Brittany Anne Murphy (born
Brittany Bertolotti; November 10, 1977) is an American
actress and
recording artist. She has starred in
Hollywood films such as
Just Married;
Clueless;
Girl, Interrupted;
8 Mile;
Sin City;
The Dead Girl;
Uptown Girls;
Happy Feet and
Riding in Cars with Boys. Murphy's debut album is set to be released in 2009.
Biography
Early life
Murphy was born in
Atlanta, Georgia, the daughter of Sharon Murphy, who is of
Irish and
Eastern European descent, and Angelo Bertolotti, an
Italian American.
[The Fabulous Brittany Murphy Fan Page - Mr Show Biz][Brittany Murphy - News][Irish People and Ireland - Irish news, events in Ireland, Irish culture, genealogy, music, Ireland travel][Brittany Murphy - Interview | Interview | Find Articles at BNET.com] Murphy's parents divorced shortly after her birth, and she was raised in
Edison, New Jersey,
[Rochlin, Margy. "Film; A Young Trouper Who Plays Crazy as Well as Sexy", The New York Times, September 30, 2001. Accessed November 15, 2007. "By the time she was 8, Ms. Murphy realized that to reach a nationwide audience, she'd first have to get a head shot, hire a manager, then cajole her mother, Sharon Murphy, into driving her into Manhattan for auditions from their Edison, N.J., home."] and
Burbank, California, by her single, working-class mother; she has had little contact with her father since the divorce. Murphy was raised a
Baptist and attended a
Lutheran school, but is now a
non-denominational practicing Christian.
[http://usmagazine.com/node/1628 USMagazine.com ][Latino Review]
When she was nine years old, Murphy landed a singing role in a musical version of
Les Misérables, and had signed on with a manager by the time she turned thirteen. Her mother, Sharon was diagnosed with breast cancer when Brittany was 15. She survived after having a double
mastectomy.
[Legacy of Strength by Yahoo.com]