Childhood & Early Life
Kimberly Jean Brown was born on November 16, 1984, in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA. Kimberly was raised along with her three brothers, Dylan, Roman, and Richard. As a child, Kimberly would imitate various film characters along with her brothers. After noticing her acting skills, her mother Latina Brown enrolled her at an acting class.
After graduating high school, Kimberly got herself enrolled at a college. In 2010, she mentioned in one of her interviews that she would soon be graduating college. She later took to her social media page to announce that she has obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Business.
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Career
Kimberly started appearing in commercials as a child model. When she was just five years old, she was signed to the renowned New York City-based international modeling agency, ‘Ford Models.’ In March 1990, she played Amanda Delaney in the American live-action TV series, ‘The Baby-Sitters Club.’ In the series, Kimberly was seen in an episode titled ‘The Baby-Sitters Remember.’
At the age of seven, she made her Broadway debut. When she was nine years old, she made history by becoming the youngest actress to be featured in three Broadway productions, namely ‘Les Miserables,’ ‘Four Baboons Adoring the Sun,’ and ‘Showboat.’
In 1993, she landed an opportunity to play one of the main characters in the American television soap opera ‘Guiding Light.’ The series is mentioned in ‘Guinness World Records’ as the longest-running American TV soap opera. In the series, Kimberly played Marah Lewis from December 22, 1993 to July 13, 1998. She then reprised her role from November 17 to December 1, 2006. The role not only gave her widespread recognition but also earned her a nomination at ‘Daytime Emmy Awards’ for ‘Outstanding Younger Actress’ in 1996.
In 1997, she lent her voice to the dubbed English version of the Japanese horror manga series, ‘Vampire Princess Miyu.’ She also voiced many commercials before being cast as a voice actor for an uncredited role in the 1998 computer-animated comedy film, ‘A Bug's Life.’
She then earned one of the most memorable roles of her career when she was roped in to play a young witch named Marnie Piper in the 1998 ‘Disney Channel Original Movie,’ ‘Halloweentown.’ She was cast in the movie along with veteran actress Debbie Reynolds who played Agatha ‘Aggie’ Cromwell. Since the movie was well-received, ‘Disney Channel’ came up with a sequel and a prequel to ‘Halloweentown.’ Kimberly reprised her role in both sequel and the prequel. While the sequel ‘Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge’ was released on October 12, 2001, the prequel ‘Halloweentown High’ was released on October 8, 2004.
In 2006, the fourth and final installment of the ‘Halloweentown’ series was released. However, the producers roped in Sara Paxton to play Marnie in the film, thus ousting Kimberly from the franchise. Kimberly was quite disappointed by the decision of the producers. In fact, she didn’t shy away from expressing her disappointment publicly. The fans too were disappointed as they didn’t like the performance of Sara Paxton in the fourth installment of the series, ‘Return to Halloweentown.’
The makers of ‘Return to Halloweentown’ were criticized for not casting Kimberly despite the fact that she available for the shoot. According to BuzzFeed’s Katie Heaney, the first three installments of ‘Halloweentown’ were the best thing about the franchise, while the fourth film was best left ignored. MTV’s Stacey Grant said that the fans should act as if ‘Return to Halloweentown’ never happened.
Meanwhile, Kimberly played Ava Walker in the 1999 comedy-drama film ‘Tumbleweeds.’ Her on-screen chemistry with Janet McTeer received great acclaim from the likes of ‘San Francisco Chronicle’ and ‘Rolling Stone.’ ‘New York Times’ said the movie felt like a documentary because of the extraordinarily nuanced performances of the actors. For her role, Kimberly won the ‘Young Artist Award’ for ‘Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actress’ and an ‘Independent Spirit Award’ for ‘Best Debut Performance.’
In August 2000, Kimberly played Jamie Grover in the ‘Disney Channel Original Movie’ ‘Quints.’ In 2002, Kimberly once again proved her mettle when she played Annie Wheaton, an autistic teenager with telekinetic powers, in the American television miniseries ‘Rose Red.’ That year, she also played Young Christine Chapman, a manic-depressive schizophrenic, in the ‘Hallmark Channel Original Movie’ ‘My Sister's Keeper.’
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In 2003, she played Sarah Sanderson in the Steve Martin and Queen Latifah-starrer blockbuster film ‘Bringing Down the House’ which released on March 7, 2003. In the film, she played Steve Martin’s on-screen daughter. Another notable film featuring Kimberly was the John Travolta and Uma Thurman-starrer crime-comedy film ‘Be Cool,’ which released on March 11, 2005.
Kimberly was also featured in single episodes of series, such as ‘Touched by an Angel’ (1999) and ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ (2003). In 2010, she was seen in the Markus Goller-directed German film ‘Friendship!’ In 2018, Kimberly played Jenn in a short film titled ‘Wrong Side of 25.’
Besides her acting career, Kimberly J. Brown is also known for releasing a Halloween-themed children’s book titled ‘Poppin's Pumpkin Patch Parade.’ The book, which she co-wrote with Diane Yslas, was published on September 19, 2016. Patrick Carlson contributed the illustrations for the book.
Kimberly also runs the Etsy shop ‘CraftilyCreative’ with a friend. The shop sells Halloweentown-themed merchandise along with a range of other products. She trains and performs at ‘The Upright Citizens Brigade’ (UCB). She also aspires to produce a couple of films in the near future.
Family & Personal Life
Kimberly does not prefer to divulge anything pertaining to her private life. However, in 2018, she told her fans that her ‘Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge’ co-star Daniel Kountz is more than just a friend. Kimberly and Daniel are currently dating and the two are often seen attending parties and weddings together. In 2018, Kimberly and Daniel were seen together at ‘The Big Bang Theory’ star Kaley Cuoco’s wedding.
During her spare time, Kimberly likes to write and produce improv comedy sketches. She uploads her comedy videos on her self-titled YouTube channel. The channel, which she created on July 6, 2008, has garnered thousands of views and subscribers. She is also active on other social media platforms, such as Twitter and Instagram where she has thousands of followers.
Facts About Kimberly J. Brown
Brown is not only an accomplished actress, but she is also a talented candle maker, running her own candle business called Craftily Ever After.
Brown is passionate about giving back to the community and has been involved in various charitable endeavors, including supporting organizations that help children in need.
Brown is a self-proclaimed Disney fanatic and has visited Disneyland numerous times, often sharing her love for the theme park on social media.
Brown makes time for her hobbies, which include painting and crafting, showcasing her creative side beyond her acting career.
Brown has a strong presence on social media, where she engages with her fans and shares behind-the-scenes glimpses into her life, creating a personal connection with her followers.
