Danica McKellar

Danica McKellar

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Name

Danica McKellar

Born

January 3, 1975 (1975-01-03)

Location

La Jolla, Califorina

Occupation

Television Personality
Writer
Education Advocate

Relationships

Mike Verta (2009-2012)
Scott Sveslosky (2014-present)

Family Members

Draco (son)
Mahaila McKellar (mother)
Christopher McKellar (father)
Crystal McKellar (younger sister)

Appears In

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Danica Mae McKellar (born January 3, 1975) is an American actress, mathematics writer, and education advocate. She played Winnie Cooper in the television series The Wonder Years from 1988–1993, and since 2010 has voiced Miss Martian in the animated superhero series Young Justice.

In 2015, McKellar was cast in the Netflix original series Project Mc². She appears in several television films for Hallmark Channel. She is the current voice of Judy Jetson from The Jetsons since 2017 following Janet Waldo's death in 2016.

In addition to her acting work, McKellar later wrote six non-fiction books, all dealing with mathematics: Math Doesn't Suck, Kiss My Math, Hot X: Algebra Exposed, Girls Get Curves: Geometry Takes Shape, which encourage middle-school and high-school girls to have confidence and succeed in mathematics, Goodnight, Numbers, and Do Not Open This Math Book.

Early life and education

McKellar was born in La Jolla, California. She moved with her family to Los Angeles when she was eight. Her mother Mahaila McKellar (née Tello) was a homemaker; her father Christopher McKellar is a real estate developer; her younger sister Crystal (b. 1976) is a lawyer. She is of paternal Scottish, French, German, Spanish, and Dutch descent and her mother is of Portuguese origin via the Azores and Madeira islands.

McKellar studied at the University of California, Los Angeles where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree summa cum laude in Mathematics in 1998. As an undergraduate, she coauthored a scientific paper with Professor Lincoln Chayes and fellow student Brandy Winn titled "Percolation and Gibbs states multiplicity for ferromagnetic Ashkin–Teller models on $\mathbb{Z}^2$." Their results are termed the "Chayes–McKellar–Winn theorem". Later, when Chayes was asked to comment about the mathematical abilities of his student coauthors, he was quoted in The New York Times, "I thought that the two were really, really first-rate." For her past collaborative work on research papers, McKellar is currently assigned the Erdős number four, and her Erdős–Bacon number is six.

Acting career

The Wonder Years and early acting career

At age seven, McKellar enrolled in weekend acting classes for children at the Lee Strasberg Institute in Los Angeles. In her teens, she landed a prominent role in The Wonder Years, an American television comedy-drama that ran for six seasons on ABC, from 1988 to 1993. She played Gwendolyn "Winnie" Cooper, the main love interest of Kevin Arnold (played by Fred Savage) on the show. Her first kiss was with Fred Savage in an episode of The Wonder Years.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."

Later acting career

McKellar at a book signing, October 2007

McKellar has said that she found it "difficult" to move from being a child actress to an adult actress. 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. She appeared in two Lifetime TV movies in the Moment of Truth series, playing Kristin Guthrie in 1994's Cradle of Conspiracy and Annie Mills Carman in 1996's Justice for Annie. She briefly returned to regular television with a recurring role in the 2002–03 season of The West Wing, portraying Elsie Snuffin, the half-sister and assistant of Deputy White House Communications Director Will Bailey.

McKellar was featured in Debbie Gibson's eighth single from the Electric Youth album, "No More Rhyme", which was released in 1989. She plays the cello in the beginning of the video.

McKellar appeared in lingerie in the July 2005 edition of Stuff magazine after readers voted her the 1990s star they would most like to see in lingerie. McKellar explained that she agreed to the shoot in part to obtain "grittier roles".

In 2006, McKellar starred in a Lifetime movie and web-based series titled Inspector Mom about a mother who solves mysteries.

On the August 1, 2007, edition of the Don and Mike Show, a WJFK-FM radio program out of Washington, D.C., McKellar announced 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" and again in early 2007 in "Third Wheel"). She also made an appearance on the show The Big Bang Theory, in the episode "The Psychic Vortex".

In 2008, she starred in Heatstroke, a Sci-Fi Channel original movie about searching for alien life on Earth and in 2009 she was one of the stars commenting on the occurrences of the new millennium in VH1's I Love the New Millennium and was the math correspondent for Brink, a program by the Science Channel about technology. In 2013, she played Ellen Plainview in Lifetime's reimagining of the 1956 Alfred Hitchcock film The Wrong Man.

McKellar has also worked as a voice actress, having provided the voice of Jubilee in the video game X-Men Legends (2004), and Invisible Woman in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (2006) and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (2009). She provided the voice of Miss Martian in the TV series Young Justice.

In 2012, she starred in the Lifetime movie Love at the Christmas Table with Dustin Milligan.

In January 2013, she starred in the Syfy movie Tasmanian Devils with Apolo Ohno.

On August 20, 2013, Canadian singer Avril Lavigne released the music video for her single "Rock N Roll" from her upcoming self-titled fifth album, which features McKellar as "Winnie Cooper".

On March 4, 2014, she was announced to be joining season 18 of Dancing with the Stars. She paired with Valentin Chmerkovskiy. McKellar and Chmerkovskiy were eliminated on Week 8, finishing in 6th place.

She had a guest appearance in the Impractical Jokers season four episode six titled "The Blunder Years". She made another guest appearance in the season seven episode ten titled "Speech Impediment".

In 2015, she starred in the Netflix original series Project Mc² as The Quail.

She has starred in several Hallmark Channel movies, including Crown for Christmas, My Christmas Dream, Campfire Kiss, Love and Sunshine and Christmas at Dollywood as well as the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries series The Matchmaker Mysteries.

Books

McKellar has authored several mathematics-related books primarily targeting adolescent readers interested in succeeding at the study of mathematics:

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Her first book, Math Doesn't Suck: How to Survive Middle School Math without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail, was a New York Times bestseller, and was favorably reviewed by Tara C. Smith, the founder of Iowa Citizens for Science and a professor of epidemiology at the University of Iowa. The book also received a review from Anthony Jones, writing for the School Librarian journal, who described the book as "a trouble-shooting guide to help girls overcome their biggest maths challenges," noting what he described as "real-world examples of great mathematics in action." 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".

McKellar's second book, Kiss My Math: Showing Pre-Algebra Who's Boss, was released on August 5, 2008. The book's target audience is girls in the 7th through 9th grades. Her third book, Hot X: Algebra Exposed! covers algebra topics, while the previous two titles were intended as "algebra-readiness books." Hot X was published on August 3, 2010. Her fourth book, Girls Get Curves – Geometry Takes Shape, focuses on the subject of geometry, and attempts to make the subject more accessible.

Three of McKellar's books were listed in The New York Times children's bestseller list. She received Mathical Honors for Goodnight, Numbers.

Published papers

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Awards and honors

McKellar was named Person of the Week 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. In January 2014, she received the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics (JPBM) Communications Award. The citation credited her books, blog, and public appearances for encouraging "countless middle and high school students, especially girls, to be more interested in mathematics."

Personal life

McKellar married composer Michael "Mike" Verta on March 22, 2009, in La Jolla, California; the couple had dated since 2001. They had their first child, a son named Draco, in 2010. McKellar filed for divorce from Verta in June 2012.

On July 16, 2014, she became engaged to her boyfriend Scott Sveslosky, a partner in the Los Angeles legal firm Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton. On November 15, 2014, they married in Kauai, Hawaii.

Cultural references

McKellar's notoriety for Hallmark mystery movies was spoofed in the 2019 film Knives Out, complete with the parody title Deadly By Surprise.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1992	Sidekicks	Lauren
2001	Good Neighbor	Molly Wright
	XCU: Extreme Close Up	Sarah
	Speechless...	Dana Woodman	Short film
2002	Sex and the Teenage Mind	Debbie
	Black Hole	Rachael
	Reality School	Sexy Sally	Short film
	Jane White Is Sick & Twisted	Tiffany
	Template:Sortname	Pam Hatch
	Hip, Edgy, Sexy, Cool	Sissie
2004	Raising Genius	Lacy Baldwin
	Intermission	Sleepwalker	Short film
	Quiet Kill	Pet Shop Girl
2007	Hack!	Emily
2008	Heatstroke	Caroline
2009	21 and a Wake-Up	Jenny Valentine
2010	Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo	Madelyn Dinkley	Voice role; direct-to-video
	Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam	Sally	Voice role; direct-to-video
2012	Flatland 2: Sphereland	Aero	Direct-to-video
	Mancation	Rebecca
2014	Where Hope Grows	Susan Malcolm
2017	The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-WrestleMania!	Judy Jetson	Voice role; direct-to-video
2018	The Fiddling Horse	Leslie Heart	Feature film

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1985	Template:Sortname	Nola (age 10)	Episode: "Her Pilgrim Soul"
1987		Deidre Dobbs	Episode: "Shelter Skelter"
1988–1993	Template:Sortname	Winnie Cooper	Main role (Seasons 1-6)
1989	Template:Sortname	Patty	Episode: "Day of the Orphan" / "King Mario of Cramalot"
1990	Camp Cucamonga	Lindsey Scott	Television film (NBC)
1992	Captain Planet and the Planeteers	Lisa (Voice)	Episode: "A Formula for Hate"
1994	Babylon 5	Aria Tensus	Episode: "The War Prayer"
	Moment of Truth: Cradle of Conspiracy	Kristin Guthrie	Television film (NBC)
	Walker, Texas Ranger	Laurie Maston	Episode: "Stolen Lullaby"
	Sirens	Alison Trent	Episode: "Victims"
1996	Justice for Annie: A Moment of Truth Movie	Annie Mills Carman	Television film (NBC)
1998	Love Boat: The Next Wave	Mary Dutton	Episode: "How Long Has This Been Going On?"
	Working	Jolie	Episodes: "As Bad As It Gets", "She Loves Me Yeah, Yeah, Yeah"
1999	Random Play	Daughter	Episode: "1.4"
2000–2004	Static Shock	Freida Goren (Voice)	Recurring role (Seasons 1-4)
2001	Template:Sortname	Wendy	Episode: "Don't Ask"
	Even Stevens	Sandrine	Episode: "Sibling Rivalry"
2002	Justice League	Sapphire Stagg (Voice)	Episode: "Metamorphosis" (parts 1 & 2)
2002–2003	Template:Sortname	Elsie Snuffin	Recurring role (Season 4)
2004	King of the Hill	Sharona / Misty (Voice)	Episodes: "My Hair Lady", "Cheer Factor"
	Game Over	Elsa / Renee (Voice)	Recurring role (Season 1)
	Century City	Sally	Episode: "Without a Tracer"
	Eve	Claudia	Episode: "Friend or Foe?"
2005	NCIS	Erin Kendall	Episode: "Witness"
	Jack & Bobby	Keirsten	Episode: "And Justice for All"
	NYPD Blue	Rosemary	Episode: "Moving Day"
	Strong Medicine	Natalie Pascal	Episode: "Feeling No Pain"
	Path of Destruction	Katherine Stern	Television film (Syfy)
	How I Met Your Mother	Trudy	Episode: "The Pineapple Incident"
2006	Inspector Mom	Maddie Monroe	Television film (Lifetime)
	Cyberchase	Wanda (Voice)	Episode: "Designing Mr. Perfect"
2006–2007	Inspector Mom	Maddie Monroe	Recurring role (Season 1)
2007	Random! Cartoons	Katerina "Kat" Metropoulos (Voice)	Episode: "Girls on the Go!"
	How I Met Your Mother	Trudy	Episode: "Third Wheel"
2010	Template:Sortname	Abby	Episode: "The Psychic Vortex"
	Generator Rex	Claire (Voice)	Episodes: "Hermanos", "Operation: Wingman"
2010–2013, 2019–present	Young Justice	Miss Martian (Voice)	Main role (57 episodes)
2011	Generator Rex	Claire (Voice)	Episode: "Haunted"
	G.I. Joe: Renegades	Sister Leia (Voice)	Episode: "Brothers of Light"
2012	Template:Sortname	Herself	Talk show
	Love at the Christmas Table	Katherine "Kat" Patton	Television film (Lifetime)
2013	Tasmanian Devils	Alex	Television film (Syfy)
	Template:Sortname	Herself	Episode: "Interference"
	Nerdist: Course of the Force	Bounty Hunter	Episode: "Michael Rooker & CM Punk: Lighstaber Hunt"
	The Wrong Woman	Ellen Plainview	Television film (Lifetime)
2014	Transformers: Rescue Bots	Hayley	Voice role; 2 episodes
	Dancing with the Stars	Herself	Contestant on season 18; finished in sixth place
2015	King of the Nerds	Herself	Judge
2015, 2017–2018	Impractical Jokers	Herself	3 episodes
2015	Perfect Match (aka A Perfect Wedding)	Jessica Summers	Television film (Hallmark)
	Miss America 2016	Herself	Judge
	Crown for Christmas	Allie Evans	Television film (Hallmark)
2015–2017	Project Mc2	The Quail	Main role (Seasons 1–2,4–5) Netflix original series
2015–2018	DC Super Hero Girls	Killer Frost (Voice)	Recurring role (Seasons 1-5)
2016	My Christmas Dream	Christina	Television film (Hallmark)
	Wedding Bells	Molly	Television film (Hallmark)
2016–2018	Shimmer and Shine	Layla (voice)	Recurring role; 3 episodes
2017	Mommy, I Didn't Do It	Ellen Plainview	Television film (Lifetime)
	Campfire Kiss	Dana	Television film (Hallmark)
	Coming Home for Christmas	Lizzie	Television film (Hallmark)
2018	Very, Very, Valentine	Helen	Television film (Hallmark)
	Love in Design	Hannah	Television film (Hallmark)
	Christmas At Grand Valley	Kelly	Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
2019	Love and Sunshine	Ally Craig	Television film (Hallmark)
	The Matchmaker Mysteries: A Killer Engagement	Angie Dove	Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
	Christmas at Dollywood	Rachel	Television film (Hallmark)
2020	Matchmaker Mysteries: A Fatal Romance	Angie Dove	Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
	Christmas She Wrote	Kayleigh King	Hallmark Channel Movie
2021	Matchmaker Mysteries: The Art of the Kill	Angie Dove	Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)

Video Games

Year	Title	Role
2004	X-Men Legends	Jubilee
	EverQuest II	Lolla Cotgrove / Pona
2006	Marvel: Ultimate Alliance	Invisible Woman
2009	Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2	Invisible Woman
2013	Young Justice: Legacy	Miss Martian

Further reading

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External links

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• Template:Official website
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• Danica McKellar's blog
• Website for McKellar Math
• Website of Math Doesn't Suck
• Website for Kiss My Math
• Interview with McKellar about her theorem at NPR
• February 2006 Proof and Prejudice: Women in Mathematics Conference, at which McKellar was a speaker
• Science Friday for September 21, 2007 with McKellar among the guests
• Public School Insights Interview with McKellar about girls and math

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