Danielle Fishel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Danielle Fishel
Fishel at GalaxyCon Richmond in 2023
Born	Danielle Christine Fishel (1981-05-05) May 5, 1981 (age 44) Mesa, Arizona, U.S.
Alma mater	California State University, Fullerton
Occupation	Actress director
Years active	1992–present
Known for	Boy Meets World The Dish
Spouse(s)	Tim Belusko ​ ​ (m. 2013; div. 2016)​ Jensen Karp ​ (m. 2018)​
Children	2

Danielle Christine Fishel (born May 5, 1981) is an American actress and director. She is best known for playing Topanga Lawrence in the popular TV show Boy Meets World. This show was on ABC from 1993 to 2000.

Danielle later played Topanga again in the spin-off series Girl Meets World on Disney Channel. This show aired from 2014 to 2017. While working on Girl Meets World, Danielle also started directing episodes. She has since directed many episodes for other TV series.

Fishel also hosted The Dish on the Style Network. She appeared in movies like National Lampoon's Dorm Daze. She was also a reporter for PopSugar and its YouTube channel, PopSugar Girls Guide.

Early life

Danielle Fishel was born in Mesa, Arizona. Her mother, Jennifer, was a personal manager. Her father, Rick Fishel, was a former president of Masimo Corporation. Danielle finished high school at Calabasas High School in Calabasas, California in 1999.

Career Journey

Starting Out in Acting (1991–1998)

Danielle Fishel was discovered at age 10 in 1991. She was performing in local theater plays like The Wizard of Oz and Peter Pan. Soon after, she started doing voice-overs and commercials. She even voiced a Barbie Girl for Mattel.

She quickly got guest roles on popular TV shows. She appeared in two episodes of Full House as a character named Jennifer. She also had a small part in Harry and the Hendersons.

In 1993, when she was 12, Danielle got her most famous role. She was cast as Topanga Lawrence-Matthews on the ABC series Boy Meets World. Her character, Topanga, was originally a small part. But she became so popular that she became a regular on the show. Topanga was known for being smart and mature. The show was a big hit and ran for seven years, ending in 2000.

Danielle was featured in many teen magazines during this time. She was on the cover of Seventeen magazine in 1998. She also won an award in 1998 called the Young Star for Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Comedy TV Series.

Movies, Hosting, and Directing (2003–Present)

After Boy Meets World, Danielle continued to work in television. In 2003, she co-hosted Say What? Karaoke on MTV for one season. She also acted in several movies, including National Lampoon's Dorm Daze and its sequel, National Lampoon's Dorm Daze 2. In 2004, she played two different characters in the action film Gamebox 1.0.

From 2008 to 2011, Fishel hosted The Dish for the Style Network. This show made fun of pop culture, similar to another show called The Soup.

In 2014, Danielle returned to her famous role as Topanga Lawrence-Matthews. She starred in the Boy Meets World spin-off series, Girl Meets World, on Disney Channel. In this show, Topanga is married to Cory Matthews (Ben Savage), and they have two children. The series followed their daughter Riley (Rowan Blanchard) as she navigated middle school. The show ended in 2017.

While working on Girl Meets World, Danielle also started directing episodes. She has since become a successful director for many other TV shows. Some of the shows she has directed include Raven's Home, Sydney to the Max, and Lopez vs Lopez.

Since 2022, she has hosted a podcast called Pod Meets World. She hosts it with her former Boy Meets World co-stars, Rider Strong and Will Friedle.

Personal life

Danielle Fishel went to California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) when she was 27. She graduated in 2013. During her studies, she met Tim Belusko, and they got married in 2013.

Later, Danielle married Jensen Karp on November 4, 2018. They have two sons. Their first son was born in June 2019, and their second son was born in August 2021.

Filmography

Television

Film

Director

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

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  Fishel at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards (2016)

See also

In Spanish: Danielle Fishel para niños