Biography:
Cozi Noelle Zuehlsdorff began her acting career at the age of eight when she was encouraged to audition for Annie at a local theater company in Aliso Viejo, Ca. At the time, Cozi thought it would be more fun to go see the musical than to be in it, but in the end decided to audition. She was cast as Annie and has been hooked on musical theater ever since. She has played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, JoJo in Seussical the Musical, Sally Brown in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, and Brigitta in The Sound of Music, to name a few.
Some time after she began performing in musicals, Cozi turned her attention to TV and film. She has been seen in commercials for Nestlé Water, Trident Layers gum, Blue Cross/ Blue Shield, Regions Bank, Amica Insurance and Buick.
Cozi landed her first principal role as Hazel in the movie Dolphin Tale, produced by Alcon Entertainment and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film stars Morgan Freeman, Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Kris Kristofferson, and Nathan Gamble and was released on September 23, 2011, reaching number 1 at the box office in its second week. She did Dolphin Tale 2 three years later.
Cozi has also appeared in the TNT medical drama Monday Mornings as Trisha Miller, a young pianist with a brain tumor. She can be heard singing in many episodes of Sofia the First, as well as an episode of Jake and the Neverland Pirates (both on Disney Jr.), as part of the group vocals.
In addition to acting, Cozi is also an accomplished musician, having studied piano for the past 8 years and performing in Regional Musical Theater Productions around Southern California. Cozi comes from a musical family and is now getting the chance to spread her musical wings with the release of her first project.
Cozi’s first serious attempt at songwriting came in November of 2013 during the filming of “Dolphin Tale 2”. She started out with three songs, recorded them with a home studio software program and soon got the attention of Alcon Entertainment/ASG. Enter Eric Berdon, a writer/producer who met with Cozi to help her finish and produce “Brave Souls” which was featured in the end credits of the movie.
Inspired by the success of “Brave Souls,” Zuehlsdorff has continued her songwriting and is now releasing her debut EP “Originals” on Thanksgiving Day, just in time for the holidays.
Cozi, now 19, lives in Orange County, California with her parents and their dog Bandit. She is a Christian, formerly homeschooled, and has a passion for singing, playing piano, writing music, working with children and making movies with her friends. Cozi graduated from high school on June 13, 2016, and is currently taking college classes.
Favorites:
TV shows: The Cosby Show, The Waltons, The Brady Bunch, Little House On The Prairie, Monk, Downton Abbey, Once Upon a Time
Music: country, jazz, Latin, Dolphin Tale and Tangled soundtrack, Bridget Mendler songs
Actors/actresses: Jodie Foster, Tom Hanks, Ron Howard, Elle Fanning
Movies: Hugo, The Chronicles of Narnia 1 and 3, Bridge to Terabithia, Tangled, National Treasure movies, The Truman Show
Colors: Pink, as well as yellow, deep red, and warm shades of brown. “Any color I might see while hiking!!” she says.
Numbers: 3 and 13
Food: pasta, pomegranate, Japanese
Chocolate type: dark
Candy: sour candy, Whoppers
Hobbies: knitting, songwriting, shopping at Forever 21
Sport: swimming
Weather: Hot windy days, or cold December days
Starbucks drink: (in the winter): vanilla rooibos tea latte w/honey, (in the summer): passion+green tea unsweetened
Fast food restaurant: In n Out Burger
Disney Princess: Rapunzel
Current vacation location: Boston, “probably”
Dream vacation location: France
Quote: “How much larger your life would be if your self could become smaller in it…You would break out of this tiny and tawdry theatre in which your own little plot is always played, and you would find yourself under a freer sky…How much larger your life would be, how much more of you there would be, if the hammer of a higher God would smash your small cosmos, scattering the stars like spangles, and leave you in the open; free, like other men, to look up.”
Facts:
Cozi is the official spokesperson for the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. She loves dogs and owns one named Bandit. Her birthday is August 3rd. Her height is 5’4″. She calls her fans “Zeeps.” Cozi plays piano and is in Level 9 of the Certificate of Merit program as of 2013. Cozi likes to call Halloween “Free Candy Night”. She has a sister named Lacey, who is currently in college. On the set of Dolphin Tale, Cozi sometimes got fish scales on her, but she liked calling them “natural sequins”. Cozi loves pasta, her family, piano, old sit-coms, essential oils, sunny/windy days, music, Billy Collins’ poetry, acting, a good bowl of cereal, a good TV show, fuzzy socks, movie trivia, and time with friends. Her pet-peeves: pruny fingers, insanely air conditioned rooms, and the taste of bologna.