SHAWNTE NORTHCUTTE
(From The NEW Mickey Mouse
Club Funbook, Copyright © 1977, Walt Disney Productions.)
Seven and eleven are lucky numbers
for Mouseketeer Shawnte Northcutte. At seven she was chosen to be
one of the "Mouseketeers on Stage at Disneyland" and at
eleven she was chosen to be one of the twelve regular Mouseketeers
for the "New Mickey Mouse Club." "The first time I
was picked to be a Mouseketeer, it was great, but to be chosen twice,
I couldn't believe it," says Shawnte.
If it hadn't been for her dance teacher, Al DeRay, Shawnte might not
have been so lucky. He was the one who recommended her for one of
the Mouseketeers at Disneyland. While performing at Disneyland, Shawnte
was spotted by a leading children's talent agent. Impressed with Shawnte's
talent and enthusiasm, the agent signed Shawnte for television commercials.
Since then Shawnte has appeared in commercials for McDonald's, Mattel,
Kellogg's, Star-Kist, Hi-C and Heath Candy Bars, as well as on the
television shows "Marcus Welby," "Mr. Wizard"
and "First Family Washington." She was also a semi-regular
on "The Bionic Woman" until she moved out of the classroom
and into the "Mouse Clubhouse."
But Shawnte doesn't want to be a professional actress when she grows
up. "Right now it's fun," says Shawnte, "but acting
gets a lot harder as you grow older, especially if you are serious
about it." She would like to be a lawyer because she feels she
has a real talent for it. "I love to talk, cross-examine my friends
and get to the truth of things. I'm really curious," says Shawnte
with a smile.
She also likes to sew her own clothes, play the piano and violin.
Enrolled in classes for gifted children since she was in the first
grade, Shawnte has taken courses at both the University of Southern
California School of Music and Los Angeles City College. She recently
relinquished her crown as Miss Pre-Teen California 1975-76, a title
of which she was expecially proud because she was the first black
ever to receive the honor.
Born February 25, 1965, Shawnte lives in Los Angeles with her mother,
Lucille Northcutte, and her grandmother, Mary Johnson. She's hoping
to move closer to the Disney Studios in Burbank because, "Did
you know you can have your own horse in Burbank? Now that's what I
would really like, my own horse."
