Danica McKellar is an American actor and published mathematician. UCLA Alumni Association Since then, Danica made guest appearances on shows such as NYPD Blue (1993), Jack & Bobby (2004), Eve (2003), NCIS (2003), and she played a strung-out heroin addict on Lifetime's Strong Medicine (2000).Danica got her feet wet as a filmmaker with her award-winning short film Speechless... (2001) (co-starring The Wonder Years (1988) pal Dan Lauria), which she wrote, directed, and produced.Danica made her debut lingerie spread in the July 2005 issue of Stuff Magazine, in which she appears on the cover. Her favorite actresses when she was younger were, Her favorite TV shows, when she was younger, were, Her favorite movies when she was younger were, Her favorite actor when she was younger was. The concepts, as I see them, ARE fun, and that's the way I'd like to convey them myself. Somehow I got a key even though I was an undergraduate! Best known as America's alluring dream girl from her days as Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years (1988), Danica McKellar made her breakthrough at the early age of 12. |  After graduating UCLA summa cum laude, she found that, regardless of her major, her career in entertainment was waiting for her. Yes! If you could go back, what about college would you do differently? A New York Times bestselling bedtime story with a math twist from Danica McKellar (well-known for her roles on The Wonder Years and The West Wing, and acclaimed author of multiple popular math books)—which sneaks in secret counting concepts on each page to help make your child smarter! The West Wing was a political world worth aspiring to, ... Wonder Years‘ Danica McKellar would eventually get the role of Will Bailey’s stepsister in season 4. Her pictures can also be seen on its Web site. I can’t think of anything. Best known for her roles on The Wonder Years and The West Wing, Danica McKellar is also a three-time New York Times bestselling author, internationally-recognized mathematician and advocate for math education. I love “thinking” and I loved studying math! McKellar and her sister Crystal McKellar (who is loosely named after their dad) both maintained professional acting car… James West Alumni Center While she rose to fame as supercute Winnie Cooper on “The Wonder Years” from 1988 to 1993, she has since appeared on “The West Wing,” “How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory,” “Young Justice,” and many other notable TV shows. Then a professor, Lincoln Chayes, challenged her and fellow student Brandy Winn ’98 to try researching mathematics. She was born in La Jolla, California and moved to Los Angeleswhen she was eight. - Duration: 3:29. Mattias Thuresson. “I had professors encouraging me to major in it.”. Danica McKellar, is an American actress better known for her job as Winnie Cooper in the television show, The Wonder Years.. Born in San Diego, California, McKellar and sister Crystal McKellar have mantained a friendly competition to see who gets more acting jobs, and, as a matter of a fact, when the actress who would play Winnie had to be chosen, the only two … Danica McKellar says her first love is acting, but she's happy to serve as a role model for young women who are interested in math. After that show ended, she went on to graduate Summa cum Laude from UCLA with a degree in Mathematics, and even proved a new math theorem, the Chayes-McKellar-Winn Theorem.Since returning to acting, Danica became familiar again to audiences from her year-long turn as the sardonic, dry-witted Elsie Snuffin on The West Wing (1999) in its 4th season. Danica McKellar ’98 first lit up TV screens at age 13, playing love interest Winnie to Fred Savage’s Kevin on the Emmy-winning show The Wonder Years. Her mother's ancestry is Portuguese (via the Azores and Madeira islands); her father's ancestry is Scottish, Irish, French, German, and Dutch. Academia seems unhampered, in many ways, by the politics of corporate America. Still, she hasn’t left education and math entirely behind. Loved math classes. Danica McKellar, Actress: The Wonder Years. Danica Mae McKellar was born on 3rd on January 3, 1975, to Christopherand Mahaila. Sure enough, it happened. Best known for her roles on The Wonder Years and The West Wing, Danica McKellar is also a three-time New York Times bestselling author, internationally-recognized mathematician and advocate for math education. Her mother was an actressbefore her children were born, after which she became a full-time mother. She has also appeared in Several Movies such as Good Neighbor, Black Hole, Jane White Is Sick & Twisted, Raising Genius, Quiet Kill, The Fiddling Horse and Where Hope Grows. And if you have a question for Danica McKellar, now is your chance. Then the bouncer spotted me and pulled me over. McKellar says she enjoyed the normal college experience, exploring campus life and joining Alpha Delta Pi sorority. Inauguration: Part I is the first part of our two-part series about a two-part series of West Wing episodes. Josh and Hrishi dig up fun facts about presidential bibles, and cast a critical eye on CJ's flirting and Josh's mean sass about Jack Reese. It’s titled, “Percolation and Gibbs States Multiplicity for Ferromagnetic Ashkin-Teller Models in Z2.” But now it’s referred to as the “Chayes-McKellar-Winn Theorem.” The full paper can be found at www.danicamckellar.com. She wrote, directed and executive produced an independent film, Talking in Your Sleep, released in 2004. 5. Best known for her roles on The Wonder Years and The West Wing, Danica McKellar is also a three-time New York Times bestselling author, internationally-recognized mathematician and advocate for math education. Actress Danica McKellar ’98 (The West Wing, The Wonder Years) recently spoke with “College Flashback” by U.S. News & World Report. Activities (sports, music, clubs, theater?). (I was a calculus tutor for two years in the department). With guidance from Chayes and a lot of long hours, the two proved a theorem and saw it published in the prestigious Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and General. McKeller portrays Elsie Snuffin on The West Wing. The West Wing (TV Series 2002-2003) Elsie Snuffin (8 episodes, 2002-2003) Black Hole (2002) Rachael Naked Movie (2002) Danica McKellar Sex and the Teenage Mind (2002) Debbie Justice League (TV Series 2002) Sapphire Stagg / Bystander … She joined friend and former co-star Savage for a guest role on his TV series Working, and did voice work for animated series King of the Hill and Static Shock. And finally, Danica McKellar portrayed public relations writer Elsie Snuffin in eight episodes of The West Wing in 2002 and 2003. One of the few people to have both an Erdös number (the number of scientific-paper authors it takes to connect herself to the Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdös) AND a Bacon number (the the degree of separation between her and American actor, Gave birth to her 1st child at age 35, a son, Reprised her role as Frieda Goren on the Kids WB series, She had a recurring role as Elsie Snuffin on NBC's, She played Catherine in the stage play "Proof" at the San Diego Repertory Theatre. It gave me a chance to reinvent myself, and to value myself for something other than being on television. HLR, Other Works About Danica McKellar Best known for her roles on The Wonder Years and The West Wing, Danica McKellar is also a three-time New York Times bestselling author , internationally-recognized mathematician and advocate for math education - and now a new mommy ! I actually still have the key. “I did really well and had a lot of fun doing it,” she said in a UCLA Magazine story published in fall 2004. In 2015, McKellar was cast in the Netflix original series Project Mc 2.She appears in … Over the ensuing 17 years, Danica has avoided the child-star curse and beefed up her résumé in impressive – and unexpected – ways. Played the role of "Catherine" in a San Diego production of. It didn’t seem to matter — no one was getting in. Was a member of the Alpha Chi chapter of Alpha Delta Pi sorority at UCLA. Graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with a BS in mathematics in June 1998. I think I always figured I’d come back. A summa cum laude graduate of UCLA with a degree in Mathematics, Danica has been honored in Britain's esteemed Journal of Physics and the New … She discussed her days as a student at UCLA, where she was inspired by her classmates’ love of learning and blossomed as a math wiz. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Jodie Foster — a successful scholar who also was a great actress/director and someone who started acting from a young age. A summa cum laude graduate of UCLA with a degree in Mathematics, Danica has been honored in Britain's esteemed Journal of Physics and the New … The least: UCLA is so big that some of the classes (not the math ones) seemed impersonal. The character is named after the birth name of the actress Kayla Blake, a cast member of Aaron Sorkin's previous show Sports Night. The Sculpture Garden, and my favorite place to study was the graduate lounge in the math building. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Her least favorite school subject when she was younger was Physical Education. Official Sites. He said, “Hey, youu’re the reason I passed Math 32B — get your friend and come on in!” That was pretty darn cool. Elsie Snuffin (Danica McKellar): Will Bailey's stepsister, an undiscovered comedy writer. Danica is from a Slavic word meaning "morning star". McKellar also continued acting, with the roles of White House communications assistant Elsie Snuffin (2002–03) on The West Wing and crime-solving Maddie Monroe, the title character in Inspector Mom (2006–07). A New York Times bestselling bedtime story with a math twist from Danica McKellar (well-known for her roles on The Wonder Years and The West Wing, and acclaimed author of multiple popular math books)—which sneaks in secret counting concepts on each page to help make your child smarter! Math is not, generally speaking, presented in a fun way. Danica McKellar. But first, she had some general courses to complete – like math. Ms. McKellar, now a semiregular on "The West Wing" playing a White House speechwriter, Elsie Snuffin, is probably the only person on prime-time television who moonlights as a cyberspace math tutor. When I originally entered UCLA, I had planned to go for a film major, but I kept finding myself taking math classes for fun, 'cause I missed them from high school! NOVA's Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers 196,927 views Her acting career after the hit show took on many made-for-TV movie roles and a recurring role in the political drama The West Wing. Born: 3-Jan-1975 Birthplace: La Jolla, CA Gender: Female Race or Ethnicity: White Occupation: Actor Nationality: United States Executive summary: Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years Danica McKellar played Fred Savage's neighbor and sometimes girlfriend on The Wonder Years.She later studied math at UCLA, and co-authored a … Born in La Jolla, California, McKellar moved with her family to Los Angeles when she was eight. I was going to be a film major but then took a calculus class, finished the top of my class, and was hooked! Stepsister of Christopher McKellar Jr. and Connor McKellar. Bookworm — at my sorority I was the head of the study group program. 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.. Is now a two-time New York Times bestselling author with books "Kiss My Math" (2008) and "Math Doesn't Suck" (2007). Tell us about one thing you did in college that still makes you proud. Danica McKellar has appeared in Several Television Series such as Project Mc2, The Wonder Years, Babylon 5, Love Boat: The Next Wave and The West Wing. Did all her own dancing and lifts in "21 and a Wakeup" with partner. Had a 1998 paper published in Britain's "Journal of Physics A: Mathematics & General" with UCLA professor Lincoln Chayes and student Brandy Winn that provided a mathematical proof for a theorem dealing with magnetism in two dimensions. Her Erdos number is, at most, four; her Bacon number, by comparison, is two. The Big Bang Theory: The Bat Jar Conjecture, View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. Was invited to appear on "Celebrity Wife Swap" and "The Apprentice", but turned down both offers. This name occurs in Slavic folklore as a personification of the morning star. In 2002, she landed a recurring role on NBC’s The West Wing . When The Wonder Years series ended, McKellar opted to put her acting career on hold and focus on college, enrolling at UCLA with her goals set on majoring in film. Together with her younger sister, Crystal McKellar, she began acting at a young age in her mother's dance studio. Danica McKellar Celebrity Profile - Check out the latest Danica McKellar photo gallery, biography, pics, pictures, interviews, news, forums and blogs at Rotten Tomatoes! People just stop in the hallways to discuss interesting math problems … lots of professors in a cloud of imagination and thought, wandering around with glassy looks in their eyes, always ready to have their brains expanded with a new way of looking at things. Los Angeles, CA 90095, GET THE EXCLUSIVE UCLA ALUMNI CREDIT CARD FROM BANK OF AMERICA, EXCLUSIVE OFFER ON AUTO AND HOME INSURANCE, Alumni Mentor Program - Graduate Students, Read Applications for Transfer Scholarships. LICHTMAN: This is SCIENCE FRIDAY, and I'm Flora Lichtman talking with Danica McKellar. It was blissful. Together with her younger sister, Crystal McKellar, she began acting at a young age in her mother's dance studio. 325 Westwood Plaza 1-800-989-8255 is our number, 1-800-989-8255. When she's not getting actual theorems named after her, McKellar's continued acting, appearing on "The West Wing," "How I Met Your Mother" and more, as … Who was your role model when you were in college? I learned my French through school. What did you like most and least about your school? Danica Mae McKellar (born January 3, 1975 [1]) is an American actress, mathematics writer, and education advocate.She played Kevin Arnold's on-off girlfriend Winnie Cooper in the television series The Wonder Years.. From 2010–2013 and since 2018, McKellar voiced Miss Martian in the animated superhero series Young Justice.In 2015, McKellar was cast in the Netflix original … About danica Best known for her roles on The Wonder Years, The West Wing, and lately for her popular movies on Hallmark Channel, Danica McKellar is also a New York Times bestselling author of math books for kids, with over a million copies sold since 2007. Danica McKellar made a mark with ‘The Wonder Years,’ the coming-of-the-age comedy-drama series, where she portrayed Gwendolyn "Winnie" Cooper. Talk about allure. And in fact, when I was at Sundance in 2003, I got to a party that had a HUGE line, filled with all sorts of celebrities. Danica Mae McKellar (born January 3, 1975) is an American actress, mathematics writer, and education advocate. She has an Erdös-Bacon-Sabbath number of 10, which is among the lowest on the planet. For a while I thought about doing a double major but then realized that I could always go back and study filmmaking, and that now was the time to really focus and experience mathematics. Her car when she was younger was a Mercedes. In the 2004-05 television season, she was seen on Eve, NCIS, Jack and Bobby and NYPD Blue. Not yet, but you never know …. After college, McKellar returned to acting, starring in television movies on the Lifetime network and as a recurring character on The West Wing and doing voice-acting work. She also found herself landing first on the most popular Web searches list. AKA Danica Mae McKellar. I got very lucky with great teachers and wonderful classmates like Brandy! My main concern with the condition of mathematics in high school is that there's a lot of fear involved! Do you keep in touch with any of your college friends? What was the biggest obstacle you overcame in college? Tell us one way in which college changed you. [October 2003]. A summa cum laude graduate of UCLA with a degree in Mathematics, Danica has been honored in Britain's esteemed Journal of Physics and the New … A few guest appearances in The Twilight Zone (1985) was followed by her breakthrough in The Wonder Years (1988). Co-authoring original research with colleague Brandy Winn and Prof. L. Chayes. Publicity Listings |  In 1982 the family moved to Los Angeles and a few years later she appeared in her first commercial. Danica McKellar: Are You the Girl from "The Wonder Years"? So McKellar put film on hold while she explored her interests in math. She has had good grades in math and French. Getting people to make the transition from referring to me as “Winnie Cooper” and to start referring to me as “that girl who helped me pass calculus.”. Danica McKellar Bio Wiki Her mathematics co-author and Brandy Winn graduated from the University of Chicago with Ph.D. in Mathematics (2005). One of them just had a baby, in fact! In 1982 the family moved to Los Angeles and a few years later she appeared in her first commercial. Her mother Mahalia is a homemaker; her father Christopher is a real estate developer. Danica has an older sister Crystal,and stepbrothers Chris Juniorand Connor. (Season 4) I was lucky in that the tutor on. Since returning to acting, Danica became familiar again to audiences from her year-long turn as the sardonic, dry-witted Elsie Snuffin on The West Wing (1999) in its 4th season. Became engaged to attorney Scott Svelosky in July 2014. 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