch up on her work, start with No Good Nick on Netflix. It’s the most "human" performance she’s given and shows exactly why she’s been working steadily for over a decade. From there, check out her Disney+ episodes to see the range. She’s managed to stay relevant in an industry that usually chews kids up and spits them out, and honestly, that’s the most impressive part of her career so far.
Actionable Insight: If you're a fan of her work, the best way to support her current projects is to follow her verified social media accounts, as she often shares behind-the-scenes clips of her voice acting sessions and upcoming indie projects that don't get the massive marketing budgets of Disney or Netflix.