Laura Marano (born November 29, 1995) is an American actress and singer who starred in the Disney Channel series Austin & Ally as Ally Dawson. Marano was one of the five original classmates in Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?. She starred in Without a Trace for three seasons and also Back to You, in both instances playing the daughter of the main characters. Her older sister Vanessa Marano is also an actress. Marano stars in the indie film, A Sort of Homecoming. Marano also stars in the 2015 Disney Channel Original Movie Bad Hair Day along with Good Luck Charlie actress Leigh-Allyn Baker.