Brittany Daniel
Encyclopedia
Brittany Ann Daniel is an American television and film actress. She is the twin sister
of actress and photographer Cynthia Daniel
. She is best known for her portrayal of Kelly Pitts on the CW
/BET
comedy-drama
series The Game, and Candice in the 2010 science fiction
film Skyline, and for her role as Jessica Wakefield
on the 1990s teen show Sweet Valley High
.
, the daughter of Carolyn and C. B. Daniel. Brittany is five minutes older than her twin sister Cynthia. The two also have an older brother, Brad (born in 1968). By age 11, both girls began modeling and appeared in Seventeen
and YM
. They first began acting in the 1990s with an appearance in the sitcom The New Leave It to Beaver
. In 1992, when she was sixteen, Daniel won the role of Mila Rosnovsky on the short-lived syndicated teen drama
Swan's Crossing. She then moved to New York
to film the series. After high school, she landed the role of Jessica Wakefield
in the television series Sweet Valley High
(sister Cynthia portrayed Jessica's twin sister, Elizabeth
) along with a Doublemint
gum campaign. During the run of Sweet Valley High, the girls made their film debut in the drama The Basketball Diaries
(1995) alongside Leonardo DiCaprio
.
After Sweet Valley High was canceled in 1997, Daniel continued acting in films and television series including a stint on Dawson's Creek
in 1999 and a role in the TBS television movie
On Hostile Ground
the following year. In 2001, she appeared as David Spade
's love interest, Brandy, in Joe Dirt
. In 2002, Brittany played one of the lead characters in the short-lived FOX
series That '80s Show
. In 2002, she played Eric Forman's cousin Penny on That 70's Show. She also appeared on the show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
as a transsexual named Carmen. In 2004, she teamed up with the Wayans Brothers for their films White Chicks
and Little Man
. That same year, she appeared in the VH1
television movie Totally Awesome
before landing a lead role in The CW Television Network
's half hour comedy The Game. In February 2010, she was cast in the Brothers Strause
thriller Skyline
; the film was released on November 12th 2010.
from cancer
.
Twin
A twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be monozygotic , meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic because they develop from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm.In contrast, a fetus...
of actress and photographer Cynthia Daniel
Cynthia Daniel
Cynthia Lynn Daniel is an American actress and photographer and twin sister of actress Brittany Daniel.-Biography:Born in Gainesville, Florida, Cynthia is five minutes younger than her twin sister Brittany. Her parents are Carol and Charlton B Daniel Jr. The two also have an older brother named...
. She is best known for her portrayal of Kelly Pitts on the CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
/BET
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
series The Game, and Candice in the 2010 science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
film Skyline, and for her role as Jessica Wakefield
Jessica Wakefield
Jessica Wakefield is one of the main characters in the Sweet Valley High book series. She was played by Brittany Daniel in the TV series of the same name.- Character :...
on the 1990s teen show Sweet Valley High
Sweet Valley High
Sweet Valley High is a novel series created by Francine Pascal, who presided over a team of ghostwriters for the duration of the series' creation. The series began in 1983 and ceased publication twenty years later with over 152 books to its name...
.
Early life and career
Daniel was born in Gainesville, FloridaGainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, the daughter of Carolyn and C. B. Daniel. Brittany is five minutes older than her twin sister Cynthia. The two also have an older brother, Brad (born in 1968). By age 11, both girls began modeling and appeared in Seventeen
Seventeen (magazine)
Seventeen is an American magazine for teenagers. It was first published in September 1944 by Walter Annenberg's Triangle Publications. News Corporation bought Triangle in 1988, and sold Seventeen to K-III Communications in 1991. Primedia sold the magazine to Hearst in 2003. It is still in the...
and YM
YM (magazine)
YM was an American teen magazine that began in 1932. It was published for 72 years and was the second-oldest girls' magazine in the United States...
. They first began acting in the 1990s with an appearance in the sitcom The New Leave It to Beaver
The New Leave It to Beaver
The New Leave It to Beaver is an American sitcom sequel to the 1950s and '60s series, Leave It to Beaver. The New Leave It to Beaver began with the 1983 CBS TV movie Still the Beaver, and was picked up in 1984 as a Disney Channel series with the same name; however, it only lasted one season...
. In 1992, when she was sixteen, Daniel won the role of Mila Rosnovsky on the short-lived syndicated teen drama
Teen drama
A teen drama is a dramatic television series with a major focus on teenage characters. The genre was relatively non-existent for the first 45 years of television; it came into prominence in the early 1990s...
Swan's Crossing. She then moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to film the series. After high school, she landed the role of Jessica Wakefield
Jessica Wakefield
Jessica Wakefield is one of the main characters in the Sweet Valley High book series. She was played by Brittany Daniel in the TV series of the same name.- Character :...
in the television series Sweet Valley High
Sweet Valley High (TV series)
Sweet Valley High is an American comedy-drama series based on Francine Pascal's book series of the same name. The series ran from September 5, 1994 to October 14, 1997, and was produced by Saban Entertainment...
(sister Cynthia portrayed Jessica's twin sister, Elizabeth
Elizabeth Wakefield
Elizabeth Wakefield was one of the two main fictional characters in the book series Sweet Valley High and Sweet Valley Twins. She was portrayed by Cynthia Daniel in the TV series of the same name.- Character :...
) along with a Doublemint
Doublemint
Doublemint is a flavor of chewing gum made by the Wrigley Company. It was launched in the United States in 1914, and has had variable market share since that time....
gum campaign. During the run of Sweet Valley High, the girls made their film debut in the drama The Basketball Diaries
The Basketball Diaries (film)
The Basketball Diaries is a 1995 American drama film directed by Scott Kalvert, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Lorraine Bracco, James Madio, and Mark Wahlberg...
(1995) alongside Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He has received many awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator , and has been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television...
.
After Sweet Valley High was canceled in 1997, Daniel continued acting in films and television series including a stint on Dawson's Creek
Dawson's Creek
Dawson's Creek is an American teen drama television series which debuted on January 20, 1998, on The WB Television Network and was produced by Sony Pictures Television. The show is set in the fictional seaside town of Capeside, Massachusetts, and in Boston, Massachusetts, during the later seasons...
in 1999 and a role in the TBS television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
On Hostile Ground
On Hostile Ground (2000 film)
On Hostile Ground is a 2000 television movie starring John Corbett. Directed by Mario Azzopardi, the film originally aired on TBS on June 11, 2000.-Plot:...
the following year. In 2001, she appeared as David Spade
David Spade
David Wayne Spade is an American actor, comedian and television personality who first became famous in the 1990s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and from 1997 until 2003 when he starred as Dennis Finch on Just Shoot Me!. He also starred as C.J...
's love interest, Brandy, in Joe Dirt
Joe Dirt
Joe Dirt is a 2001 American comedy film starring David Spade, Dennis Miller, Christopher Walken, Brian Thompson, Brittany Daniel, Jaime Pressly, Erik Per Sullivan, Adam Beach and Kid Rock. The film was written by Spade and Fred Wolf.-Plot:...
. In 2002, Brittany played one of the lead characters in the short-lived FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
series That '80s Show
That '80s Show
That '80s Show is an American sitcom that aired in half-hour long episodes from January through May 2002. Despite having a similar name, show structure, and many of the same writers and production staff, it is not considered a direct spin-off of the more successful That '70s Show, since the...
. In 2002, she played Eric Forman's cousin Penny on That 70's Show. She also appeared on the show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an American television sitcom that premiered on FX on August 4, 2005. New episodes continue to air on FX, with reruns playing on Comedy Central, general broadcast syndication, and WGN America—the first-ever cable-to-cable syndication deal for a sitcom...
as a transsexual named Carmen. In 2004, she teamed up with the Wayans Brothers for their films White Chicks
White Chicks
White Chicks is a 2004 American film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written and produced by Keenen Wayans, Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans. The film was produced by Columbia Pictures and Revolution Studios...
and Little Man
Little Man (film)
Little Man is a 2006 American comedy film, directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans. It stars Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Kerry Washington, and Tracy Morgan. Little Man was released on DVD on November 7, 2006.- Plot :...
. That same year, she appeared in the VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
television movie Totally Awesome
Totally Awesome
Erik Piskun Totally Awesome is a television movie produced by VH1. Totally Awesome directly parodies a number of 1980s movies, including Dirty Dancing, Soul Man, Footloose, Some Kind of Wonderful, Sixteen Candles, Teen Wolf, Better Off Dead, Lucas, Pretty in Pink, and The Karate Kid...
before landing a lead role in The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
's half hour comedy The Game. In February 2010, she was cast in the Brothers Strause
Brothers Strause
Brothers Greg and Colin Strause are a directing duo, most famous for directing Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem and Skyline, and special effects artists who make movies and grew up in Waukegan, Illinois...
thriller Skyline
Skyline (2010 film)
Skyline is a 2010 alien invasion science fiction film directed and produced by the Brothers Strause. The film was released on November 12, 2010. It stars Eric Balfour, Scottie Thompson, Donald Faison, and David Zayas...
; the film was released on November 12th 2010.
Personal life
On September 24, 2008, Daniel's father, C.B. Daniel, died in Gainesville, FloridaGainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Zorigna #1 | Episode: "Man's Greatest Achivements" | |
| 1992 | Swans Crossing Swans Crossing Swans Crossing is an American teen drama series that aired for thirteen weeks in syndication from June 29 to September 25, 1992.-Synopsis:... |
Mila Rosnovsky | 54 episodes |
| 1994 to 1997 | Sweet Valley High Sweet Valley High (TV series) Sweet Valley High is an American comedy-drama series based on Francine Pascal's book series of the same name. The series ran from September 5, 1994 to October 14, 1997, and was produced by Saban Entertainment... |
Jessica Wakefield Jessica Wakefield Jessica Wakefield is one of the main characters in the Sweet Valley High book series. She was played by Brittany Daniel in the TV series of the same name.- Character :... |
58 episodes |
| 1995 | Blinkie | ||
| 1999 | Sonic Impact Sonic Impact Sonic Impact is a 1999] action/thriller a 1999 starring James Russo and Ice T .- Plot :When a deranged criminal is caught, he is then being transported on a Boeing 747-100 to New York, along with some other criminals. Through a stroke of luck he is able to subdue the Federal agents assigned to... |
Rachel | |
| 1999 | Dawson's Creek Dawson's Creek Dawson's Creek is an American teen drama television series which debuted on January 20, 1998, on The WB Television Network and was produced by Sony Pictures Television. The show is set in the fictional seaside town of Capeside, Massachusetts, and in Boston, Massachusetts, during the later seasons... |
Eve Whitman | 4 episodes |
| 2000 | Fortunate Son | TV movie | |
| 2000 | On Hostile Ground | Cindy Evers | TV movie |
| 2001 | Joe Dirt Joe Dirt Joe Dirt is a 2001 American comedy film starring David Spade, Dennis Miller, Christopher Walken, Brian Thompson, Brittany Daniel, Jaime Pressly, Erik Per Sullivan, Adam Beach and Kid Rock. The film was written by Spade and Fred Wolf.-Plot:... |
Brandy | |
| 2002 | That '70s Show That '70s Show That '70s Show is an American television period sitcom that centers on the lives of a group of teenage friends living in the fictional suburban town of Point Place, Wisconsin, from May 17, 1976, to December 31, 1979... |
Penny | Episode: "Eric's Hot Cousin" |
| 2002 | That '80s Show That '80s Show That '80s Show is an American sitcom that aired in half-hour long episodes from January through May 2002. Despite having a similar name, show structure, and many of the same writers and production staff, it is not considered a direct spin-off of the more successful That '70s Show, since the... |
Sophia | 13 episodes |
| 2003 | 111 Gramercy Park | Brynn Martin | Unsold pilot |
| 2003 | Just Shoot Me! Just Shoot Me! Just Shoot Me! is an American television sitcom that aired for seven seasons on NBC from March 4, 1997 to August 16, 2003, with 148 episodes produced. The show was created by Steven Levitan, the show's executive producer.-Description:... |
Sarah | Episode: "The Goodbye Girl" |
| 2004 | Club Dread Club Dread Club Dread is a 2004 comedy horror film written by the comedy group Broken Lizard, who also created Super Troopers... |
Jenny | |
| 2004 | North Shore North Shore (TV series) North Shore is an American prime-time soap opera that aired on Fox every Monday at 8 p.m. EST for seven months in 2004 and 2005... |
Cari Layne | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2004 | White Chicks White Chicks White Chicks is a 2004 American film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written and produced by Keenen Wayans, Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans. The film was produced by Columbia Pictures and Revolution Studios... |
Megan Vandergeld | |
| 2005 | Dirty Dirty (film) Dirty is a 2005 crime–drama film, directed by Chris Fisher. It stars Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Clifton Collins, Jr.. The film had a limited release in 2005.-Plot:... |
Tatiana | |
| 2005 to 2010 | It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an American television sitcom that premiered on FX on August 4, 2005. New episodes continue to air on FX, with reruns playing on Comedy Central, general broadcast syndication, and WGN America—the first-ever cable-to-cable syndication deal for a sitcom... |
Carmen | 5 episodes |
| 2006 | Community Service | Carly Phillips | TV movie |
| 2006 | Rampage: The Hillside Strangler Murders Rampage: The Hillside Strangler Murders Rampage: The Hillside Strangler Murders is a 2006 direct-to-video film about the Hillside Strangler murders. The film featured Brittany Daniel, Lake Bell and Michelle Borth with Tomas Arana and Clifton Collins, Jr. playing the killers Angelo Buono, Jr. and Kenneth Bianchi respectively. It was... |
Samantha Stone | Video |
| 2006 | Little Man Little Man (film) Little Man is a 2006 American comedy film, directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans. It stars Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Kerry Washington, and Tracy Morgan. Little Man was released on DVD on November 7, 2006.- Plot :... |
Brittany | |
| 2006 | Totally Awesome Totally Awesome Erik Piskun Totally Awesome is a television movie produced by VH1. Totally Awesome directly parodies a number of 1980s movies, including Dirty Dancing, Soul Man, Footloose, Some Kind of Wonderful, Sixteen Candles, Teen Wolf, Better Off Dead, Lucas, Pretty in Pink, and The Karate Kid... |
Kimberly | TV movie |
| 2006 | Dani Cummings | ||
| 2006 to Present | Kelly Pitts | 51 episodes | |
| 2007 | Last of the Romantics | Sarah Xavier | |
| 2007 | Loveless in Los Angeles Loveless in Los Angeles Loveless in Los Angeles, an indie romantic comedy film completed in 2006 and written and directed by Archie Gips, stars Dash Mihok, Brittany Daniel, Navi Rawat, Geoffrey Arend, James Lesure, Chris Coppola and Stephen Tobolowsky.-Plot:... |
Kelly | |
| 2010 | Skyline | Candice | |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Film or series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Young Artist Award Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist... |
Nominated | Best Young Actress in an Off-Primetime Series | Swans Crossing |
| 1995 | Young Artist Award | Won | Best Performance: Young Actress in a TV Comedy Series | Sweet Valley High (Shared with Cynthia Daniel) |
| 2007 | New York International Independent Film & Video Festival | Won | Best Actress | Last of the Romantics |
| 2007 | MTV Movie Awards MTV Movie Awards The MTV Movie Awards is a film awards show presented annually on MTV . It also contains movie parodies that used official movie footage with hosts and other celebrities and music performances. The nominees are decided by producers and executives at MTV. Winners are decided online by the general... |
Nominated | Best Kiss | Little Man (Shared with Marlon Wayans Marlon Wayans Marlon L. Wayans is an American actor, model producer, comedian, writer, and director of movies, beginning with his role as a pedestrian in I'm Gonna Git You Sucka in 1988... ) |