Actress, Voice Actress, Singer. Born Brittany Anne Bertolotti in Atlanta, Georgia, to Angelo Joseph Bertolotti, of Italian ancestry, and Sharon Kathleen Murphy, of Slovakian and Irish ancestry, her parents divorced when she was either two or four years old. She was raised by her mother in Edison, New Jersey. She trained from the age of four in singing, dancing, and acting. She attended the Verne Fowler School of Dance and Theatre Arts in Colonia, New Jersey. Prior to enrolling in high school (1991), she and her mother moved to Burbank, California so she could pursue acting. Brittany cited her mother as a major factor for her success: "When I asked my mom to move to California, she sold everything and moved out here for me. She always believed in me," according to her obituary in The New York Times. Her first acting job was as Brenda Drexell in the short-lived TV series, "Drexell's Class" (1991-1992). Other credits include "Murphy Brown," "Blossom," "Frasier," and "seaQuest 2032," among others. She landed recurring roles in the TV series "Party of Five," "Boy Meets World," "and Sister, Sister." Her first movie role was as Elise in 1993's "Family Prayers" (also known as "A Family Divided"), but it was her second role as Tai Frasier in 1995's "Clueless" which would be her breakout role. Her filmography comprises 38 films, which include computer-animated roles (Gloria in 2006's "Happy Feet," starring Robin Williams), direct-to-video releases (1998's "The Prophecy II" and 2008's "Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs," among others), short subjects (2000's "The Audition" and 2002's "Something in Between"), and a producer credit for 2008's "The Ramen Girl." "She specialized in playing characters who were troubled teenagers or mentally disturbed," according to her obituary in The Philadelphia Inquirer the day after her death, as evidenced by her supporting role in the 1999 drama, "Girl, Interrupted," starring Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie. Other professional credits include video games (1995's "My First Encyclopedia," etc.), and music videos ("Here," by Luscious Jackson in 1995, and 2004's "Closest Thing to Heaven" by Tears for Fears, among others). She made her Broadway debut in 1997 in the role of Catherine in "A View from the Bridge," starring Anthony La Paglia and Allison Janney. It would be her only Broadway role. She also worked in music, and commented she kept her work in that industry "…a secret and [I've] never taken credit because I wanted to learn how to work behind the microphone in a recording studio …" "some of the singers don't even know it was me recording on their albums." As she was starting her acting career in the early-1990s, she was part of a band called Blessed Soul with actor Eric Balfour. In 2006, she scored a number-one hit on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart with the single, "Faster Kill Pussycat," which she recorded with DJ Paul Oakenfold. She was allegedly engaged to Ashton Kutcher, due to them both wearing rings at the time they were dating, but that was never officially confirmed. In 2004, she was engaged to Jeff Kwiatinetz, a principal at her management company, according to her obituary in The Los Angeles Times, although their relationship was brief. She then dated production assistant Joe Macaluso during the filming of "Little Black Book." Mere months after her relationship with Macaluso ended, she met British screenwriter Simon Monjack. In May 2007, they were married. She was nominated for various awards, among them the Satellite Award, in 2002, for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture for her role in "Don't Say a Word." The Satellite Awards are awarded by The International Press Academy, comprised of professional entertainment journalists from the U.S. and overseas. She was a five-time Teen Choice Award nominee, with four nominations alone in 2003, two in the same category. She was twice-nominated in the category of Choice Lip Lock for her roles in "Just Married" (alongside Kutcher) and "8 Mile" (alongside Eminem). She also received nominations for those roles in the categories of Choice Movie Actress - Comedy and Choice Movie Actress – Drama. She won none of those awards. Her fifth, and final, nomination came in 2005 for Choice Movie Actress - Drama for "Little Black Book." For her work in "King of the Hill," she was nominated for the 1997 Annie Award for Best Individual Achievement: Voice Acting by a Female Performer in a TV Production, and, again, in 2000 for Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated TV Production. The Annie Awards are awarded by the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA – Hollywood. She won three awards: In 2002, the Young Hollywood Award for Standout Performance by a Young Actor, Female, in 2005, the Annie Award for Voice Acting in an Animated TV Production for "King of the Hill," and in 2006, the Women Film Critics Award for Best Animated Female for "Happy Feet," an award she shared with co-star Nicole Kidman. The Women Film Critic Circle (WFCC) is a film critic and scholar association in the U.S., founded in 2004, comprised as the first all-female such group in the country. She was also a nominee for the Golden Raspberry Awards (a/k/a the "Razzies") in 2004, alongside Kutcher for "Just Married" for Worst Supporting Actress. At 8 A.M., December 20th, 2009, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a "medical request" at Murphy's and Monjack's home, after she was found unresponsive in the bathroom. She was pronounced dead at 10:04 A.M. at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center of cardiac arrest. Kutcher paid tribute to Murphy on the then-new social media platform Twitter by tweeting, "2 day the world lost a little piece of sunshine..." The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office performed an autopsy the day after her death and concluded the cause was pneumonia, with secondary factors cited as severe iron-deficiency anemia and multiple drug intoxication. It was reported she had "elevated levels" of hydrocodone, acetaminophen, L-methamphetamine, and chlorpheniramine, all legal substances. The Medical Examiner reported that those elevated levels had "possible adverse physiological effects…" due to the pneumonia. Both Brittany's husband and mother stated she did not use any drugs, including alcohol, and that she died from mitral valve prolapse, a heart condition. The true cause of her death has been the subject of theories through the years, including that she was murdered. Speculation intensified with the death of her husband, Simon Monjack, almost five months to the day Brittany died, of nearly identical causes. On May 23rd, 2010, Monjack was found dead at their Hollywood Hills home. The Medical Examiner concluded, via autopsy, that the cause of death was acute pneumonia and severe anemia. A theory abounded that toxic mold in Brittany's and Simon's home was the true cause of their deaths. Brittany's mother, Sharon Murphy, at first stated that was "absurd," but, in December 2011, went back on that, stating mold was, indeed, the cause of her daughter's and son-in-law's death. She filed a lawsuit against the builders of their home. Over the next two years, Brittany's father, Angelo Bertolotti, weighed in on the debate. He was awarded samples of his daughter's hair for independent testing, and went on to claim the tests showed poisoning via heavy metals such as antimony and barium, which Sharon Murphy dismissed as "a smear." The L.A. Medical Examiner's Office stated they never saw the test results. In January 2010, Brittany's husband and mother established the Brittany Murphy Foundation, which was supposed to be a charitable fund for children's arts education, USO, and cancer research. After initial confusion regarding whether the Foundation was a charity or not-for-profit, they decided to hold off until the nonprofit status was officially approved before working for the causes Brittany cared most about. Her father relaunched the Foundation on November 10, 2013, but, as of 2023, it has not existed as a charity or non-profit for years. Posthumously, two movies were released: 2010's "Abandoned," which was direct-to-video, and 2014's "Something Wicked," her final film role as Susan. She was the subject of the HBO mini-series "What Happened, Brittany Murphy?" (2021), as well as 2017's "Brittany Murphy: Case Closed." She was buried on Christmas Eve, 2009.