Born Brittany Anne Bertolotti on November 10, 1977 in Atlanta, Georgia to parents Sharon Murphy and Angelo Bertolotti, Brittany’s parents divorced shortly after her birth. She was raised in Edison, New Jersey by her mother, which is why she goes by the name Brittany Murphy. Sharon’s side of the family was very close, so Brittany was raised with many of her cousins, aunts, and uncles around all the time. She often talks about growing up with her family in talk show interviews.

A precocious child who began putting on shows when she was a toddler, Brittany began acting in regional theater productions by the age of nine. Work in various commercials followed, and in 1990 she landed her first television role, on the sitcom Blossom. She then went on to a lead on the short-lived sitcom Drexell’s Class in 1991, and started a band (where she was the lead singer) called Blessed With Soul, which also included actor Eric Balfour. Other television roles included: Almost Home (also known as The Torkelsons), Sister, Sister, Seaquest DSV and Boy Meets World. Brittany continued her work in television as the voice of Luanne Platter on the animated show King Of The Hill, which lasted more than 10 years.

During her teens, Brittany had to deal with some tough personal issues. When she was 15, her mother was diagnosed as having breast cancer and survived by having a double mastectomy. To this day, Brittany is an avid breast cancer awareness supporter. In October 2006 she even did a magazine spread in Self with Christina Applegate and Mya, who are also breast cancer advocates.

Brittany’s “big break” into stardom was playing the character Tai Fraiser in the teen film, Clueless, which also made a star out of Alicia Silverstone. Other notable films that Brittany has done include: Don’t Say A Word, Girl, Interrupted, 8 Mile, Just Married, Little Black Book, Sin City, The Dead Girl and voicing the penguin Gloria in the musical animated film, Happy Feet. Brittany was most recently seen in: Nora Roberts’ Tribute a Lifetime network original movie, The Ramen Girl a film about an American woman living in Japan and becoming a Ramen House chef and Love & Other Disasters about a woman living in London and looking for love. Brittany currently has many films in the works, they are: The Expendables, The Other Side, The White Hotel, Sin City 2 the upcoming television movie Megafault.

Aside from acting, Brittany has branched out as a producer. Her first film that she produced is The Ramen Girl, which tells the story of an American woman who’s stranded in Tokyo after breaking up with her boyfriend. Searching for direction in life, she trains to be a ramen noodle chef under a tyrannical Japanese master. The film is now available on DVD.

Another one of Brittany’s talents is singing. She has sung backing vocals on various albums, sung in the films Little Black Book, Double Jeopardy (also known as Victim of the Night), and Happy Feet, and sang with the dance troupe, The Pussycat Dolls. In 2006, Brittany was the lead vocal on the track “Faster Kill Pussycat” by DJ Paul Oakenfold. The track reached #1 on the Billboard Dance charts and it raised awareness to Brittany’s incredible talent as a singer.

In April 2007, Brittany married English screenwriter Simon Monjack in a private Jewish ceremony at her Los Angeles home. The marriage came as a surprise to many of her fans, and a lot of gossip has surfaced about her new husband. Brittany currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband, her mother and her maltese puppy Clara Bella.

Sadly, on December 20, 2009, Brittany Murphy was pronounced dead at Cedar-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, California at 10:04am… The cause of death was said to be cardiac arrest – but further information have yet to be known.

With her shocking passing – Brittany’s fans from across the world are now mourning… She was an amazing spirit with an impressive talent for her craft. She will be greatly missed for years to come.

Biography last updated by December 20, 2009. Written by the webmaster for exclusive use on Brittany-Murphy.net