Danica McKellar, celebrity math whiz

I always knew little Winnie Cooper would amount to something. Winnie, of course, was the beloved girl next door played by Danica McKellar on The Wonder Years. Turns out young Danica, now 30, was (and is) one smart cookie. The New York Times writes about her post-Wonder Years life today in its Science section. Yep, Science, not Arts. Turns out Danica is really good at math. We’re talking prodigy level. After The Wonder Years ended (Winnie went off to study art in Paris, as you’ll recall), McKellar attended UCLA, where she was recruited as an undergrad by a math professor to do original research on an unproven theory—work usually reserved for grad students and PhDs. The research led to the proof of a new theorem—something about magnetic fields and how they line up, called the Chayes-McKellar(you go, girl!)-Winn Theorem. McKellar eventually began a career in math but went back to acting (she now has a recurring role on The West Wing). Math, she tells the Times, was too isolating and lonely. Wouldn’t it be great if more people in Hollywood were as bright as McKellar? Maybe we’d have fewer idiot reality shows starring bratty heiresses and pseudo-celebrities noted more for the number of restraining orders issued against them than any perceptible talent.

—Posted by Steve McClellan

Photo: Michael Germana/Star Max Photos/Newscom

July 19, 2005 | Permalink