Brittany Daniel


Brittany Ann Daniel is an American television and film actress. She is the twin sister of photographer and former actress Cynthia Daniel. She is best known for her role as Jessica Wakefield in the 1990s syndicated teen drama Sweet Valley High and her portrayal of Kelly Pitts on the CW/BET comedy-drama series The Game.

Early life

On March 17, 1976, Brittany and her twin sister, Cynthia, were born in Gainesville, Florida, to Carolyn and Charlton Bradford Daniel Jr. They have an older brother, Brad. By age 11, both girls were signed to the Ford Agency and began modeling. They appeared in Seventeen and YM. They also appeared in ads for Doublemint gum as the Doublemint Twins.

Career

Both girls began acting in the 1989 with an appearance in the sitcom The New Leave It to Beaver. In 1992, when she was sixteen, Brittany won the role of Mila Rosnovsky on the short-lived syndicated teen drama Swan's Crossing. She then moved to New York to film the series.
After high school, she landed the role of Jessica Wakefield in the television series Sweet Valley High. During the run of Sweet Valley High, the girls made their film debut in the drama The Basketball Diaries alongside Leonardo DiCaprio.
After Sweet Valley High was canceled in 1997, Daniel continued acting in films and television series including a stint on Dawson's Creek in 1999 and a role in the TBS television movie On Hostile Ground the following year. In 2001, she appeared as David Spade's love interest, Brandy, in Joe Dirt. In 2002, Daniel played one of the lead characters in the short-lived Fox series That '80s Show.
In 2002, she played Eric Forman's cousin Penny on That '70s Show. Daniel also appeared on the show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia as a transsexual named Carmen. She teamed with the Wayans Brothers for their films White Chicks and Little Man. That same year, she appeared in the VH1 television movie Totally Awesome before landing a lead role in The CW Television Network's half-hour comedy The Game, which she starred in until 2011. However, she would return to the show in 2014. In February 2010, she was cast in the Brothers Strause thriller Skyline; the film was released on November 12, 2010.

Personal life

In March 2014, Daniel revealed that in 2011, she was diagnosed with stage IV non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, for which she underwent chemotherapy. As of 2014, she was cancer-free.
She dated actor Keenen Ivory Wayans from 2007 to 2014. In 2017, she married Adam Touni.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

YearAwardResultCategoryFilm or series
1993Young Artist AwardNominatedBest Young Actress in an Off-Primetime SeriesSwans Crossing
1995Young Artist AwardWonBest Performance: Young Actress in a TV Comedy Series Sweet Valley High
2007New York International Independent Film & Video FestivalWonBest ActressLast of the Romantics
2007MTV Movie AwardsNominatedBest Kiss Little Man
2010Daytime Emmy AwardsNominatedOutstanding Special Class Series Ruby