Danielle Spencer (US actress)
Encyclopedia
Danielle Spencer is an American
actress
and former child star
best known for her role as the sarcastic Dee Thomas on the ABC
sitcom
What's Happening!!
, which ran from 1976 to 1979. She would later reprise the role in four episodes on the series' sequel, What's Happening Now!!
.
Spencer is the stepdaughter of actor Tim Pelt, who was killed in a car accident on September 7, 1977. Spencer herself was seriously injured in that same accident.
Spencer attended the University of California-Davis two years (1983–85) to pursue her a degree in veterinary medicine, a pursuit encouraged by her late stepfather. She later took a break from her studies to participate in the revival of her character, Dee, in What's Happening Now!! (1985–1988). While matriculating her sophomore year, Danielle pledged and became a member of Delta Sigma Theta
sorority.
Spencer attended Tuskegee University Veterinary School, in Tuskgeee, Alabama and became a veterinarian
in 1996. She also portrayed a veterinarian in the films As Good as It Gets
in 1997 and Peter Rabbit and the Crucifix in 2001.
Spencer has been married since 1999.
Spencer tied with Alison Arngrim
, who played Nellie Oleson
on Little House on the Prairie
, for the "Character Most in Need of a Time-out" award on the 2006 TV Land Awards.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and former child star
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
best known for her role as the sarcastic Dee Thomas on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
What's Happening!!
What's Happening!!
What's Happening!! is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from August 5, 1976 to April 28, 1979. The show premiered as a summer series. With good ratings and reviews, and after the failure of several other shows on the network, What's Happening!! returned in November 1976 as a weekly...
, which ran from 1976 to 1979. She would later reprise the role in four episodes on the series' sequel, What's Happening Now!!
What's Happening Now!!
What's Happening Now!! is an American television sitcom spinoff of What's Happening!!. It ran in syndication from 1985 to 1988. Like the previous series, What's Happening Now!! is loosely based on the motion picture Cooley High...
.
Spencer is the stepdaughter of actor Tim Pelt, who was killed in a car accident on September 7, 1977. Spencer herself was seriously injured in that same accident.
Spencer attended the University of California-Davis two years (1983–85) to pursue her a degree in veterinary medicine, a pursuit encouraged by her late stepfather. She later took a break from her studies to participate in the revival of her character, Dee, in What's Happening Now!! (1985–1988). While matriculating her sophomore year, Danielle pledged and became a member of Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University...
sorority.
Spencer attended Tuskegee University Veterinary School, in Tuskgeee, Alabama and became a veterinarian
Veterinarian
A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
in 1996. She also portrayed a veterinarian in the films As Good as It Gets
As Good as It Gets
As Good as It Gets is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by James L. Brooks and produced by Laura Ziskin. It stars Jack Nicholson as a misanthropic, obsessive-compulsive novelist, Helen Hunt as a single mother with an asthmatic son, and Greg Kinnear as a gay artist. The screenplay was...
in 1997 and Peter Rabbit and the Crucifix in 2001.
Spencer has been married since 1999.
Spencer tied with Alison Arngrim
Alison Arngrim
Alison Margaret Arngrim is an American actress, stand-up comedian and author.Arngrim's father, Thor Arngrim, was a well-known Hollywood manager...
, who played Nellie Oleson
Nellie Oleson
Nellie Oleson is a fictional character that appeared in the children's books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Her character was later adapted for the NBC television show, Little House on the Prairie. She also stars in the book Nellie Oleson Meets Laura Ingalls, by Heather Williams.Nellie was a...
on Little House on the Prairie
Little House on the Prairie (TV series)
Little House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s. The show was an adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books...
, for the "Character Most in Need of a Time-out" award on the 2006 TV Land Awards.