Danielle Fishel Biography
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Danielle Fishel
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| Danielle Fishel | |
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| Born | Danielle Christine Fishel May 5, 1981 Mesa, Arizona, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
Danielle Christine Fishel (born May 5, 1981 in Mesa, Arizona) is a Maltese-American actress who is best known for her role as Topanga Lawrence on the 1990s TV sitcom Boy Meets World. She later appeared in National Lampoon's Dorm Daze and its sequel, and was a spokesperson for NutriSystem. She currently hosts The Dish.
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Early life
Danielle Christine Fishel was born to Rick Fishel, a medical equipment sales executive and Jennifer Fishel, a homemaker, in Mesa, Arizona. The family relocated to Yorba Linda, California when she was three weeks old. She has one younger brother, Christopher Fishel.
Career
In 1991, 10-year-old Fishel was discovered in a community theater where she performed in two productions, The Wizard of Oz and Peter Pan. She quickly moved on to do voice-overs and commercials, including several as a Barbie Girl for Mattel. Soon after, she appeared on two episodes of the hit show Full House, guest starring as a character named Jennifer. She also had a small role on Harry and the Hendersons, playing Jessica. Fishel's mother became her full-time manager.
In 1993, at the age of 12, Fishel began her well-known role as Topanga Lawrence on ABC's pilot series Boy Meets World. Originally written as a small part, Lawrence became a recurring role. After a successful first year, Fishel became a show regular.1 Fishel's character, Topanga Lawrence, was a sparkly, intelligent girl who was mature beyond her years.
Throughout the series, a central plot was the relationship between her and main character, Cory Matthews. Their high-school sweetheart romance took them through high school, dealing with stereotypical "after-school special" themes such as peer pressure, teen sex, infidelity, and breakups. Topanga proposed to Cory at graduation and the show followed them to college. The characters married. The long-running show ended in 2000 after seven years, with Cory and Topanga going to New York to pursue careers.
Fishel was on the cover of Seventeen in December 1998. She took home a 1998 Young Star for Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Comedy TV Series. In June 1999, she was one of "The 21 Hottest Stars Under 21" as presented by Teen People.
Fishel was on the cover of GQ's hottest stars to watch in GQ's 1997 Septeember issue. (GQ 1997 9)
Since Boy Meets World ended, Fishel has appeared in several of films, including National Lampoon's Dorm Daze. In 2006, she appeared in three made-for-DVD releases: National Lampoon's Dorm Daze 2: College at Sea (appearing again as "Marla" from the first film), the action film Gamebox 1.0 (playing a dual role), and The Chosen One, an independent animated film in which she provides the voice of the lead female character.
In 2006, Fishel appeared as a guest on The Tyra Banks Show where she discussed her dramatic weight loss with the use of the Nutrisystems Diet.2 Following her appearance on the show, Fishel became a spokesperson for NutriSystem. She also became a special correspondent for The Tyra Banks Show, starting in early February 2007.3
In August 2008, Fishel began hosting The Dish for the Style Network, where she makes fun of the latest pop culture icons in a format similar to sister network E! Entertainment Television's The Soup. Fishel also was a guest star on the round table on an episode of Chelsea Lately.
Personal life
In real life, Fishel dated her Boy Meets World co-star, Ben Savage.23 Her most visible relationship was with Lance Bass, who revealed that he was gay in 2006.4 Of Bass's sexuality, Fishel said, "It wasn't a shock for me. I found out probably a year or two after we broke up. People magazine was not my first time knowing Lance was gay! He is an awesome guy, he was an awesome boyfriend and he is still a very good friend of mine."5 Fishel was seen in the audience after Bass performed his week 7 dance on the seventh season of Dancing with the Stars on November 3, 2008.
Filmography
- Film
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Longshot | Gloria | |
| 2003 | National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze | Marla | |
| 2004 | Gamebox 1.0 | Kate/Princess | |
| 2006 | National Lampoon's Dorm Daze 2 | Marla | Direct-to-DVD Release |
- Television
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-1993 | Full House | Jennifer P. | Episode: I'm Not D.J. Episode: Silence is Not Golden |
| 1993 | Harry and the Hendersons | Jessica | Episode: The Long Goodbyes - Part 2 |
| 1996 | Kirk | Heather | Episode: Stuck on You |
| 1993-2000 | Boy Meets World | Topanga Lawrence | Young Artist Award (nominated-2) YoungStar Award (won-1) (nominated-1) |
| 2000 | Rocket's Red Glare | Sarah Miller | FOX Family TV-Movie |
| 2001-2002 | Nikki | Stacy | Episode: Vaya con Nikki Episode: Welcome to the Rest of Your Life |
| 2002 | The Nightmare Room | Camp Counselor | |
| 2003 | Yes, Dear | Katie | Episode: Sorority Girl |
| 2006 | The Tyra Banks Show | Herself | Episode: Danielle Fishel; Jordin Sparks |
| 2008 | The Dish | Herself/Host |
References
- ^ Biography for Danielle Fishel. IMDb. Retrieved September 19, 2007.
- ^ a b The Tyra Banks Show. Friday, October 6, 2006. Warnerbros.com. Retrieved November 6, 2006.
- ^ a b 411 Movies Interview: Danielle Fishel of Boy Meets World and Game Box 1.0. (March 22, 2007). 411mania.com. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
- ^ Lance Bass: I'm Gay. (July 26, 2006) People. Retrieved July 26, 2006.
- ^ Catching Up With Danielle Fishel. (August 28, 2006) CelebrityWeek.com. Retrieved September 9, 2007.
