Danica McKellar

Blessed with a charismatic and sweet screen presence, Danica McKellar gracefully made the transition from child star to adult actress. Achieving early fame as Winnie Cooper, the girl next door for whom Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage) pines on "The Wonder Years" (ABC, 1988-1993), McKellar went on to make her film debut in the martial arts fantasy "Sidekicks" (1992). Earning her degree in mathematics from UCLA and co-authoring an important mathematical physics theorem, the Chayes-McKellar-Winn Theorem, McKellar became a globally acclaimed advocate for the importance of girls and women to learn and love math. Writing a string of educational bestsellers including 2007's Math Doesn't Suck: How to Survive Middle School Math Without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail, 2009's Kiss My Math: Showing Pre-Algebra Who's Boss, 2011's Hot X: Algebra Exposed! and 2012's Girls Get Curves: Geometry Takes Shape, she earned enormous goodwill for her efforts. Onscreen, she graduated to more grown-up roles with a recurring turn on "The West Wing" (NBC, 1999-2006) and guest spots on everything from "NYPD Blue" (ABC, 1993-2005) to "How I Met Your Mother" (CBS, 2005-14) and "The Big Bang Theory" (CBS, 2007- ). Radiating a down-to-earth glamour as well as a genuine passion for math, Danica McKellar carved out a fascinating second act to her entertainment industry career.