Kayla Cromer

Cromer was born in San Jose, California, to Pam and Reno Cromer{{cite web|url=https://www.tvovermind.com/kayla-cromer/|title=10 Things You Didn't Know About Kayla Cromer|date=February 3, 2020|access-date=November 22, 2020|author=Borama, Jennifer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110065427/https://www.tvovermind.com/kayla-cromer/|archive-date=November 10, 2020|url-status=live |website=TV Overmind}} and grew up in the suburb of Morgan Hill.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/kayla-cromer-up-next/|title=Everything's Gonna Be Okay Star Kayla Cromer on Autism Representation and Changing Hollywood|date=January 30, 2020|access-date=November 22, 2020|author=Bergado, Gabe|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200707225050/https://www.teenvogue.com/story/kayla-cromer-up-next/|archive-date=July 7, 2020|url-status=live|magazine=Teen Vogue}} She became interested in the paranormal when she was nine years old and received her first piece of paranormal investigation equipment at the age of 10 as a Christmas gift. Cromer has investigated famous locations such as the RMS Queen Mary when she was in eighth grade and the Winchester Mystery House.

Originally wanting to be a criminal profiler with the FBI, she began to desire a career in acting after watching Keira Knightley in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. In 2017, she moved to Los Angeles to focus on her acting career.

Cromer made her acting debut in the TV series South of Hell in 2015. She later appeared in the films Desert Dwellers and Blood Orange, the latter of which she wrote before landing the role of Matilda in Everything's Gonna Be Okay. She was set to appear in a film titled Okinawa but production was derailed due to the death of the writer and director in 2018. She has also worked as a model.{{cite web|url=https://www.respectability.org/2020/01/kayla-cromer-everythings-gonna-be-okay/|title=Neurodiverse Actress Kayla Cromer Breaking Barriers in Authentic Representation|date=January 16, 2020|access-date=November 22, 2020|author=Appelbaum, Lauren|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110100613/https://www.respectability.org/2020/01/kayla-cromer-everythings-gonna-be-okay/|archive-date=November 10, 2020|url-status=live |website=RespectAbility}} In 2024 she joined the cast of The Good Doctor as Charlotte "Charlie" Lukaitis, an autistic medical student.{{Cite web |last=Rice |first=Lynette |date=2024-01-18 |title='The Good Doctor' Casts Kayla Cromer, Wavyy Jonez To Recur In Final Season |url=https://deadline.com/2024/01/the-good-doctor-casts-kayla-cromer-wavvy-jones-final-season-1235796298/ |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}} She first appeared on the show in Season 7's episode 2 titled "Skin in the Game".

Cromer was diagnosed with dyscalculia, dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder at the age of seven and was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder years later. She publicly disclosed her diagnosis at the 2019 Freeform Summit.{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/kayla-cromer-austim-everythings-gonna-be-okay-freeform-1203174976/|title='Everything's Gonna Be Okay' Star Discloses She's on Autism Spectrum|date=March 28, 2019|access-date=November 22, 2020|author=Tingley, Anna|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328214243/https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/kayla-cromer-austim-everythings-gonna-be-okay-freeform-1203174976/|archive-date=March 28, 2019|url-status=live |magazine=Variety |publisher=Penske Media Corporation}}{{cite web|url=https://www.distractify.com/p/is-kayla-cromer-really-autistic/|title=Unlike 'Atypical' and 'The Good Doctor,' 'Everything's Gonna Be Okay' Actually Cast an Autistic Actor|date=January 18, 2020|access-date=November 22, 2020|author=Raga, Pippa|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200118160942/https://www.distractify.com/p/is-kayla-cromer-really-autistic/|archive-date=January 18, 2020|url-status=live |website=Distractify}} She is the first autistic actor to play an autistic main character in a TV series{{cite web|author=Weaver, Emily|date=February 6, 2020|title=8 Reasons We Love Kayla Cromer (Besides the Fact That She's Cooler Than Cool)|url=https://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/who-is-kayla-cromer-47137896/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200207155458/https://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/who-is-kayla-cromer-47137896#photo-47137896/|archive-date=February 7, 2020|access-date=November 22, 2020|website=PopSugar}} and works as an activist trying to end the stigma of being autistic.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/everythings-gonna-be-okays-kayla-cromer-is-ready-to-prove-hollywood-wrong-20515642/|title='Everything's Gonna Be Okay' Shows Getting Autism Right On TV Is Actually Pretty Simple|date=January 23, 2020|access-date=November 22, 2020|author=Gallagher, Caitlin|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117200413/https://www.bustle.com/p/everythings-gonna-be-okays-kayla-cromer-is-ready-to-prove-hollywood-wrong-20515642/|archive-date=November 17, 2020|url-status=live |magazine=Bustle}}

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Category:1998 births

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century American actresses

Category:Actors with dyslexia

Category:Actresses from San Jose, California

Category:American actors with disabilities

Category:Autistic actors

Category:People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder