Brittany Murphy

Brittany Murphy (born Brittany Anne Bertolotti on November 10, 1977) is an American singer and actress. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the Hollywood films Clueless, Girl, Interrupted, 8 Mile, Sin City, The Dead Girl, and Happy Feet, which have all been box office and critical successes Murphy was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Angelo Bertolotti, an Italian American, and Sharon (Murphy), who is of Irish and Eastern European descent. Murphy's parents divorced shortly after her birth, and she was raised in Edison, New Jersey and Burbank, California by her single, working-class mother; she has had little contact with her father, who later served time for racketeering, since the divorce. Murphy was raised a Baptist and attended a Lutheran school, but is now a non-denominational practicing Christian. When she was nine years old, Murphy landed a singing role in a musical version of Les Misérables, and had signed on with a manager by the time she turned thirteen. Murphy landed her first job in Hollywood when she was fourteen, starring as Brenda Drexell in the television series Drexell's Class. She then went on to play Molly Morgan in the short lived The Torkelsons spinoff Almost Home. She was also the lead singer of the band Blessed With Soul in the early 1990s, and was at one time signed on to play late singer Janis Joplin in a biography, but the film was not made because of legal disputes over music rights. Murphy has since starred in many successful films, including Clueless (1995), Don't Say a Word (2001), 8 Mile (2002) and Uptown Girls (2003) as well as many lesser known films, such as Spun (2003). She has also appeared on several television series, including Sister, Sister, Boy Meets World and as the voice of Luanne Platter on the long-running animated series King of the Hill. She most recently appeared in the films Little Black Book (2004), which was considered a critical and commercial failure, and the critically acclaimed Sin City (2005). Also in 2005, she appeared in the promo video for Tears for Fears' comeback single Closest Thing To Heaven, and in August 2005, Brittany co-presented UK music show CD:UK alongside Holly Willoughby. Murphy is also filming five other films. She will star in The Ramen Girl. The Other Side, and The White Hotel; she has a voice role for the animated character Tinkerbell in an upcoming Disney movie, and she is reprising her role as Shellie in Sin City 2.