Biography
Who is Danica McKellar?
Early life and education
Danica McKellar was born on January 3, 1975, in La Jolla, California. She moved to Los Angeles with her family when she was eight years old. Her mother, Mahaila McKellar, worked as a homemaker, and her father, Christopher McKellar, is a real estate developer. Her sister, Crystal McKellar, worked as a child actor before becoming a lawyer.
At age seven, Danica enrolled in weekend children's acting classes at the Lee Strasberg Institute in Los Angeles. She attended the Harvard-Westlake School and later studied at the University of California, Los Angeles. In 1998, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics with summa cum laude honors. As an undergraduate student, she coauthored a scientific paper with Professor Lincoln Chayes and fellow student Brandy Winn, resulting in the Chayes-McKellar-Winn theorem.
Acting career
Danica achieved widespread recognition during her teens by landing a prominent role on the television comedy-drama The Wonder Years. The series aired on ABC for six seasons from 1988 to 1993. She portrayed Gwendolyn Winnie Cooper, who served as the main love interest of Kevin Arnold, played by Fred Savage. Moving from child acting to adult roles proved difficult, but she continued to secure various television guest appearances.
She appeared in multiple television films for the Hallmark Channel, including Crown for Christmas, My Christmas Dream, Campfire Kiss, Love and Sunshine, Christmas at Dollywood, and You, Me & the Christmas Trees. She also starred in the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries series The Matchmaker Mysteries. In 2015, Danica joined the main cast of the Netflix original series Project Mc2, portraying the character known as The Quail. Her voice acting credits include characters in Static Shock, Young Justice, and DC Super Hero Girls.
Mathematics books
Alongside her acting career, Danica authored several non-fiction books focused on mathematics. Her writing targets middle-school and high-school girls to help them build confidence and succeed in mathematics subjects. Her first book, Math Doesn't Suck, became a New York Times bestseller. Subsequent mathematics books include Kiss My Math, Hot X: Algebra Exposed, Girls Get Curves: Geometry Takes Shape, Goodnight, Numbers, and Do Not Open This Math Book. These titles aim to make mathematics accessible and relevant to young students.
Family and personal life
Danica has been married to Mike Verta and Scott Sveslosky. She has also been in a relationship with Fred Savage during her early television career. Beyond her acting and writing work, she competed on season eighteen of Dancing with the Stars, where she was paired with professional dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy and finished in sixth place during week eight.
Birthday and age
Danica McKellar was born on January 3, 1975, which makes Danica 51 years old today. That birthday falls under the Capricorn sign. Danica shares the date with 35 other famous people.
Explore more
