Mimi Kirkland is a film and television actress. Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, Kirkland always had a love for acting and entertaining audiences. Soon after finishing pre-school, she began booking commercials left and right, including spots for Food Lion, Biltmore Estate, and the North Carolina State Fair. During her taping of the Biltmore commercial, Kirkland's mom saw her daughter embrace being on camera, and she worked well with the director and crew. The director noted after the taping that he felt she had the demeanor and creativity to be in movies, and was confident that she would be successful. Shortly after that taping Kirkland auditioned for the role of Lexie in Safe Haven. After two callbacks, and nearly missing her last day of school, she landed the career-changing role.
In 2013 Kirkland made her big screen debut, appearing in the film adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' "Safe Haven." Starring opposite Josh Duhamel and Julianne Hough, Kirkland was a scene-stealer as Lexie - Alex Wheatley's [played by Duhamel] daughter who helps to bring innocence and love back into the lives of her father and his newfound love, Katie [played by Hough]. Cobie Smulders also stars in this Relativity feature, directed by Lasse Hallstrom.
In 2015, Kirkland can be seen recurring on Disney Channel's hit series, "Austin & Ally" as Lily, a spunky and energetic fan who begins taking music lessons from Ally so she can hang out with the star. Aside from "Austin & Ally" Kirkland can also be seen in the TNT drama series, "Murder in the First" which was recently picked up for its second season. Set in San Francisco, "Murder in the First" follows homicide detectives Terry English [Taye Diggs] and Hildy Mulligan [Kathleen Robertson] as they investigate two seemingly unrelated murders. Kirkland can be seen as Louise Mulligan, Hildy's precocious daughter.
When not working, Kirkland loves to spend time with her family and enjoys participating in outdoor activities - such as bike riding, swimming, and playing tag with her sisters. Kirkland currently splits her time between Raleigh, North Carolina and Los Angeles, and lives with her mom, dad, sisters Coley and Kate, and their dog, Sami.
