About
| Birth Name: | Brittany Anne Murphy |
| Birth Notes: | 10 November 1977, Atlanta, Georgia, USA |
| Height: | 5' 3" |
| Nicknames: | Britt |
| Family: | * Simon Monjack (12 April 2007 - 20 December 2009) (her death) |
| Biography: | Perhaps it was being born in Atlanta, Georgia and raised in Edison, New Jersey that bestowed Brittany Murphy with the adaptability that had allowed her to conquer a fairly prodigious amount of projects. Brittany first honed her acting skills in regional theater at the age of 9. By age 13, she had signed on with a manager and began appearing in television commercials. In 1991, at the age of 13, Brittany and her mother moved to Burbank, California, where she landed her first television role on the show "Blossom" (1991). This lead to a starring role on "Drexell's Class" (1991), a series that proved to be short lived. Brittany's major breakthrough film appearance was in Clueless (1995), the Emma meets "Beverly Hills, 90210" (1990) comedy, in which she starred opposite of Alicia Silverstone. She went on to demonstrate her versatility and talent for not only comedy but drama; Brittany was nominated for best leading female performance in the Young Artist Awards for her role in the television film David and Lisa (1998) (TV). Aside from the many screen appearances she made after her Clueless (1995) breakthrough, Brittany lent her vocal talents, established in the early 1990s as a lead singer of her band "Blessed Soul", to the cartoon "King of the Hill" (1997) as the voice of Luanne. |
Filmography
| 8 Mile (2002) as Alex |
| Across the Hall (2009) as June |
| Cherry Falls (2000) as Jody Marken |
| Clueless (1995) as Tai |
| Deadline (2009) as Alice |
| Falling Sky (1998) as Emily Nicholson |
| Freeway (1996) as Rhonda |
| Girl, Interrupted (1999) as Daisy Randone |
| Good Boy! (2003) as Nelly |
| Happy Feet (2006) as Gloria |
| Little Black Book (2004) as Stacy |
| Love and Other Disasters (2006) as Emily Jackson-Jacks |
| Neverwas (2005) as Maggie Paige |
| Phoenix (1998) as Veronica |
| Sidewalks of New York (2001) as Ashley |
| Sin City (2005) as Shellie |
| Spun (2002) as Nikki |
| Summer Catch (2001) as Dede Mulligan |
| The Groomsmen (2006) as Sue |
| Uptown Girls (2003) as Molly Gunn |
| 3:30 A.M. (2009) |
| Angels! (2000) as Nurse Bellows |
| Bongwater (1997) as Mary |
| Boyfriend in a Box (2005) |
| Don't Say a Word (2001) as Elisabeth Burrows |
| Drive (1997) as Deliverance Bodine |
| Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999) as Lisa Swenson |
| Family Prayers (1993) as Elise |
| Just Married (2003) as Sarah |
| Riding in Cars with Boys (2001) as Fay Forrester |
| Something in Between (2002) as Sky |
| Something Wicked (2010) as Susan |
| The Audition (2000) as Daniella |
| The Dead Girl (2006) as Krista |
| The Ramen Girl (2008) as Abby |
| The White Hotel (2009) |
| Trixie (2000) as Ruby Pearli |
| Zack and Reba (1998) as Reba Simpson |
Trivia
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* In February 2000, she appeared [with Girl, Interrupted (1999) costar Winona Ryder] in "The Vagina Monologues," reading a chilling story of a Bosnian woman's rape camp experiences. * Was set to star in a biopic of Janis Joplin, but the film was grounded over battles for the rights to Joplin's songs. She had won the role over Courtney Love and Emily Watson . * Her favorite music was Jazz, especially Cole Porter. She also liked TLC , Björk, Beck and The Rolling Stones. * Made the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine in 2003. That cover shot shows how much her look has changed since becoming an actress. She began her acting career as a slightly rotund brunette and has transformed into a svelte blonde cover girl. She has constantly denied rumors that she has had plastic surgery. * Ranked 32nd on the Maxim Hot 100 in 2003. * In the early '90s, she was the lead singer in her band, called "Blessed Soul". * Her mom, Sharon, is a survivor of breast cancer. * Her date to the high school prom was Jonathan Brandis of "SeaQuest DSV" (1993) fame. * (January 9, 2004) Engaged to talent manager Jeff Kwatinetz. (August 2004) broke engagement but the two remain friends * Presenter for the 61st Golden Globes. * Eric Balfour was a member of her band, "Blessed Soul", in the '90s. * Attended the following schools: Verne Fowler School of Dance, Colonia, New Jersey; Herbert Hoover School, Edison, New Jersey; Valley Professional School, Los Angeles, California; John Burroughs High School, Los Angeles, California. * One of her first jobs was for a commercial for Skittles. * Sang in the opening act at the 2002 MTV Movie awards. * Wore her own dress and red lipstick to the premiere of Clueless (1995) because she didn't know about stylists. * Was half Italian (from her paternal side), a quarter Irish, and a quarter Eastern European (both from her maternal side). * Former girlfriend of Ashton Kutcher * Was a huge fan of Tears for Fears and stars in their new video "Closest Thing to Heaven". * Named #8 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2005 list. * Engaged to Joe Macaluso over Christmas, 2005. * Sings on Paul Oakenfold's hit single "Faster Kill Pussycat" [Highest UK chart position no. 7, June 2006]. * In May of 2006, her single "Faster Kill Pussycat" with Paul Oakenfold reached Number 7 in the UK singles chart. * Brittany and Joe Macaluso broke off their engagement [August 22, 2006]. * Born Brittany Bertolotti to Irish-American and Eastern European Sharon Murphy and Italian-American mobster Angelo Bertolotti. When her parents split, Brittany changed her name from her father's "Bertolotti" to her mother's "Murphy.", and added as middle name "Anne". * Despite appearing in all three of the major stories in Sin City (2005), all of her scenes were filmed in one day. * Married screenwriter Simon Monjack in a private Jewish ceremony (May 2007). * An only child. * Father Angelo Bertolotti served some time in prison for his ties to the mafia. * Was estranged from her father. They hadn't seen each other since 2006 when she died in December 2009. * Died on December 20, 2009 after suffering cardiac arrest at her home in Los Angeles, California at age 32. * Stated in her will that all of her assets should be left to her mother. |
Quotes
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* [On seeing her Girl, Interrupted (1999) character on screen] I always envisioned her looking like a spindly blonde, but she looked like me. * I don't read the script a zillion times, I don't like to analyze things and my mind can go there very easily. * I think they should take everyone who works for The National Enquirer and the Star, and everyone who works for Us Weekly, and put them all to work looking for terrorists. I think they would find the terrorists. All of them. It would be genius! * I've always seen myself as one of those 'show people.' My earliest memories are wanting and needing to entertain people, like a gypsy traveler who goes from place to place, city to city, performing for audiences and reaching people. * Home is where my mom is. |
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