Born Laila Lockhart-Kraner under the sign of Gemini on 29 May 2008, in Boca Raton, Florida USA, Laila is a 15-year-old Latin-American, Caucasian and Middle Eastern actress of Dominican, Russian and Jewish descent. She’s probably easiest to recognize around the world thanks to her role in a somewhat groundbreaking project by DreamWorks Animation Television under the title of “Gabby’s Dollhouse.” Aside from that, she’s had few other professional engagements over the course of her acting career since 2016.
Early life & education: A diverse family
Laila was raised alongside her older brother Aiden and older sister Malik, initially in Boca Raton, by her Dominican father Shameek and her Russian-Jewish mother Elise, both of whose professions are unknown. She apparently showed great talent for the performing arts at a very early age, to the point of her parents being absolutely confident that she would make it in the entertainment industry. They consequently moved to Los Angeles, California when Laila was only six years of age, thereafter investing significant resources into finding her the best acting school and talent agency. The would-be actress took both dancing and drama classes soon after her family’s relocation, excelling at every challenge that was thrown her way at the outset.
She resumed this streak of successes throughout her elementary schooling as well, later on taking part in plays at her local high school, from where she is set to matriculate in 2026. As of late 2023 she enjoys the position of an honor roll student there, meanwhile also being part of the institution’s track and field team. The actress hasn’t expressed any plans for pursuing a college degree, although it’s still too early for any such information, or lack thereof, to be considered conclusive on the matter.
Career: Finding her place among the stars
Lockhart’s initial professional engagements took shape across several commercials, including those for the digital education platform ABCmouse.com, and much more notably the Chevy World Cup. She became signed to Clear Talent Group under the manager Susan Osser at some point in early 2015, which led to her first success a year down the line. Laila debuted on the TV screen in 2016, playing Young Rainbow in the 13th episode of the second season of Kenya Barris’ comedy series entitled “Black-ish.” The third season would feature her yet again in its eighth episode in the same year, and its 21st in 2017. More importantly, Lockhart secured her second appearance in the latter year, this time of a somewhat more consistent nature, playing Kai in five of ten total episodes of Reggie Rock Bythewood’s crime drama entitled “Shots Fired.” In 2018 she was seen in “Black-ish” again for the last time, in the third episode of its fifth season.
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The following year proved somewhat uneventful for the aspiring actress, who appeared as Kid #3 in the seventh episode of the first season of “NOS4A2” – a fantasy horror drama staring Zachary Quinto. Although only a recurring role, this venture afforded Laila some much-needed on-set experience alongside veteran actors, increasing her likelihood of obtaining higher-profile contracts in the future. She took time to focus on her studies and take care of other obligations throughout 2020, returning to the screen in 2021 as Ava Donovan in Steven Grayhm’s rather low-rated horror film entitled “The Secret of Sinchanee.” The movie marked a significant advancement in Laila’s career however, in spite of achieving only 4.9 stars on IMDb, since it served as both her film debut and first lead role.
That said, the significance of all her previous projects pales in comparison with the second part she landed in 2021 – Gabby in Traci Paige Johnson’s live-action animated interactive TV series created for children of pre-school age, entitled “Gabby’s Dollhouse.” The character Laila voices the show’s host, which has placed her in 55 out of its 58 total episodes across eight seasons, the latest of which came to a close on 6 November 2023. Earlier that year she was seen as Olive in the short film entitled “The Ticket Trap,” achieving her sixth overall role as of late 2023. It’s safe to say that Lockhart has a path cut out for herself, since the wildly successful series is coming out in its ninth season in 2024, with an as-of-yet unset end date.
The success of “Gabby’s Dollhouse”
Even with just six roles under her belt, it can be stated that Laila has secured her way to stardom, provided that “Gabby’s Dollhouse” is being talked about by some of the most prestigious media outlets, including even Forbes magazine, who sat down the show’s creator for a much-anticipated interview. The premise of this Netflix-streamed series is simple, set to feature unboxing surprises in each episode before immersing viewers in an animated world of cat characters.
Among other things, it was emphasized in the interview that the show had spent six weeks on the Global English TV Top 10 list, and ranked in the Top 10 in TV in 57 countries on Netflix. The franchise’s products had also become one of the top five global kids’ franchises in the past decade, alongside Bluey, PJ Masks, and Paw Patrol. More than a million Gabby’s Purrfect Dollhouses have been sold in addition to that, while the Gabby Cat Friend Ship earned a spot on top holiday toy lists for 2023, by major retailers such as Walmart, Amazon, Kohl’s, and The Toy Insider.
The Hollywood Reporter had even more details for the curious fans, revealing that the series is meant to emphasize the power of connection when a real person looks into the camera, engages with the audience, and asks questions, whose balance of animation and live-action allows for a fantastical realm while starting in an ordinary setting. Its concept emerged from Traci Johnson’s love for dollhouses, miniatures, cats, and the unboxing phenomenon, while the decision to focus on a cat character was influenced by the popularity of cat videos on YouTube.
Finally, The Guardian also had words of praise for the title, stating that the franchise had grown into the second largest pre-school toys license in the US, through over a million sales of its pink and mint green cat-styled doll houses. The article also revealed that there’s some confusion regarding the actress’ age, as some believed she was much older. It turns out that the source of the mess is a Reddit post using an IMDb mistake to make its point. Roles between 2003 and 2006 were erroneously placed under Laila’s name for a short while, which made the fans think that her birth as late as 2008 was impossible.
As for its internet presence, the YouTube channel named Gabby’s Dollhouse features nearly 900,000 subscribers near the end of 2023, with more than 500 videos on a myriad of topics related to the show’s universe. Last but not least, every song from the show can be found on a dedicated Spotify playlist featuring 28 tracks.
Laila’s take on the show
It can easily be argued that Lockhart’s role in the series is more than just an acting job, as it extends beyond the camera in various aspects. One example is her frequent engagement with the fans across stores featuring massive sales of brand-new merchandise, such as her Walmart visit during the ‘Bakey with Cakey’ tour. She was interviewed by the same website that reported on it, and asked some of the hottest questions pervading among her youthful admirers.
Laila mentioned that her favorite adventure in the show is that involving pirates, appreciating the creativity of going to a whole new world from MerCat’s bathtub. Among the different types of cats in her character’s dollhouse, the actress’ favorite is CatRat. In a hypothetical scenario in which she could create her own cat, she envisions an artsy feline interested in painting, with its own paint room, and the ability to make whatever they paint come to life. The show also features various songs, with each cat having its own unique track showcased at the end of each episode. Lockhart stated that her favorite songs are MerCat’s “Cat of the Day” appreciating the sound, and CatRat’s song she finds funny.
Net worth: How rich is Laila?
It has been stated by some of the most credible media outlets that Laila’s total accumulated wealth sits at around $1 million. Most of it she’s garnered through her multi-year efforts as the host of “Gabby’s Dollhouse,” including her numerous off-camera activities to boost the growth of the franchise.
What is her height?
Laila is 5ft (152cms) tall, and weighs about 93lbs (42kgs).
