Brittany Anne Murphy (born 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 was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the daughter of Sharon Murphy, who is of Irish and Eastern European descent, and Angelo Bertolotti, an Italian American. Murphy's parents divorced shortly after her birth, and she was raised in Edison, New Jersey, 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.

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

Murphy landed her first job in Hollywood when she was fourteen, starring as Brenda Drexell in the television series Drexell's Class. She then went on to play Molly Morgan in the short lived The Torkelsons spinoff Almost Home. In the Frasier episode "Give Him The Chair", she played a school child in a play of "10 Little Indians" who cannot remember her lines. She also had a small role in Season 3 of Boy Meets World as Topanga's best friend Trini. She was also the lead singer of the band Blessed With Soul in the early 1990s, and was at one time signed on to play late singer Janis Joplin in a biography, but the film was not made because of legal disputes over music rights. Murphy has since starred in many successful films, including Clueless (1995), Girl, Interrupted (1999), Don't Say a Word (2001), 8 Mile (2002) and Uptown Girls (2003) as well as many lesser known films, such as Spun (2003). She has also appeared on several television series including Sister, Sister and as the voice of Luanne Platter (as well as the younger version of Joseph Gribble) on the long-running animated series King of the Hill.
In 2001, Murphy cameoed in the music video for Wheatus' single "A Little Respect