Soleil Moon Frye Biography

Soleil Moon Frye (born August 6, 1976) is an American actress, director and screenwriter.

Frye began her career as a child actor at the age of 2. When she was 7 years old, Frye won the role of Penelope "Punky" Brewster in the sitcom Punky Brewster. The series, which debuted on NBC in September 1984, earned consistently low ratings but the Punky character was a hit with young children. After NBC canceled the series, it was picked up for the syndication market where it aired for an additional two seasons ending in 1988.

After the series ended, Frye continued her career in guest spots on television and supporting roles in films. She attended The New School during the late 1990s, and directed her first film, Wild Horses, in 1998. In 2000, she joined the cast of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch as Roxie King, Sabrina Spellman's (Melissa Joan Hart) roommate and close friend. Frye remained with the series until its end in April 2003. She has since continued her acting career working mainly as a voice actor. Frye also voiced Aseefa in the animated series Planet Sheen.

In 1996, Frye married producer Jason Goldberg with whom she has two children. She has since opened an organic specialty clothing shop for children, The Little Seed, in Los Angeles. She also hosts a blog and web series which focus on child rearing and women's issues. In 2011, Frye released her first book Happy Chaos: From Punky to Parenting and My Perfectly Imperfect Adventures in Between.

Early life

Frye was born in Glendora, California. Her father is actor Virgil Frye, and her mother is talent agent and caterer Sondra Peluce (née Londy). She has two half-brothers, Sean Frye and Meeno Peluce, both former child actors. Frye's parents divorced when she was two.

Frye was educated at a private school in Los Feliz and attended San Fernando Valley Professional School in Burbank.

Career

Acting

Frye made her acting debut in the 1982 television movie Missing Children: A Mother's Story. In 1983, she had a supporting role in Who Will Love My Children?, another television movie starring Ann-Margret. The following year, she portrayed Elizabeth (Bette) Kovacs in the biographical television movie Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter, and appeared in another television movie, Invitation to Hell, directed by Wes Craven.

At the age of seven, Frye beat out over 3,000 girls to win the title role on the NBC sitcom Punky Brewster. The series, which conceived by NBC's then-head of programming Brandon Tartikoff, premiered on September 14, 1985. Scheduled opposite CBS's highly rated 60 Minutes, the series struggled in the ratings but the character of Punky was popular among children. Frye routinely appeared at parades, participated in an anti-drug walks with then-First Lady Nancy Reagan, and was the honorary chairperson for the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Frye also voiced the lead role in the animated series It's Punky Brewster, which began airing during Punky Brewsters first season. Despite the series' low ratings, Brandon Tartikoff decided to renew the show for a second season because it was the highest rated show watched by children 2 to 11-years old. Punky Brewster's second season, which dealt with more serious subject matters such as CPR and first-aid training, drug use and the Just Say No campaign, and the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, did not improve ratings and NBC canceled the series in April 1986. The series was quickly picked up by Columbia Pictures Television and began airing in first-run syndication. Punky Brewster aired for an additional two seasons, ending in May 1988.

Immediately upon Punky Brewster's end, Frye landed the lead role in the ABC sitcom pilot Cadets, which aired as a summer special on September 25, 1988. The pilot, however, was not picked up. In 1989, Frye hosted the syndicated weekly talk/variety show Girl Talk. Based on the board game of the same name, Frye shared hosting duties with Sarah Michelle Gellar and Rod Brogan. The series was canceled after one season.

During the 1990s, she guest starred on several television series including The Wonder Years, Saved by the Bell, and Friends, and voiced characters for the animated series Tiny Toon Adventures and The Cartoon Cartoon Show. In addition to her television work, Frye has appeared in the films The Liars' Club (1993) and Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings (1995) and in stage productions of Orestes, I Murdered My Mother and The Housekeeper.

From 2000 to 2003, Frye portrayed the character of Roxie King in Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, with her longtime friend and series producer Melissa Joan Hart. During the run of Sabrina, she voiced the character of Zoey in the Disney Channel series The Proud Family and the series' 2005 television movie.

In 2004, she voiced Jade, a Bratz character in the direct-to-video release Bratz: Starrin' & Stylin'. She also voiced the character for the television series, and the video games Bratz Rock Angelz (2005) and Bratz: Forever Diamondz (2006). From 2010 to February 2013, Frye voiced Aseefa in the animated series Planet Sheen.

Directing

In 1996, Frye moved to New York to attend The New School and later directed her first film, Wild Horses (1998).

Frye directed her second film, Sonny Boy, in 2004. The documentary chronicles a two week trip Frye took with her father, Virgil, who had Alzheimer's disease. Sonny Boy was an official selection at the 27th Starz Denver International Film Festival and won Best Documentary at the San Diego Film Festival.

Other ventures

In 2007, Frye, along with two friends, opened The Little Seed, an environmentally-conscious children's specialty boutique in Los Angeles.

In March 2010, Frye and her friend and former Sabrina castmate Melissa Joan Hart launched the "Better Together" campaign for Gain.

In September 2011, Frye released her first book, Happy Chaos: From Punky to Parenting and My Perfectly Imperfect Adventures in Between. She also hosts a web series, Her Say, and hosts a blog on her official website both of which deal with women's issues and parenting.

Personal life

As a teen, Frye suffered from gigantomastia. She underwent a breast reduction three months before her 16th birthday.

Marriage and children

On October 25, 1998, Frye married television producer Jason Goldberg in a Jewish ceremony (Frye's mother is Jewish, as is Goldberg). Frye and Goldberg have two daughters: Poet Sienna Rose Goldberg (born August 2005) and Jagger Joseph Blue Goldberg (born March 2008). In August 2013, Frye announced that she is expecting her third child.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1987	You Ruined My Life	Minerva
1993	The Liars' Club	Gigi
1994	The St. Tammany Miracle	Julia	Alternative title: Heavenly Hoops
1994	Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings	Marcie
1995	Run a Mile in My Shoes
1995	Twisted Love	Sharon Stewart
1996	Mind Games	Becky Hanson
1998	Wild Horses	–	Writer, director
1999	Motel Blue	Agent Kyle Rivers
2000	The Girls' Room	Casey	Alternative title: Best of Enemies
2001	Alex in Wonder	Alissa	Alternative title: Sex and a Girl
2004	Sonny Boy	–	Director
2004	Bratz: Starrin' & Stylin'	Jade (voice)	Direct-to-DVD release
2006	Bratz: Passion 4 Fashion - Diamondz	Jade (voice)	Direct-to-DVD release

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1982	Missing Children: A Mother's Story	Mary Elizabeth	Television movie
1983	Who Will Love My Children?	Linda Fray	Television movie
1983	Little Shots	Samantha	Television movie
1984	Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter	Elizabeth Kovacs #2	Television movie
1984	Invitation to Hell	Chrissy Winslow	Television movie
1985	Diff'rent Strokes	Terry Harris	Episode: "Sam's New Pal"
1985	MacGruder and Loud	Kathy	Episode: "The Very Scary Man"
1984–1988	Punky Brewster	Penelope "Punky" Brewster	88 episodes
1985	Back to Next Saturday	Punky Brewster	Television special
1985–1986	It's Punky Brewster	Penelope "Punky" Brewster (Voice)	26 episodes
1986	Alvin Goes Back to School	Punky Brewster	Television special
1987	The Law & Harry McGraw	Charlene	Episode: "She's Not Wild About Harry"
1988	Cadets	Tyler McKay	Unsold pilot
1990	Where's Rodney?	Sonya	Television movie
1990	The Wonder Years	Mimi Detweiler	Episode: "Growing Up"
1992	Saved by the Bell	Robin	Episode: "Screech's Spaghetti Sauce"
1992	Tiny Toon Adventures	Amanda Duff (Voice)	2 episodes
1992	ABC Weekend Special	Tina	Episode: "Choose Your Own Adventure: The Case of the Silk King"
1993	The Ren & Stimpy Show	Voice role	Episode: "Stimpy's Fan Club"
1994	Summertime Switch	Peggy, the head cheerleader	Television movie
1994	Heaven Help Us		Episode: "First Comes Love"
1995	Piranha	Laura	Television movie
1996	The Cartoon Cartoon Show	Mary (Voice)	Episode: "Johnny Bravo and the Amazon Women"
1997	The Secret	Emily DeCapprio	Television movie
1998	I've Been Waiting for You	Kyra Thompson	Television movie
1999	Working	Jen Miller	Episode: "The Prodigy"
1999	Friends	Katie	Episode: "The One with the Girl Who Hits Joey"
1999	Grown Ups	Robin	Episode: Pilot
2000–2003	Sabrina, the Teenage Witch	Roxie King	66 episodes
2001–2005	The Proud Family	Zoey (Voice)	47 episodes
2005	The Proud Family Movie	Zoey (Voice)	Television movie
2005	The X's	Annasthesia (Voice)	Episode: "License to Slumber/Three Days of the Coin Op"
2009	Robot Chicken	Voice roles	2 episodes
2010"present	Planet Sheen	Aseefa (voice)	12 episodes

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Title of work	Result
1985	Young Artist Award	Best Young Actress in a Television Comedy Series	Punky Brewster
1986		Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series	Punky Brewster
1988		Best Young Female Superstar in Television	Punky Brewster
1988		Best Animation Voice Over Group	It's Punky Brewster (Shared with Casey Ellison, Ami Foster, Teddy Field III, and Cherie Johnson)
1989		Best Young Actress Guest Starring in a Syndicated Family Comedy, Drama or Special	Mickey's 60th Birthday
1989		Best Young Actress - Voice Over Role	It's Punky Brewster
2004	San Diego Film Festival	Best Documentary	Sonny Boy