Lauren Collins

Lauren Felice Collins (born August 29, 1986) is a Canadian actress best known for her long‑running role as Paige Michalchuk on the teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation. Born in Thornhill, Ontario to Sari Bresver and Stan Collins—her father a native of London, England—Collins was raised in a Jewish household and grew up with a brother and a notable cousin, Spencer Rice of “Kenny vs Spenny” fame. She attended Thornlea Secondary School before launching her acting career at the age of twelve, appearing in series such as Once a Thief, Noddy, and I Was a Sixth‑Grade Alien. From 2000 to 2001 she held a recurring role on In a Heartbeat, and in 2001 she secured the part of Paige Michalchuk, a character she would portray for seven seasons until 2008, cementing her status as a staple of the Degrassi franchise. Collins also appeared as Kendra, Derek’s ex‑girlfriend, on Life with Derek, and made her feature‑film debut in Take the Lead (2006) alongside Antonio Banderas, followed by a supporting turn in Charlie Bartlett (2007). Subsequent projects included the direct‑to‑DVD film Picture This (2008), Disney’s Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure (2011), and a cameo in Drake’s “I’m Upset” music video (2018). Beyond acting, Collins hosted MTV’s 1 Girl 5 Gays (2013‑14), co‑wrote and starred in the short film Zero Recognition (premiered at TIFF 2014), and appeared in several sketches on the Kroll Show. In 2023 she was cast opposite Megan Follows in the short‑form comedy My Dead Mom. Married to fellow actor Jonathan Malen since 2018, she is the mother of two sons, Charlie Sebastian (born 2020) and Leo Wilder (born 2023).