Danica McKellar

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE · August 5, 2010

Danica Mae McKellar (born January 3, 1975) is an American actress, author and education advocate. She is best known for her role as Winnie Cooper in the television show The Wonder Years,^[1] and later as author of the two New York Times bestsellers,^[2] Math Doesn't Suck, and Kiss My Math, which encourage middle-school girls to have confidence and succeed in mathematics.^[3]

^{Early lifeBorn in}^{La Jolla, California}^{, McKellar moved with her family to}^{Los Angeles}^{when she was eight. Her mother, Mahalia, is a homemaker, and her father, Chris McKellar, is a real estate developer.}^[4]^{Her family is "a big mix of Western Europe";}^[5]^{her mother's ancestry is Portuguese via the}^Azores^and^Madeira^{islands and her father's ancestry is Scottish, Irish, French, German and Dutch.}^[5]^{McKellar and sister}^{Crystal McKellar}^{both maintained professional acting careers as children, but with a strong emphasis on education as a priority. As a result, Crystal became a lawyer, and Danica majored in mathematics in college.}

^{Acting career}

^{The Wonder Years}^{and early acting career}

^{McKellar had a leading role in}^{The Wonder Years}^{, an}^American^television^comedy-drama^{that ran for six seasons on}^ABC^{, from 1988 to 1993.}^[1]

^{McKellar played Gwendolyn "Winnie" Cooper,}^[1]^{the main love interest of Kevin Arnold (played by}^{Fred Savage}^{) on the show. In an episode entitled "The Accident" and in the final episode, it is stated that every important event in Kevin's life somehow involved Winnie. She lives on the same block as Kevin. Their first kiss plays an important part of the pilot episode, as does her older brother's death while serving as a soldier in the Vietnam War. In one episode, her parents decide to get separated because of their grief over the death of their son. According to the epilogue in the final episode, Winnie studies art history in Paris. Kevin and Winnie write one letter to each other every week for eight years until her return. Despite their life-long romance, they never marry.}

^{McKellar's first kiss was with Fred Savage in an episode of}^{The Wonder Years}^.^[6]^{She later said, "My first kiss was a pretty nerve-wracking experience! But we never kissed off screen, and pretty quickly our feelings turned into brother/sister, and stayed that way."}^[7]^{McKellar also had a role in the film}^Sidekicks^{, directed by Aaron Norris.}

^{Adult roles}

^{McKellar has admitted the transition from "child actor to adult actor was a little bumpy."}^[7]^{Since leaving}^{The Wonder Years}^{, McKellar has had several guest roles in television series (including one with former co-star}^{Fred Savage}^on^Working^{), and has written and directed two short films. In 1996, she played the character Annie Mills Carman in the Lifetime Moment of Truth movie Justice For Annie.}^[8]^{She briefly returned to regular television with a recurring role in the 2002–03 season of}^{The West Wing}^,^{portraying Elsie Snuffin, the stepsister and assistant of Deputy White House Communications Director}^{Will Bailey}^.^[9]

^{McKellar appeared in}^lingerie^{for a}^pictorial^{in the July 2005 edition of}^Stuff^magazine^[10]^{after readers voted her the '90s star they would most like to see in lingerie. McKellar explained that she agreed to the shoot in part to obtain "grittier roles".}^[7]

^{In June 2006,}^{Lifetime Television}^{announced that McKellar would star in a Lifetime movie and web-based series titled}^{Inspector Mom}^{about a mother who solves mysteries.}^[11]^{In an interview in the November 17, 2006 issue of}^{TV Guide}^{, McKellar said that two TV movies and ten}^webisodes^of^{Inspector Mom}^{were being produced.}^[12]

^{McKellar has provided the voices for two characters in three video games:}^Jubileeⁱⁿ^{X-Men Legends}^{(2004), and}^{Invisible Woman}ⁱⁿ^{Marvel: Ultimate Alliance}^{(2006) and}^{Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2}^(2009).

^{On the August 1, 2007 edition of the}^{Don and Mike Show}^{, a}^WJFK-FM^{radio program out of Washington, D.C., McKellar announced plans that the producers of}^{How I Met Your Mother}^{were planning to bring her back for a recurring role (she guest-starred on the show in late 2005 in "}^{The Pineapple Incident}^{"). She appeared in the October 8, 2007, episode titled "}^{Third Wheel}^".^[9]^{as well as an appearance on the show the Big Bang Theory.}

^{In 2008, she starred in}^Heatstroke^{, a}^{Sci-Fi Channel}^{original movie about searching for alien life on Earth.}^[13]

^{McKellar, as of June 23, 2008 (2008 -06-23)}^[update]^{, is one of the stars commenting on the occurrences of the new millennium in}^VH1^'s^{I Love the New Millennium,}^{and as of 2009 is the math correspondent for}^Brink^{, a program by the}^{Science Channel}^{about upcoming technology.}^[9]

^Mathematics

^{McKellar studied at}^UCLA^{, majoring in}^mathematics^{. While at UCLA, she became a member of}^{Alpha Delta Pi}^{sorority. She graduated}^{summa cum laude}^{in 1998. As an undergraduate, she coauthored a}^{scientific paper[14]}^{with Professor Lincoln Chayes and fellow student Brandy Winn. Their results are termed the 'Chayes–McKellar–Winn theorem'.}^[15][16]^{Referring to the mathematical abilities of his student coauthors, Chayes was quoted in the}^{New York Times}^[17]^{as saying, "I thought that the two were really, really first-rate."}

^Books

^{McKellar is the author of the}^{New York Times}^[2]^{bestselling book}^{Math Doesn't Suck: How to Survive Middle-School Math without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail}^{, which encourages girls in middle school to enjoy and succeed at mathematics.}^[18]^{The book has been favorably reviewed by}^{Tara C. Smith}^{, the founder of Iowa Citizens for Science and a professor of epidemiology at the University of Iowa.}^[19]^{In an interview with Smith, McKellar said that she wrote the book "to show girls that math is accessible and relevant, and even a little glamorous" and to counteract "damaging social messages telling young girls that math and science aren't for them".}^[20]

^{McKellar's second book,}^{Kiss My Math: Showing Pre-Algebra Who's Boss}⁽^{ISBN 978-1-59463-049-1}^{), was released on August 5, 2008. The book's target audience is girls in the 7th through 9th grades. Both of McKellar's books made it to the New York Times children's bestseller list.}^[21]

^{McKellar was named}^{Person of the Week}^[22]^on^{World News with Charles Gibson}^{for the week ending August 10, 2007. The news segment highlighted her book}^{Math Doesn't Suck}^{and her efforts to help girls develop an interest in mathematics, especially during the middle school years.}

^{Personal life}

^{She married composer}^{Mike Verta}^{on March 22, 2009 in}^{La Jolla, California}^{; the couple had dated since 2001. They are expecting their first child in the fall of 2010.}^[23][24]

^Filmography

^{YearTitleRoleNotes1985}^{The Twilight Zone}^{NolaSegment: "}^{Her Pilgrim Soul}^"1987^{The Twilight Zone}^{Deidre DobbsEpisode: "}^{Shelter Skelter}^"1988^{The Wonder Years}^{Winnie Cooper88 episodes (1988–1993)1989}^{The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!}^!^{PattyEpisode: "Day of the Orphan/King Mario of Cramalot"1990}^{Camp Cucamonga}^{Lindsey ScottTV movie1992}^{Captain Planet and the Planeteers}^{Lisa (voice)Episode: "A Formula for Hate"}^Sidekicks^Lauren1994^{Babylon 5}^{Aria TensusEpisode: "}^{The War Prayer}^"^{Moment of Truth: Cradle of Conspiracy}^{Kristin GuthrieTV movie}^{Walker, Texas Ranger}^{Laurie MastonEpisode: "Stolen Lullaby"}^Sirens^{Allison TrentEpisode: "Victims"1996}^{Justice for Annie: A Moment of Truth Movie}^{Annie Mills CarmanTV movie1998}^{The Love Boat: The Next Wave}^{Mary DuttonEpisode: "How Long Has This Been Going On?"}^Working^{JolieEpisode: "As Bad as It Gets"1999Episode: "She Loves Me Yeah, Yeah, Yeah"}^{Random Play}^{DaughterEpisode: 1.42000}^{Static Shock}^{Freida Goren (voice)14 episodes (2000–2004)2001}^{Good Neighbor}^{Molly Wright}^{The Division}^{WendyEpisode: "Don't Ask"}^{XCU: Extreme Close Up}^Sarah^{Speechless...}^{Dana Woodman}^{Even Stevens}^{SandrineEpisode: "Sibling Rivalry"2002}^{Black Hole}^Rachael^{Sex and the Teenage Mind}^Debbie^{Reality School}^{Sexy Sally}^{Jane White Is Sick & Twisted}^Tiffany^{The Year That Trembled}^{Pam Hatch}^{Hip, Edgy, Sexy, Cool}^Sissie^{Justice League}^{Sapphire Stagg (voice)Episode: "Metamorphosis: Part 1"}

^{Episode: "Metamorphosis: Part 2"}^{The West Wing}^{Elsie Snuffin8 episodes (2002–2003)2004}^{King of the Hill}^{Sharona (voice)Episode: "My Hair Lady"Misty (voice)Episode: "}^{Cheer Factor}^"^{Raising Genius}^{Lacy Baldwin}^{Game Over}^{Elsa / Renee (voice)TV series}^{Century City}^{SallyEpisode: "Without a Tracer"}^Intermission^Sleepwalker^{Quiet Kill}^{Pet Shop Girl}^Eve^{ClaudiaEpisode: "Friend or Foe?"2005}^NCIS^{Erin KendallEpisode: "Witness"}^{Jack & Bobby}^{KeirstenEpisode: "And Justice for All"}^{NYPD Blue}^{Rosemary WyattEpisode: "}^{Moving Day}^"^{Strong Medicine}^{Natalie PascalEpisode: "Feeling No Pain"}^{Path of Destruction}^{Katherine SternTV movie}^{How I Met Your Mother}^{TrudyEpisode: "}^{The Pineapple Incident}^"2006^Cyberchase^{WandaEpisode: "Designing Mr. Perfect"}^{Bongee Bear and the Kingdom of Rhythm}^{Brittany (The Flower Shop Lady)}^{Inspector Mom}^{Maddie Monroe10 episodes (2006–2007) + TV movie2007}^{Inspector Mom: Kidnapped in Ten Easy Steps}^{Maddie MonroeTV movie}^{Random! Cartoons}^{Katerina "Kat" Metropoulos (voice)Episode: "Girls on the Go!"}^{How I Met Your Mother}^{TrudyEpisode: "}^{Third Wheel}^"^Hack!^Emily2008^Heatstroke^Caroline2009^{21 and a Wake-Up}^{Jenny Valentine2010}^{The Big Bang Theory}^{AbbyEpisode: "}^{The Psychic Vortex}^"^{Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo}^{Madelyn Dinkley (voice)Video}^{Young Justice}^{Miss Martian}