Brittany Anne Murphy-Monjack (born Brittany Anne Bertolotti; November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009), known professionally as Brittany Murphy, was an American film and stage actress, singer, and voice artist. A native of Atlanta, Murphy moved to Los Angeles as a teenager and pursued a career in acting. Her breakthrough role was as Tai Frasier in Clueless (1995), followed by supporting roles in independent films such as Freeway (1996) and Bongwater (1998). She made her stage debut in a Broadway production of Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge in 1997, before appearing as Daisy Randone in Girl, Interrupted (1999) and as Lisa Swenson in Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999).

The 2000's saw Murphy with roles in Don't Say a Word (2001) alongside Michael Douglas, and alongside Eminem in 8 Mile (2002), for which she gained critical recognition. Her later roles included Riding in Cars with Boys (2001), Spun (2002), Uptown Girls (2003), Sin City (2005), and Happy Feet (2006). Murphy also voiced Luanne Platter on the animated television series King of the Hill (1997–2009). Her final film, Something Wicked, was released in April 2014.

In December 2009, Murphy died of pneumonia and anemia at the age of 32. The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office at first ruled her death an accidental drug overdose. However, when her widower Simon Monjack died from the same illnesses six months later, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services considered toxic mold in their home as a possible cause for their deaths, but this has been dismissed by the Coroner's Office. In 2011, Murphy's mother Sharon filed a lawsuit against the attorneys who represented her in an earlier suit against the builders of the home where her daughter and son-in-law died.

Brittany Murphy Actress - Born November 10, 1977 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Died December 20, 2009 in Los Angeles, California, USA (pneumonia and anemia)

Birth Name Brittany Anne Bertolotti

Nickname Britt

Height 5' 3" (1.6 m)

Mini Bio (1) Brittany Murphy was born Brittany Anne Bertolotti on November 10, 1977 in Atlanta, Georgia, to Sharon Kathleen Murphy and Angelo Joseph Bertolotti. Her father's ancestry is Italian, and her mother is of Irish and Slovak descent. Her father moved the family back to Edison, New Jersey as a native New Yorker and to be closer to other siblings from previous marriages. While dining out one night in the presence of Hollywood royalty, Brittany at the age of 5 approached an adjoining table when Academy Award nominee Burt Reynolds and George Segal were seated. Brittany introduced herself to the Hollywood legends and confidently told them that someday she too would be a star.

She comes from a long line of international musicians and performers with three half-brothers and a sister. Angelo Bertolotti was torn from their tight-knit family as a made-man with the Italian Mafia. The Senior Bertolotti, who coined the nickname of "Britt" for his daughter, was also an entrepreneur and diplomat for organized crime families and one of the first to be subjected to a RICO prosecution. Brittany's interests and well-being were always her father's first goal and objective. To distance his talented daughter from his infamous past, Angelo allowed Sharon to use her maiden name for Brittany's, so that her shining star would not be overshadowed by a father's past, with the couple divorcing thereafter.

Brittany began receiving accolades and applause in regional theater at the early age of 9. At the age of 13, she landed several national commercials. She appeared on television and caught the attention of a personal manager and an agent. Soon, Brittany's mother Sharon turned full-time to being a "Stage Mom" where Angelo provided financial support throughout and their relationship is memorialized with a long and close history in pictures. The hopeful daughter and mother moved to Burbank, CA, where Brittany landed her first television role on Blossom (1990). Hearts and doors opened up for a starring role on Drexell's Class (1991), a short lived TV series.

Brittany's big screen movie debut started with Clueless (1995), where she was co-starring with Alicia Silverstone. Britt soared, demonstrating her musical and artistic talents with dramatic and comedic roles landing a nomination for best leading female performance in the Young Artist Awards for her role in the television film David and Lisa (1998). She garnered tremendous attention for her role in Girl, Interrupted (1999) with Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie. Brittany's band, "Blessed Soul" was growing with her as lead singer and Britt lent her vocal talents to the TV hit, cartoon sensation, King of the Hill (1997) as the voice of Luanne.

She is alleged to have been a witness in the case of the former Department of Homeland Security employee and persecuted whistleblower Julia Davis. According to Davis, Brittany and her fiancée Simon Monjack were then targeted for retaliation that included land and aerial surveillance and a threatened prosecution. Monjack was arrested and detained by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Brittany and Simon confided in Alex Ben Block of the Hollywood Reporter, telling him in an interview that they were under surveillance by helicopters and their telephones have been wiretapped. This information was published by THR posthumously, in an article entitled "The Last Difficult Days of Brittany Murphy."

On December 20, 2009, Brittany Murphy died an untimely death. The LAPD and Los Angeles County Coroner closed the case within one hour, attributing her death to pneumonia and anemia. Five months after Brittany's unexpected demise, her husband Simon Monjack was found dead in the house he shared with Brittany. The chief/spokesperson at the Los Angeles County Dept of Coroner, Craig Harvey, stated that Simon also died from the same exact causes as his wife, namely pneumonia and anemia. Neither Brittany, nor Simon, were given a thorough and complete forensic autopsy for poisons. Brittany's father, Angelo "AJ" Bertolotti, is pursuing the investigation of the true reasons behind Brittany's and Simon's sudden demise, as he believes that the two were murdered. Abnormally high levels of heavy metals and poisons were discovered in Brittany's hair, tested by two other independent forensic labs with famed Pathologist, attorney Cyril Wecht concluded from the appearances, Brittany could have been murdered and should be exhumed. Her father Angelo is preparing court actions to ensure she obtains justice.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Spouse (1) Simon Monjack (12 April 2007 - 20 December 2009) her death

Trade Mark (1) Infectious laugh

She was set to star in a biopic of Janis Joplin, however the film was grounded over battles for the rights to Joplin's songs. She had won the role over Courtney Love and Emily Watson.

She was ranked 32nd on the Maxim Hot 100 List in 2003.

She was the lead singer in her '90s band "Blessed with Soul".

Her mother, Sharon Murphy, is a survivor of breast cancer.

Her high school prom date was Jonathan Brandis.

She was engaged to Jeff Kwatinetz from January 2004 - August 2004.

Eric Balfour was a member of her '90s band "Blessed with Soul".

Her paternal grandparents were both of Italian descent. Her maternal grandfather had Irish ancestry. Her maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Kochan, was the daughter of Slovak parents, Wasil Kochan and Sophie Salanski.

She was ranked 8th on the Maxim Hot 100 List in 2005.

She was engaged to Joe Macaluso from December 2005 - August 2006.

She stated in her will that all of her assets should be left to her mother, Sharon Murphy.

She played the trumpet and piano.

She visited the US troops in Baghdad and Kuwait.

She took dance classes six days a week as a kid.

She was very close friends with Winona Ryder and Meredith Zealy.

She was named "Hollywood's biggest flirt" by an American teen poll.

Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand and Diana Ross were her career idols.

She had a breast cancer scare and lumps removed from her right breast.

She thought of the tabloids and paparazzi as a weird cousin.

She kept a notebook by her bed and would write poems in the middle of the night.

She had trouble gaining weight due to her high metabolism.

She pitched a story about Craig Castaldo for Access Hollywood.

She bought all the jewelry she wore in Uptown Girls (2003).

She broke her nose three times and reset it herself.

She had a Maltese named Clara after Clara Bow.

She dubbed Lionel Richie her guardian angel.

She used to babysit as a young girl in order to be able to buy blue coloured contact lenses.

She was offered a job as a pole dancer when researching the part for Spun (2002).

She bought Britney Spears's house and kept a lot of her old furniture.

She attempted to join the Mile High Club with Ashton Kutcher.

She was taught how to give the finger by Eminem.

She had trouble getting work as a brunette.

(November 18, 2013) Almost 4 years after her death, a lab discovered Murphy's body contained 10 heavy metals at levels higher than the WHO [The World Health Organization] high levels. It was reported she died from pneumonia and anemia, however her father Angelo Bertolotti asked for independent tests.

She was attached to co-star in the film Detour (2013) at the time of her death.

Born in 1977, the year where Wayne Allwine an animator at Walt Disney Animation Studios became the voice of Mickey Mouse and died in 2009 the same year as him.

I don't read the script a zillion times, I don't like to analyze things and my mind can go there very easily.

I think they should take everyone who works for The National Enquirer and The Star, and everyone who works for Us Weekly, and put them all to work looking for terrorists. I think they would find the terrorists. All of them. It would be genius!

I have always seen myself as one of those 'show people'. My earliest memories are wanting and needing to entertain people, like a gypsy traveler who goes from place to place, city to city, performing for audiences and reaching people.

Home is where my mom is.

I can play any instrument if you give me 20 minutes.

I'm a creative person. I have always chosen people who are entertaining themselves.

I ask a lot because I'm very curious - especially about ex-girlfriends. I'm pretty good at getting the answers, too.

I'm not someone who has generally kept the same hair color. I like to be able to change it. You know, if you can't change your surroundings, change your hair color.

Everybody has difficult years, but a lot of times the difficult years end up being the greatest years of your whole entire life, if you survive them.

I would love to be a man for a day, just to see what it's like.

I find this life so interesting.

I don't think Hollywood per se is supposed to be taken seriously, otherwise, dear Lord, that would be frightening.

I don't even take myself seriously, so how could I possibly take Hollywood seriously?

I consider myself a character actor.

Tired is not a word in my vocabulary.

The older I get, the more I embrace my own idiosyncrasies.

Sticking to your values, listening to your instincts, making your own choices is so important.

If I could be a third of the woman that my mom is and have a third of the strength that she has, then I will have done good by this life.

I'm an actor. It's my job.

God forgot to give me the jealous bone.

Everyone has a devil and angel on their shoulder, tempting them to do something.

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but I'm very curious. I always ask tons and tons of questions.

As the years pass, the more life reaffirms to me that being a strong woman is the right choice.

You actually can make it, no matter what. I truly am a firm believer in that. Eminem's living proof.

I have always wanted to be really tall for a day. That's kind of a superficial thing. I'm 5'3, but for one day I would love to be 5'9 and tower over everybody.

I'm tardy sometimes. I would like to be more orderly and timely.

I'm really happy with what I'm doing with my life.

I'm not a wealth of knowledge. I have had four and a half boyfriends in my life and I have gone on two dates.

I'm a Christian. I go to church when I can. I was raised Baptist. I went to a Lutheran school. I'm a nondenominational practicing Christian. I have a lot of faith.

I would like to be very, very, very, very old. With all the technology we are inventing and what they are coming up with scientifically, people are having longer lifetimes.

I think anybody would be lying if they say they didn't try to control something at some point or another.

I just love gaining wisdom, any bit where I can get it. Unfortunately, it takes most of the time.

I don't talk about relationships in print any more. That's one great thing I have learned.

Have a sense of humor about life.

Individuality is vitally important. When people start to lose their individuality, they start to lose themselves.

If I was ever to pursue singing professionally, it would be on my own terms with no creative compromise.

I have noticed there are alter egos within what I have been writing, so I don't know if it's life affecting art or art affecting life.

I have never had to gain weight for a role. Everybody says that's a difficult thing to do, to gain and then lose. But I have never had to go through that.

I have been trained in dancing and I used to be quite good, though I am a bit rusty right now. But I could probably brush up in a couple of months.

Some secrets should remain secrets, but I'm not sure I can think of myself that way.

Singing is such a joy. I was never formally trained in acting or singing. I have been singing since I was born.

Once you are working, you get in the dirt of things. You get your feet dirty - that's part of the job, so no dirt makeup under the nails. It's real.

My sense of history is not very good.

It's good to play all types of personalities. Embracing individuality is one of the greatest things you can do.

I am a serial monogamist so it's hard for me to get a date as it is. One thing I did learn from my last relationship is not to speak about relationships any more.

When I was younger, I had a mature-sounding voice, and the things the music companies wanted me to do were not what I wanted to do.

When I was 14 I could have veered off in two different directions and done one or the other, acting or music. I chose acting and continued writing and doing music for myself.

Voice work still requires a strong sense of character.

The most joy that I could possibly get in life is being around my eight nieces and nephews and my family.

I love Clara Bow. She was the original "It girl". The phrase was coined for her. It was the 1920s, when any form of naturalistic acting wasn't seen on screen before. She really cinematically changed things by showing natural emotions within that heightened reality. She was also a sex symbol at the same time. I love Giulietta Masina, who did a lot of Fellini films. She's brilliant. And Meryl Streep. And Barbra Streisand. I respect multi-taskers so much. Anyone that has a music career and an acting career I think is pretty fantastic.

I never really make solid resolutions. I think if there's something one needs to change with oneself, it doesn't have to happen in the New Year. You can do that any time you please - not that it's not a good inspirational tactic for the people that it works for.

I have a dream shoe closet. 50 pairs of Christian Louboutins. They are the most stunning shoes, and they fit like a glove.

I always wear heels. If not, I'm barefoot.

I can't believe that people actually know my first and last name. I think it's really, really, gosh-darn neat.

No matter what happens, as long as you have yourself to believe in, then you're going to be OK.

I think to call my mom and I best friends is almost an insult to our relationship. She's the greatest in the whole wide world, and I don't feel closer to anyone. She's a pillar of strength, and she doesn't flaunt it. She has this will - she just knows she can get through things. It's inspiring.

I'm a giver. I have learned to be selective of the people in my world, because if I love someone, I will give them my blood, whatever they need. In doing so, one can end up with little left for themselves. It's a lesson in self-preservation that I'm still learning. If you don't have yourself, you have nothing to give.

I would rather not perpetuate something that isn't true. But no, I have never had an eating disorder. And I don't do drugs. I have a glass of champagne now and then. I'm generally the person dancing at a party who everybody always thinks is the intoxicated one, but I'm really not.

Don't beat yourself up and trust and follow your instincts. It's easy to get wrapped up in sharing everyday life with a partner. It's fun to get lost in love and romance. It's the best. But holding on to yourself while doing that is the most important thing.

After a breakup, it takes a couple weeks for the fog to settle, but it's always a period of self-priority and growth. Life presents you with so many decisions. A lot of times, they are right in front of your face and they are really difficult, but we must make them. Unfortunately, sometimes relationships don't work out. It's just the way life goes. But hopefully, you learn from them.

I would do almost anything for love, within safe boundaries. I have flown to places to surprise people, even if it was just for a day. I think it's so important to keep the romance alive and make sure the fun and spontaneity are there.

I'm a really rotten liar. Generally, if I have tried to pull off a lie, it hasn't worked out to my advantage. My mom always said, "Don't lie. Then you never have to remember anything you have said".

The thing that I'm learning right now is self-preservation - over the past year I have discovered if you keep on giving and giving, you end up losing yourself. I think that learning to give and receive is the trick. Perfect happiness is also a feeling, and the most amazing thing is that we were all born with the gift to make it happen in a heartbeat. Putting on certain music, reading something can make us feel a certain way; affirmations, letting ourselves breathe, enjoying our loved ones, and enjoying being in our own skin. I think the key to happiness is allowing ourselves to not feel bad or guilty for feeling it, and letting it be contagious. And to not be dependent on other people to create your own happiness.

I would like to be happy and healthy, and live as long as possible.

I love being in love.

I like being carried. I'm 5 foot 3 inches and I have always been the littlest one in class.

True beauty comes from within, but if surgery makes you feel better about yourself, go for it.

The most important thing my mum did was teach me that poor is a state of mind and that we were rich in love.

Who knows what my music will end up sounding like, but hopefully people will really like it. I need to get it out of my body and into a microphone.

I'm really, really attached to my purse in a bad way. It has everything. I like that no matter what's going on I have everything here - from CD's to nasal spray and my wallet and gum.

After heartbreak, there are different stages. First it's denial, then devastation. Then it's the tears, and then after that it's the chocolate. Then it becomes ambivalence and you get your anger, your fight up. Then you are back on your feet again, and you have learned, hopefully, a new lesson in life.

I would like someone that really gets life and has had a broken heart - that's important because that adds character. They don't have to have a broken heart now, but just someone that's had one in the past. Someone that's funny and embraces life, because it's short and it's important and I think we really have to enjoy ourselves. I'm not looking. I think he'll find me.

I have been singing anonymously my whole life. I have sung the hooks on a lot of rap and R'n'B songs - I just never took the credit. Music has been a part of my soul since I was born. It's something that I have always done, but I have done it very quietly. I'm also a serious karaoke aficionado. I even have a T-shirt that says 'I love Karaoke'.

When I get on the plane I say a prayer until I know we are up safely. I have a lot of faith and pray a lot. So I gave my trust to God and I ask him to carry the plane safely to the destination. It helped when I realized that a plane was somewhere I could relax and sleep because no one could get in touch with me. So now I look at it like a great big bed in the sky. I associate it with a place of rest.

My whole life, now, is being documented and I love it. It's all pretty much like what Winona Ryder told me, that they will always be there during your worst times and your best times. It's a part of my life now and I signed up for this job and I get that it's a part of it, and I can't do without that. The most important thing is to have a sense of humor over the really inaccurate information because if you don't, that will slay you.

I think there's truth to so many of the clichés related to the whole love, engagement and marriage thing. I never expected to be a lot of the things I have become, like a really gooey person. But I want to be a better homemaker. I want to learn how to cook well. I really enjoy making my fiancé happy and doing my wifely duties. I don't mean to erase all of the work our parents did for women's lib - that's huge - but I love being Simon's girl.

I'm the same size I was in Clueless (1995), it's just that the weight in your face changes as you grow and get older. I used to feel embarrassed about being too tiny. I had a publicist at the time who told me that I should cover my arms up in photos. She felt that if I did that, they would stop picking on me. She meant well, but it made me really self-conscious. Then I came to terms with it. This is my body; I'm proud of it, so who cares? Now I have stopped trying to eat 12 eggs for breakfast. I'm healthy which is the most important.

I lost my virginity in a car. But it wasn't a very nice one.

I was a ballerina for a long time. I still take ballet lessons now - what it does to your body is incredible.

Uptown Girls (2003) $1,000,000

Little Black Book (2004) $4,000,000