| Kimberly J. Brown | |
| Birth Name: | Kimberly Jean Brown |
| Birth Place: | Gaithersburg, Maryland, U.S. |
| Birth Date: | 16 November 1984 |
| Occupation: | Actress |
| Years Active: | 1989–present |
| Notable Works: | Guiding Light Halloweentown |
| Website: | Official Website |
Kimberly Jean Brown[1] (born November 16, 1984)[2] is an American actress. She is best known for her leading role as teen witch Marnie Piper in the Halloweentown film series (1998–2004), co-starring Debbie Reynolds.
Brown first gained recognition for her portrayal of Marah Lewis in the CBS soap opera Guiding Light (1993–1998, 2006), which earned her a nomination for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series. She garnered further critical acclaim for her performance as Ava Walker in the comedy-drama film Tumbleweeds (1999), for which she won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Breakthrough Performance. Brown also starred as Annie Wheaton in the ABC horror miniseries Rose Red (2002), which was written by Stephen King. She appeared in the comedy film Bringing Down the House (2003), the horror film Big Bad Wolf (2006), and the comedy film Friendship! (2010).
Born in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Brown began her career at age five.[3] By the time she was 11, she had enjoyed success as a child model with Ford Models, performed in multiple Broadway shows and earned an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Marah Lewis on Guiding Light.[4] [5] She found work as a voice actress, lending her voice to commercials, A Bug's Life, and the English dub of Vampire Princess Miyu.
At 13, Brown was cast in her most notable film, the Disney Channel Original Movie Halloweentown. In the movie, she played 13-year-old Marnie Piper, a young witch who is determined to learn magic from her grandmother Aggie, portrayed by Debbie Reynolds.[6] [7] In September 2016, Brown recalled an audition for the film in which she had to react to a conversation when it was revealed that the character Marnie is a witch.[8] Brown read for the role twice before being cast. Halloweentown aired on October 17, 1998 and was well received by audiences, leading Disney Channel to produce three sequels; Brown reprised her role as Marnie in two of them.[9] She was replaced by Sara Paxton in the fourth installment, Return to Halloweentown,[10] a decision over which Brown expressed confusion and disappointment.[11] Fans of the franchise were unhappy with Paxton's portrayal of the character and some major entertainment outlets were critical. BuzzFeed said that the first three films were the best thing about Halloween while the fourth film was best left ignored; MTV said fans should act as if the fourth film had never happened.[12] [13] Outside of Halloweentown, Brown also starred in another Disney Channel original movie, the 2000 film Quints.[14] In 1999, Brown co-starred with Janet McTeer in Tumbleweeds which received positive reviews.[15] [16]
In May 2021, it was announced she had joined the cast of General Hospital.[17]
Brown and a friend run the Etsy shop CraftilyCreative, which sells a variety of items, including Halloweentown-themed merchandise.[18] [19]
In 2016, Brown published a Halloween-themed children's book, Poppin's Pumpkin Patch Parade, with co-author Diane Yslas.[20]
In a 2010 interview, Brown said that she was close to graduating from college, although she did not disclose what her major was or the school where she was studying.[21] She revealed in 2018 that she had received a Bachelor of Science degree in business.[22]
Brown revealed in 2019 that she has celiac disease.[23]
In 2016, she reconnected with Halloweentown II co-star Daniel Kountz for a Halloweentown-themed project for Brown's YouTube channel, and they soon began dating.[24] In June 2022, Brown announced they were engaged.[25] [26] In April 2024, the couple were married.[27]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Princess Caraboo | English imposter of Princess Caraboo | Uncredited |
| 1998 | A Bug's Life | Female Ants (voice) | |
| 1999 | Tumbleweeds | Ava Walker | |
| 2001 | Lena/Manilli | English dub | |
| 2003 | Bringing Down the House | Sarah Sanderson | |
| 2005 | Be Cool | Tiffany | |
| 2006 | Big Bad Wolf | Sam Marche | |
| 2010 | Friendship! | Dorothee | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The Baby-Sitters Club | Amanda Delaney | Episode: "The Baby-Sitters Remember" | |
| 1993–1998, 2006 | Guiding Light | Marah Lewis | Recurring role | |
| 1997 | Vampire Princess Miyu | Miyu Yamano | Voice role (English dub), 7 episodes | |
| 1997 | Ellen Foster | Dora | Television film | |
| 1998 | Unhappily Ever After | Helena, Girl #1 | 3 episodes | |
| 1998 | Halloweentown | Marnie Piper | Disney Channel Original Movie | |
| 1998–1999 | Two of a Kind | Nicole | 2 episodes | |
| 1999 | Touched by an Angel | Amy Lumpkin | Episode: "The Last Day of the Rest of Your Life" | |
| 2000 | Quints | Jamie Grover | Disney Channel Original Movie | |
| 2001 | Marnie Piper | Disney Channel Original Movie | ||
| 2002 | My Sister's Keeper | Young Christine Chapman | Hallmark Channel Original Movie[28] | |
| 2002 | Rose Red | Annie Wheaton | Miniseries | |
| 2003 | Jessica Morse / Margory Maddox | Episode: "Perfect" | ||
| 2004 | Halloweentown High | Marnie Piper | Disney Channel Original Movie | |
| 2013 | Low Winter Sun | Shana Taylor | 5 episodes | |
| 2018 | Mondays | Older Kelly | Episode: "That Time When I Met My Future Self" | |
| 2019 | Crossword Mysteries: Proposing Murder | Angela | Television film | |
| 2021 | General Hospital | Chloe Jennings | Recurring Role | |
| 2023 | The Ghost and Molly McGee | Blair (voice) | Episode: "The Unhaunting of Brighton Video" |
| Year | Title | Role | Playwright | Venue | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Four Baboons Adoring The Sun | Robin | Vivian Beaumont Theater, Broadway | [29] | ||
| 1994 | Show Boat | Children Ensemble / Young Kim Understudy | Jerome Kern / Oscar Hammerstein II | Gershwin Theatre, Broadway | [30] |