Selena Gomez acted in the television series Wizards of Waverly Place.
Selena Gomez . Having appeared in the children 's television series Barney & Friends while growing up , she rose to fame playing the role of Alex Russo on the Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place ( 2007 -- 2012 ) . Wizards of Waverly Place is an American fantasy teen sitcom which ran from October 12 , 2007 to January 6 , 2012 on Disney Channel .