Award-winning actress Kimberly J. Brown was born in Gaithersburg, MD, and began acting at the age of five. She appeared in a history-making three Broadway shows by age nine: John Guare’s Four Baboons Adoring the Sun, Les Misérables (alongside real-life friend and co-star Lacey Chabert), and the Tony-winning revival of Showboat. Her early television credits include the soap opera Guiding Light, which earned her an Emmy nomination during her initial five year stay as fan favorite “Marah Lewis,” a role she returned to briefly as an adult before the show went off the air.
Brown gained widespread recognition for her role as teen witch Marnie Piper in Disney Channel’s Halloweentown movie series, playing the granddaughter of Debbie Reynolds. The films are now popular staples of the Halloween season, solidifying her as a familiar face for generations of viewers. She also starred in the movie “Quints” for the channel, with fans now continuing to enjoy all four films on Disney+.
The New York Times labeled Brown’s coming of age role in the indie film Tumbleweeds “…the child performance of the year,” where she starred with Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee, Janet McTeer. Brown won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance. She then starred in the Stephen King miniseries Rose Red with Nancy Travis, and Hallmark Hall of Fame’s My Sister’s Keeper opposite Lynn Redgrave.
Her additional feature film credits include playing Steve Martin’s daughter in the comedy Bringing Down the House with Queen Latifah; Uma Thurman’s assistant in “Be Cool” with John Travolta (the “Get Shorty” sequel), Sony’s “Friendship!” and “Big Bad Wolf” for Universal.
More recently, Brown played Brennan Elliott’s sister (again with friend Lacey Chabert) in the “Crossword Mysteries” movie series for Hallmark’s Movies and Mysteries Channel. She also recurred on AMC’s Low Winter Sun and General Hospital, much to the delight of her longtime soap fans. Her additional television credits include Law & Order: SVU, Touched by an Angel, Two of a Kind, Saturday Night Live and more.
Audiences can hear Brown’s voice in the animated features A Bug’s Life and The Little Polar Bear, on the Disney+ cartoon The Ghost and Molly McGee, and as the titular character in the popular anime show Vampire Princess: Miyu. She also uttered the immortal line “Silly Rabbit, Trix are for Kids!” while voicing numerous General Mills cereal commercials for several years.
In real life, Brown is married to her Halloweentown II co-star Daniel Kountz; they currently reside in Los Angeles with their furry dog, Luna. She continues to create digital content for her social media platforms where she and Kountz also appear together in original comedy content. They can next be seen co-starring in “Haul Out the Halloween” on Hallmark Channel. Kimberly can be found on most social platforms at @OfficialKJB, or her official website: www.KimberlyJBrown.com
