Brittany Murphy

Brittany Anne Murphy-Monjack<ref name=eni>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> (Template:Née; November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009) was an American actress and singer, known for her work in both comedy and drama.<ref>Multiple sources:

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Born in Atlanta, Murphy moved to Los Angeles as a teenager to pursue a career in acting. Her breakthrough came when she co-starred as Tai Frasier in Clueless (1995), followed by independent films such as Freeway (1996), and her 1997 Broadway debut in a production of Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge. She finished the decade with supporting roles in Girl, Interrupted and Drop Dead Gorgeous (both 1999). She voiced Luanne Platter on Fox's King of the Hill for the entirety of its original run (1997–2010).

Murphy gained critical recognition for her roles in numerous high-profile film projects during the early 2000s, such as Don't Say a Word (2001), Riding in Cars with Boys (2001), and 8 Mile (2002). Other notable credits included Cherry Falls (2000), Spun (2002), Just Married, Uptown Girls (both 2003), Little Black Book (2004), Sin City (2005), and Happy Feet (2006).

On December 20, 2009, Murphy died at age 32 under disputed circumstances.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The coroner's verdict was pneumonia, exacerbated by anemia.<ref name="cnn autopsy" />

Early life

Brittany Anne Bertolotti<ref name="CT">Template:Cite news</ref> was born at Georgia Baptist Hospital in Atlanta,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn<ref name="NYT1220">Template:Cite news</ref> to Sharon Kathleen Murphy<ref name=eni/> and Angelo Joseph Bertolotti,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> who divorced when she was three years old.Template:Sfn Murphy was raised by her mother in Edison, New Jersey.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Efn Angelo during this period was arrested on charges of drug possession, spending twelve years in prison;Template:Sfn and he had dealings with the Italian mafia, where he operated as an entrepreneur and diplomat for organized crime families.Template:Sfn She later stated that due to Sharon's financial problems,Template:Sfn she was forced to eat spaghetti every night. She also said that, on certain occasions, she had to beg her mother to buy clothes at Kmart. This would later explain Murphy's marked social investment in homeless causes, as discussed in a February 2003 Glamour article.<ref name=":6">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1991, before she started high school, the family moved to Los Angeles so that Murphy could pursue an acting career.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="ref1209">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Murphy said her mother never tried to stifle her creativity, and she considered her mother a crucial factor in her later success: "When I asked my mom to move to California, she sold everything and moved out here for me. She always believed in me."<ref name="NYT1220"/> Murphy's mother is of Irish and Slovakian descent, and her father is of Italian descent.<ref name="ref1153">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="ref1121">Template:Cite news</ref> She was raised a Baptist and later became a non-denominational Christian.<ref name="revmtv2">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="sanjose">Template:Cite news; "A non-denominational Christian, she wears a cross around her neck and has my whole life —I feel more comfortable with a cross."</ref> She had two older half-brothers and a younger half-sister.<ref>What Went Wrong With Brittany Murphy?: Was It Drugs, Anorexia or Her 'Shady' Husband" That Led to Her Death at 32? Template:Webarchive Luchina Fisher. ABC News. December 22, 2009.</ref>

Acting career

1990s: Child acting and first roles

In 1982, she attended the Verne Fowler School of Dance and Theater Arts in Colonia, New Jersey.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn From the age of four, she trained in singing, dancing and acting until she moved to California at thirteen.Template:Sfn<ref name=":8">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1987, at the age of ten, she made her theatrical debut called Really Rosie,Template:Sfn whose performance was praised by her teachers;Template:Sfn and she also sang in a production of Les Misérables.Template:Sfn She stood out for being energetic when acting. She went so far as to say that "my first memories were wanting... to entertain people."Template:Sfn She debuted in 1991 playing the role of Frank's sister on the television show Murphy Brown, however, she appeared in only one episode.Template:Sfn She later got her first job in Hollywood at the age of thirteen, playing the role of Brenda Drexell in the series Drexell's Class.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn She then went on to play Molly Morgan in the TV series Almost Home.Template:Sfn She appeared as a guest star on several television series, including Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Blossom, seaQuest 2032, Murder One and Frasier.Template:Sfn She had recurring roles on Party of Five, Boy Meets World and Sister, Sister.Template:Sfn

Her breakthrough role was in her second feature film, the teen comedy Clueless (1995), directed by Amy Heckerling, which developed a cult following.<ref name=":9">Template:Cite news</ref> Filming began in November 1994, at which time she was barely seventeen years old, making her the youngest member of the cast.Template:Sfn Her performance in the film was praised by both the media and critics:Template:Sfn John Menter, an acting teacher during Murphy's childhood, said: "It wasn't until I saw her, sitting in the theater, who I felt she would be a huge star."Template:Sfn During filming, as she could not attend high school, she had educational tutors.Template:Sfn The film was a sleeper hit, grossing Template:USD against its budget of Template:USD.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="BOMClueless">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Clueless is a loose adaptation of the novel Emma (1815) by Jane Austen, and many of its characters have counterparts in the novel.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Soon after, her mother Sharon was diagnosed with breast cancer, whom she was forced to take care of after the release of Clueless.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

She made her Broadway debut in 1997 playing the role of Catherine, in a new version of Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge along with actors Anthony LaPaglia and Allison Janney.Template:Sfn<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She continued with roles in Freeway (1996), with Reese Witherspoon and Kiefer Sutherland,<ref name=":6" /> and the independent comedy Bongwater (1998).Template:Sfn In 1999, she appeared as Rivkah in the television film The Devil's Arithmetic, based on the novel of the same name by Jane Yolen and directed by Donna Deitch; filming took place in Lithuania and Canada in October 1998.Template:Sfn Her performance was praised by Variety reviewer David Kronke, stating that she "brought a strange but intriguing ethereal quality to her performance."Template:Sfn That same year she had a supporting role in James Mangold's Girl, Interrupted, as a troubled psychiatric patient alongside Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie.<ref name=":6" /> She was nominated at the Young Artists Awards for Best Young Lead Actress in a Feature Film for Girl, Interrupted, on March 19, 2000.<ref name=":0" /> She later starred as an aspiring beauty queen in Drop Dead Gorgeous.<ref name=":6" /> She voiced the character of Luanne Platter in the Fox animated sitcom King of the Hill for the entirety of the show's original run from 1997 to 2009, and Joseph Gribble until the fifth season.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She later said that she enjoyed doing voice-overs because they could be done at home, jokingly saying: "You can do it even in your pajamas."Template:Sfn She was nominated for an Annie Award for voice acting for the King of the Hill episode "Movin' On Up" in 2000.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

2000s: Acting success, decline and final works

File:Brittany Murphy at Happy Feet premiere.jpg

Murphy at the Australian premiere of Happy Feet in December 2006

She began the 2000s playing certain roles, with Jody Marken in the thriller Cherry Falls (2000),<ref name="oblivion">Template:Cite news</ref> and the lead role in Don't Say a Word (2001) alongside Michael Douglas,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> whose critical reception was negative, but his performance was praised.Template:Sfn In 2002, she played the role of Alex Latourno in the film based on the life of American rapper Eminem, 8 Mile, which received critical acclaim,<ref name="8miletravers2">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and was a success at the box office.<ref name="boxofficemojo">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

She appeared alongside Dakota Fanning in Uptown Girls (2003), playing Molly Gunn, a twenty-two-year-old girl whose deceased father was a musician.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Refn Filming lasted from July to September 2002, and was filmed at Silvercup Studios located in New York.Template:Sfn That same year she starred in the romantic comedy Just Married. The film did well at the box office, grossing more than 100 million dollars, against a budget of 18 million,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> but it received negative reviews from both the press and film critics, which led to them appearing as nominees in the Razzie Awards for worst actor, worst supporting actress and worst on-screen couple for both.<ref name=":28">Template:Cite magazine</ref> At that time her mother contracted breast cancer again, so she had to take care of her again.Template:Sfn A year later she gave the Stacy Holt's role in Little Black Book (2004), which was another critical failure, where reviewers focused on Murphy's poor performance.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The film opened at number five at the North American box office, grossing Template:USD in its opening weekend behind Collateral, The Village, The Bourne Supremacy and The Manchurian Candidate.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The film finished its run with a domestic total of Template:USD and an international addition of Template:USD, totaling Template:USD worldwide.<ref name="mojo">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2005 she appeared in Sin City, directed by Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller and Quentin Tarantino.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Film critic Roger Ebert frequently praised Murphy's acting talent and comic timing, giving good reviews to several of her films and comparing her to Lucille Ball:<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

As for Brittany Murphy, for me, it goes back to the 2003 Independent Spirit Awards [where] Murphy was assigned to present one of the awards. Her task was to read the names of the five nominees, open an envelope, and reveal the name of the winner. This she turned into an opportunity for screwball improvisational comedy, by pretending she could not follow this sequence, not even after the audience shouted instructions and the stage manager came to whisper in her ear not once but twice. There were those in the audience who were dumbfounded by her stupidity. I was dumbfounded by her brilliance.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>{{#if:|{{#if:|}}

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Murphy followed with several independent films, including as Spun (2002), Neverwas (2005), and Karen Moncrieff's The Dead Girl (2006), as well as two Edward Burns films: Sidewalks of New York (2001) and The Groomsmen (2006). She returned to voice acting with the critically acclaimed 2006 animated feature Happy Feet, as Gloria Penguin. In 2009, she was cast in the Lifetime TV movie Tribute, as the main character, Cilla. Murphy completed the thriller/drama Abandoned in June 2009 and it was released in 2010, after her death.<ref name="e!">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In November 2009, Murphy left the production of The Caller, which was being filmed in Puerto Rico, and was replaced by Rachelle Lefevre. Murphy denied media reports that she had been fired from the project after being difficult on set, and cited "creative differences".<ref>Angus, Kat (December 1, 2009). "Twilight New Moon actress replaces Brittany Murphy, who 'was not' fired from movie Template:Webarchive". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved December 6, 2009.</ref> Something Wicked, her final film, was released in 2014.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Music career

File:Brittanymurphynavy.jpg

Murphy performing for the crew during a USO show aboard Template:USS on June 19, 2003

Murphy's career also included work as a singer. She was able to learn to play an instrument in just twenty minutes of practice, and learned to play the piano and trumpet at an early age.<ref name="infobae2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Regarding her voice, she commented: "My singing voice isn't like my speaking voice...I've just always kept it a secret and never taken credit because I wanted to learn how to work behind the microphone in a recording studio, and some of the singers don't even know it was me recording on their albums."<ref name="autogenerated1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In an interview she stated that her main musical influence was the American singer Madonna: "My dreams and aspirations when I was a child for as long as I can remember was to be an entertainer. I started out in dance classes and I've always sang for as long as I can remember. When I was nine I started doing musical theater in the New Jersey area, where I'm from. The quickest way to entertain more people was to audition for commercials and that was the first thing available since it was right over the Hudson River. Madonna had a quote, 'I'm going to change the world'–that was a huge inspiration to me so I decided I was going to be my own version of Madonna when I grew up".<ref name="autogenerated1" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Plans to release a studio album were not carried out.Template:Sfn She recorded unreleased demos that were never officially released, the song "Boomlay" was leaked on the Internet, it never completed and part of the recording was lost.Template:Sfn

She was in a band called Blessed Soul with fellow actor Eric Balfour in the early 1990s. On June 6, 2006, Murphy and Paul Oakenfold released the single "Faster Kill Pussycat", from the album A Lively Mind. The song became a club hit and hit number one on BillboardTemplate:'s Hot Dance Club Play chart.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> It also hit number seven in Oakenfold's native United Kingdom in June 2006.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

She dabbled in music again with the release of the film Happy Feet, in which she covered Queen's "Somebody to Love" and Earth, Wind & Fire's "Boogie Wonderland". Murphy said about her character, Gloria, "Oddly enough, of all the characters I've played, Gloria is the most like me. And she's a penguin! George Miller always wanted one person to do both [the speaking and the singing]. I said, 'I can sing,' and I asked him to give me a shot. I don't think he took me very seriously, because most actors say they can do most things."<ref name="autogenerated1"/>

Personal life

Relationships and friendships

Kutcher, Kwatinetz and Macaluso

File:Ashton Kutcher by David Shankbone 2010 NYC.jpg

Actor Ashton Kutcher Template:Small was the actress's partner from 2002 to 2003

In late 2002, she began dating Ashton Kutcher, whom she met when they starred in Just Married.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The director of the production, Shawn Levy, has commented on the relationship saying: "From the minute they met, they were together, they laughed all the time, they made jokes and they looked happy". It was later revealed that they had been engaged, due to both Kutcher and Murphy wearing rings, although it was never officially confirmed.<ref name=":4">

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|CitationClass=web }}</ref> She was engaged to talent manager Jeff Kwatinetz, but their relationship only lasted four months. She was subsequently with Joe Macaluso in December 2005, a production assistant she met while working on the film Little Black Book.<ref name="people" /> Four months after the filming of The Ramen Girl, which was in April 2006, they broke up.<ref name="people">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Winona Ryder

In the early 2000s, she was close friends with American actress Winona Ryder, who worked with her in the drama film Girl, Interrupted (1999).<ref name=":24">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> For the Los Angeles Times in September 2001, she was more open about her friendship with Ryder, where Murphy revealed that she called Ryder her "definitive mentor".<ref name=":23">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Murphy said, "Before, I didn't know how actors managed to look so pretty. They have stylists, hair and makeup. I look at old photos of the premiere of Clueless and I look like a meatball on top of another meatball".<ref name=":23" /> During a television interview, Murphy along with Ryder got into a Mercedes car and kissed mouth to mouth,<ref name=":23" /> which led theories that Murphy was a lesbian, something she rejected.Template:Sfn For People she remarked: "This was my presentation to the media, the cover of the National Enquirer". She also said that "we just kissed as a joke. I didn't know what to do because [the photographers] were in front of the car and it was either run them over or just stay there. Then I started making faces and suddenly I became Winona Ryder's lesbian lover".<ref name=":23" /> After Murphy's death, Ryder revealed to Total Film that she finds it difficult to watch the film after this event: "I can't watch the movie now. Her character commits suicide in the movie, I just can't. I was very close to Brittany, even in the moments before her death".<ref name=":24" />

Eminem

During the filming of 8 Mile (2002) she met the American rapper, singer-songwriter and actor Eminem. After the release of the film, rumors about a possible love relationship between the two of them spread.<ref name=":em">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> When she was asked on the Late Show with David Letterman if they had dated, she responded: "Yes, of course" and, laughing, added: "Well, it went. It came and went".<ref name=":em" /> Beyond speculation, it was later confirmed that the two had no relationship.<ref name=":em" /> In another interview with The Morning Call, she revealed that she was a big fan of Eminem: "I'm a fan of him... I think that he's very misunderstood." "He's brilliant...he's a brilliant guy," she continued. When the interviewer asked if the rapper was nervous during recordings with her, she jokingly replied, "You'd have to ask him. I don't want to appear in some song or something like that. I'm being careful."<ref name=":20">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On another occasion, when asked if they had "something off screen," she responded: "I'll never tell."Template:Efn<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Eminem later revealed on Vibe that the actress' death affected him greatly and that he was terrified of dying under similar circumstances.<ref name=":21"/> He also said that Murphy's death "was crazy. It's crazy because for a while we were close and she was a very good person. It's crazy when you see these cases, not just hers, but all the cases that have happened in Hollywood with people in music, in acting. Famous people. Famous people dying of overdoses at alarming rates and this almost sounds like advertising."<ref name=":21">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Simon Monjack

"Simon Monjack was a liar, a cheat, a thief, a sociopath, a con-artist and a narcissist, all wrapped up in one ball of dysfunction".{{#if:Mark Ebner in the 2023 documentary Gone Before Her Time: Brittany MurphyTemplate:Sfn|{{#if:|}}

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Months after her relationship with Macaluso, she met Simon Monjack, a British screenwriter.Template:Sfn<ref name="Bucks">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They met during the filming of The White Hotel, where Murphy played the role of actress and Monjack as director, however, the film was not released and its production was paused.Template:Sfn<ref name="E!" /> In the 2021 documentary What Happened, Brittany Murphy?, several of Monjack's colleagues and friends accused him of being responsible for Murphy's physical changes and also of not letting her connect with her family.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> According to the testimony of his ex-fiancée, Elizabeth Ragsdale, Monjack "was a disturbed individual who was used to scamming people and Brittany was one of his last victims".Template:Sfn In the two-part miniseries, Ragsdale explained that Monjack told her that he suffered from spinal cancer and needed shark cartilage treatments to recover.Template:Sfn It was not until he abandoned her while Ragsdale was pregnant that she contacted Monjack's mother, Linda Monjack, and realized that the story was fake.Template:Sfn Linda, who was interviewed, defended her son in this regard, saying he had developed extreme paranoia after the death of his own father, William Monjack, from cancer: "I certainly don't think he went out and told people he had cancer. I think he believed it."Template:Sfn Before Monjack met Murphy, he was with filmmaker Allison Burnett at a public dinner, where he told the assembled guests that he was a multimillionaire, had dated Elle Macpherson and Madonna, had a collection of Ferraris and was dying of brain cancer until he purchased a treatment derived from shark fins that saved his life; however, these theories were revealed to be lies.Template:Sfn As a result of this the media suspected that she had been deceived by a cheat.<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Actress Kathy Najimy, recalled: "[People] were scared. Like, 'Who is this guy and what was happening?'",Template:Sfn "She wanted to marry him, and I said, 'Honey, it hasn't been enough'."Template:Sfn Another reporter said that her friends and family tried to split her with Monjack at one point, but her intervention failed.Template:Sfn After that it was as if she "disappeared", according to her friend Lisa Rieffel:Template:Sfn "Simon took her away. He made sure no one could get to her."Template:Sfn The couple did not announce their engagement beforehand and rarely appeared together in public before their marriage.<ref name="E!">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In May 2007, they married in a private Jewish ceremony in Los Angeles.Template:Sfn<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During the last three and a half years of her life, she, her mother, and Monjack moved in together in the same mansion that Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake had lived in, and she kept much of her old furniture.<ref name="imdb" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Health

In the early 2000s, Murphy lost a large amount of weight,<ref name="nydn">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="ew">Template:Cite magazine</ref> which led to rumors of a cocaine addiction or that she suffered from bulimia or anorexia.<ref name="nydn" /><ref name="peoplec">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2005, Murphy disputed such claims to Jane magazine, saying: "No, just for the record I have never tried it in my entire life."<ref name="nydn" /><ref name="peoplec" />

She appeared to smoke both in movies and in the making-ofs in which she appeared. A Rolling Stone journalist remarked that "she smelled of vanilla and apricots. She had a cigarette in her hand. .... After a while, she pointed out that this was only her third cigarette of the week and that, consequently, 'I don't smoke, and I'm not smoking!' But you are smoking. 'Oh, now', she said, as if only a dullard could think otherwise. ... even though she doesn't smoke and wasn't smoking, she lit her fourth cigarette of the week and began smoking it avidly, passing time in the bathroom until it was yummy time for her again."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> She had tried to quit her addiction and was against the use of marijuana, appearing in a fifteen-minute anti-smoking campaign for young people about not smoking to more than 10,000 schools as a complement to the educational program "Right Decisions, Right Now".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She was also against the consumption of both marijuana and drugs.Template:Sfn At the same time, she suffered from type 1 diabetes mellitus.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Actress Melanie Lynskey, one of her friends, expressed her opinion about Murphy's physical changes. For InStyle, she stated: "I was friends with Brittany Murphy, and the way she saw herself always broke my heart: the things she felt she had to change to be a successful actress."<ref name=":5">

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Death

At 8:00 a.m. on December 20, 2009, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to "a medical request"<ref name="helfand">Template:Cite news</ref> at the Los Angeles home Murphy and Monjack shared. She had apparently collapsed in a bathroom.<ref name="NYT1220" /> Firefighters attempted to resuscitate Murphy on the scene. She was transported to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she died at 10:05 a.m. after going into cardiac arrest.<ref name="NYT1220" /><ref name="helfand" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

An autopsy was performed the day after she died.<ref>"L.A. Coroner Releases Brittany Murphy's Death Certificate" Template:Webarchive US Magazine. December 29, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2009.</ref> The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, in a report issued February 2010, said that the manner of death was accidental and that the cause of death was pneumonia, with secondary factors of severe iron-deficiency anemia and multiple drug intoxication.<ref name="cnn autopsy">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="cnn monjack">Template:Cite news</ref> The coroner found a range of over-the-counter and prescription medications in Murphy's system, with the most likely reason being to treat a cold or respiratory infection. These included "elevated levels" of hydrocodone, which is a narcotic; acetaminophen, L-methamphetamine, and chlorpheniramine. Hydrocodone requires a prescription while the others are over the counter. The report observed: "the possible adverse physiological effects of elevated levels of these medications cannot be discounted, especially in her weakened state."<ref name="cnn autopsy"/>

File:Brittany Murphy Grave.JPG

Grave of Brittany Murphy at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills

On December 24, 2009, Murphy was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In January 2010, Murphy's husband, Simon Monjack, and her mother, Sharon Murphy, claimed that she did not use alcohol or other drugs, and that drugs did not cause her death; instead, they attributed it to a heart condition, mitral valve prolapse.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On May 23, 2010, Monjack was found dead at the same Hollywood Hills residence.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The coroner's report attributed his death to acute pneumonia and severe anemia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was reported that the Los Angeles County Department of Health had considered toxic mold in their house as a possible cause of the deaths, but this was dismissed by Los Angeles Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter, who stated that there were "no indicators" that mold was a factor.<ref name="cnn mold">Template:Cite news</ref> Sharon Murphy described the reports of mold contributing to the deaths as "absurd" and went on to state that inspecting the home for mold was never requested by the Health Department.<ref name="people mold">Template:Cite news</ref> In December 2011, Sharon Murphy changed her stance, announcing that toxic mold was indeed what killed her daughter and son-in-law, and 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.<ref name="toxic mold cause of death">Template:Cite news</ref>

In January 2012, Murphy's father, Angelo Bertolotti, applied to the Superior Court of California requesting that the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office be required to hand over samples of his daughter's hair for independent testing.<ref name="Hair Sample Request">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name ="LA Times Hair Sample Request">Template:Cite news</ref> The suit was dismissed seven months later, after Bertolotti failed to attend two separate hearings.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In November 2013, Bertolotti claimed that a toxicology report showed that deliberate poisoning by heavy metals, including antimony and barium, was a possible cause of his daughter's death. Sharon Murphy described the claim as "a smear".<ref name ="toxicology">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name ="toxicology2">Template:Cite news</ref>

Brittany Murphy Foundation

In January 2010, Murphy's mother, Sharon, and her widower, Simon Monjack, established the Brittany Murphy Foundation, a charitable fund for children's arts education, as well as supporting the USO and cancer research.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Foundation was launched on February 4, 2010, at a fundraising event at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills.<ref name="saban">Template:Cite magazine</ref> After a records search revealed that the foundation's not-for-profit status had not been filed, the foundation refunded the donations received. In an official letter on the foundation's website, they stated that in an effort to get the foundation set up as quickly as possible, they had established it as a private foundation with plans to apply for nonprofit status later. However, they said that they had decided to wait until the foundation's nonprofit status was approved before going any further in order to truly honor Murphy and the foundation's charitable goals.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On November 10, 2013, the Brittany Murphy Foundation was officially relaunched by her father Angelo Bertolotti, according to a press release posted at the foundation's website.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Template:As of the Brittany Murphy Foundation appears to be defunct. GuideStar USA, Inc., an information service specializing in reporting on US nonprofit companies, reports that the Brittany Murphy Foundation has not appeared on the IRS Business Master File in months, which may indicate that it has ceased operations.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Legacy

Adam White, for Dazed Digital on November 15, 2017, stated that "the actress was small, but magnetic, with the rare ability to seem completely approachable and terrifying. She had a big, bawdy laugh and acted with a manic mood mixed with breathless disbelief that things had turned out so well."Template:Sfn He went on to claim that "she was the equivalent of dancing in your room to a Spice Girls song, or crying out loud at the end of a party after too many drinks", but that "she died too young to establish an adequate legacy, and quietly for posthumous super stardom."Template:Sfn He again declared that "she was not pretty enough to be a female protagonist in an era in which lithe and ethereal Gwyneth Paltrow and Kirsten Dunst were the It girls of the moment."Template:Sfn

After her death, a wide variety of friends dedicated words to her in interviews, recognizing her legacy and work within the film industry. Dakota Fanning, her co-star in the film Uptown Girls (2003) who maintained a friendship with her, said she appreciated the time they spent together both on the set of the film and at events they attended together, and that she was "very grateful to have had the opportunity to work together".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The song "Faster Kill Pussycat", by British DJ Paul Oakenfold performed by Murphy, re-entered at number seven on the UK Dance Chart.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It also entered the UK Indie Chart in the same week, peaking at number 13.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In October 2021, HBO Max aired a documentary titled What Happened, Brittany Murphy?, covering the mystery surrounding Murphy's death. In the documentary, Murphy's 8 Mile co-star Taryn Manning remembered her as "free-spirited, whimsical and full of laughter".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After the documentary premiere, Daniel Fienberg wrote for The Hollywood Reporter that the documentary was "20 percent a reminder of Murphy's transcendent talent, 30 percent a dead-ended investigation into the mystery of her death, and 50 percent an unenlightening examination of Murphy's late husband", and concluded his review saying that "[Murphy] deserved better than the treatment she received in the media, which probably contributed to [Monjack's] ability to control her in the way he did."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2023, Alicia Silverstone, who was also her co-star in Clueless (1995) and one of her friends, commented on what it was like working with Murphy during filming:

I always remember when she auditioned for the part. It was the first time I was in a casting room where I was not auditioning. I was just there to help them facilitate chemistry reads. I just remember when she came in and did hers, because when she walked out of the room, I was like, "You guys! Did you see that?" As if they wouldn't know. They were like, "Yes, we saw that!" They were excited too, but it was my first time. She was just so good.{{#if:Alicia Silverstone<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>|{{#if:|}}

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Filmography

Films

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1993	Family Prayers	Elise	Alternative title: A Family Divided
1995	Clueless	Tai Frasier
1996	Freeway	Rhonda
1997	Bongwater	Mary
	Drive	Deliverance Bodine
1998	Falling Sky	Emily Nicholson
	Template:Sortname	Izzy	Direct-to-video release
	Phoenix	Veronica
	Zack and Reba	Reba Simpson
1999	Drop Dead Gorgeous	Lisa Swenson
	Girl, Interrupted	Daisy Randone
2000	Trixie	Ruby Pearli
	Angels!	Nurse Bellows
	Cherry Falls	Jody Marken
	Template:Sortname	Daniella	Short subject
2001	Sidewalks of New York	Ashley
	Summer Catch	Dede Mulligan
	Don't Say a Word	Elisabeth Burrows
	Riding in Cars with Boys	Fay Forrester
2002	Spun	Nikki
	Something in Between	Sky	Short subject
	8 Mile	Alex Latourno
2003	Just Married	Sarah McNerney
	Uptown Girls	Molly Gunn
	Good Boy!	Nelly	Voice role
2004	Little Black Book	Stacy Holt
2005	Sin City	Shellie
	Neverwas	Maggie Paige
2006	Template:Sortname	Sue
	Love and Other Disasters	Emily "Jacks" Jackson
	Happy Feet	Gloria	Voice role
	Template:Sortname	Krista Kutcher
2008	Template:Sortname	Abby	Producer credit<ref>Template:Usurped</ref>
	Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs	Colleen O'Hallahan	Voice role; direct-to-video release
2009	Across the Hall	June
	Deadline	Alice	Direct-to-video release
2010	Abandoned	Mary	Direct-to-video; posthumous release
2014	Something Wicked	Susan	Posthumous release

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1991	Murphy Brown	Frank's sister	Episode: "On Another Plane: Part 1"
1991–1992	Drexell's Class	Brenda Drexell	18 episodes
1992	Kids Incorporated	Celeste	Episode: "Lay Off"
	Parker Lewis Can't Lose	Angie	Episode: "The Kiss"
1993	Almost Home	Molly Morgan	13 episodes
	Blossom	Wendy	Episode: "Blossom in Paris: Part 1"
1994	Frasier	Olsen	Episode: "Give Him the Chair!"
	Party of Five	Abby	2 episodes
1994–1995	Sister, Sister	Sarah	6 episodes
1995	Boy Meets World	Trini Martin	2 episodes
	Template:Sortname	Lizzie Roth	Episode: "These Foolish Things"
	seaQuest DSV	Christine VanCamp	Episode: "Second Chance"
	Murder One	Diane "Dee-Dee" Carson	Episode: "Chapter Nine"
1996	Double Jeopardy	Julia	TV movie
	Nash Bridges	Carrie	Episode: "Night Train"
	Clueless	Jasmine	Episode: "Driving Me Crazy"
1997–1998	Pepper Ann	Tank / Poison (voice)	2 episodes: "Sketch 22" (Tank) & "Presenting Stewart Walldinger" (Poison)
1997–2009	King of the Hill	Luanne Platter / various characters (voice)	226 episodes
1998	David and Lisa	Lisa	Movie
1999	Template:Sortname	Rivkah	Showtime film
2000	Common Ground	Dorothy Nelson	Movie
2005	I'm Still Here	Voiceover	Documentary about The Holocaust
2009	Tribute	Cilla McGowan	Movie
	Megafault	Dr. Amy Lane	Movie
2021	What Happened, Brittany Murphy?	Herself	Posthumous release; archive footage

Video games

Year	Title	Voice role	Notes
1995	My First Encyclopedia	Space floor guide	Live action
2006	Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure	Karen Light
	Happy Feet	Gloria

Music videos

Year	Song	Artist	Notes
1995	"Here"	Luscious Jackson
2001	"A Little Respect"	Wheatus
2004	"Closest Thing to Heaven"	Tears for Fears
2006	"Faster Kill Pussycat"	Paul Oakenfold	Also provided vocals on song

Stage work

Year	Production	Role	Location
1997	A View from the Bridge<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Catherine	Broadway

Awards and nominations

Annie Awards
Year	Category	Nominated work	Result	Template:Abbreviation
1997	Best Individual Achievement: Voice Acting by a Female Performer in a TV Production	King of the Hill (Template:Small)	Template:Nom	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2000	Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Television Production	King of the Hill (Template:Small)	Template:Nom	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2004	Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production	King of the Hill (Template:Small)	Template:Won	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Awards Circuit Community Awards
Year	Category	Nominated work	Result	Template:Abbreviation
1995	Best Supporting Actress	Clueless	Template:Nom	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Satellite Awards
Year	Category	Nominated work	Result	Template:Abbreviation
2002	Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture	Don't Say a Word	Template:Nom	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Spike Video Game Awards
Year	Category	Nominated work	Result	Template:Abbreviation
2006	Best Supporting Female Performance	Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure	Template:Nom	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Teen Choice Awards
Year	Category	Nominated work	Result	Template:Abbreviation
2003	Choice Movie Actress—Comedy	Just Married	Template:Nom	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	Choice Lip Lock (shared with Ashton Kutcher)		Template:Nom
	Choice Movie Actress—Drama/Action-Adventure	8 Mile	Template:Nom
	Choice Lip Lock (shared with Eminem)		Template:Nom
2005	Choice Movie Actress—Drama	Little Black Book	Template:Nom	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Young Artist Awards
Year	Category	Nominated work	Result	Template:Abbreviation
1996	Best Professional Actress/Singer	Template:N/a	Template:Nom	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	Best Young Supporting Actress in a Feature Film	Clueless	Template:Nom
1999	Best Performance in a TV Movie/Pilot/Mini-Series or Series—Leading Young Actress	David and Lisa	Template:Nom	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2000	Best Young Leading Actress in a Feature Film	Girl, Interrupted	Template:Nom	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

References

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External links

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