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| Brittany Ann Daniel was born in Gainesville, Florida on March 17, 1976, five minutes before the birth of her twin sister Cynthia. Mr. Daniel was a member of the Florida State University Systems Board of Regents as well as a devout Catholic, as was mom Carolyn, making for a rather strict upbringing for the Daniel twins and their older brother Brad. Nevertheless, whatever parameters their parents imposed on them did not conflict with the sisters' shared aspirations, and by the age of 11, both girls had begun working professionally as print models. By their 14th birthdays, Brittany and Cynthia both boasted rather lengthy modeling resumes, having appeared together in such teenybopper magazines as Seventeen, YM and Sassy. They had also made their first foray into the acting world in tandem, taking on the guest part of a double-headed dragon in a 1987 episode of The New Leave It to Beaver. While this first bit part may have seemed trivial at the time, the experience that accompanied it later proved fruitful. At 5'6" and 5'7" respectively Cynthia and Brittany were considered too short for runway work and, although a profession as print models would certainly have been a reasonable option, early exposure to television work had suggested to the Daniel twins that their career paths did not have to be restricted to such. It was Brittany who first capitalized on the opportunities that her experience afforded her, taking on a guest role on the television series Burke's Law. Work fostered further work, and in 1992, at the age of 16, Brittany won her first regular gig on the serial Swans Crossing, performing alongside other young aspiring actresses Mira Sorvino and Sarah Michelle Gellar. Swans Crossing turned out to be a large commitment for Brittany, requiring that she move to New York City during her seven-month span on the show, but it did not go without its rewards. In 1993, Brittany was nominated for a Youth in Film Award for Best Young Actress in an Off-Primetime Series, upping her visibility in the industry. Brittany made her homecoming to Gainesville for her 1994 graduation from Gainesville High School, assured in part from her work on Swans Crossing that further roles were within reach upon her return to the entertainment business. As it turned out, acting work not only awaited Brittany, but her sister Cynthia as well, as the two were cast in the leading roles of Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield for the television series Sweet Valley High immediately following their graduation. The twins moved to Studio City, California, where they sought additional parts to supplement the income and experience that Sweet Valley High provided them. While this consisted initially of commercial spots, perhaps most notably in a Doublemint Gum campaign, it also involved their first feature film appearance, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in 1995's The Basketball Diaries. By the time Sweet Valley High wrapped up in 1998, Brittany and Cynthia had expanded their acting expertise through further commercial work and appearances in the MTV series Singled Out and Fame or Shame. While their careers to this date had progressed successfully enough, the notion that their being perpetually typecast as twins was hindering their individual development prompted Cynthia to take a hiatus from the entertainment industry. It did not take Brittany long to pick up work again following the loss of her usual sidekick. In 1999, a guest spot on Dawson's Creek as the temptress Eve soon transformed into a regular role. That same year, she made her first solo feature movie appearance alongside Ice-T in Sonic Impact. Further film work came in 2000 with the TBS disaster movie On Hostile Ground, and as Davis Spade's love interest in the 2001 comedy Joe Dirt. In 2002, after a guest spot on That '70s Show, Brittany was cast as the bisexual Sophia in That '80s Show. A cameo from her sister Cynthia on the program marked the first professional reunion for the Daniel twins in a number of years. While Brittany's acting talents and rapid rise to celebrity status have caught more than a few eyes, her off-screen exploits have also garnered her quite a bit of attention. A 1999 relationship with Dawson's Creek star Joshua Jackson landed Brittany on every gossip column in the country, as well as the on hit list of every 13-year-old girl in the Western hemisphere. Recent sightings of Brittany alongside Late Late Show host Craig Kilborn at Sacramento Kings basketball games have set teeth chattering again. |
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