American television and film actress, Soleil Moon Frye emerged as a celebrity in the late 1980s with her breakthrough portrayal of Penelope Brewster aka Punky in the short lived sitcom, Punky Brewster, which aired on NBC from 1984 to 1986 and again by popular demand for syndication until 1988. Born August 6, 1976, Frye went on to further her career in television by appearing in various recurring and guest roles in series and began making a name in cinema with roles in movies like The St. Tammany Miracle, Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings, Motel Blue, The Girl’s Room and Bratz: Starrin’ &Stylin’.
Frye was born to actor Virgil Frye and brought up in Glendora, California. Her parents separated and divorced two years after her birth and remarried. Her two half-brothers are MeenoPeluce and Sean Frye, who are both actors. Frye was only 2 when she first began acting. She landed her popular role in Punky Brewster at the age of seven where she was chosen out of thousands of child actresses. She has appeared in a few notable roles after her career breakthrough in Punky Brewster. She is married to Hollywood producer Jason Goldberg, who is known for his films, The Butterfly Effect and Guess Who. She and Goldberg have been married since October 1998. They share three children. Their first daughter, Poet Sienna Rose was born in August 2005. Another daughter, who is named Jagger Joseph Blue, followed in March 2008. The couple welcomed their third child, a baby boy, Lyric Sonny Roads, in February 2014.
In 1982, Frye appeared in the made for television movie, Missing Children: A Mother’s Story. Roles in other television movies followed and in 1984, she was cast as Punky Brewster. The character was a hit among children of her age but received low viewer ratings. The series also starred George Gaynes, Susie Garrett, Cherie Johnson, Casey Ellison, Amy Foster and T. K. Carter. It was cancelled by the channel in 1986. However, it ran on syndication for two more seasons and officially ended its run in 1988. Frye reprised the role in the animated show, It’s Punky Brewster which ran on NBC for two seasons. She was awarded the Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress in 1986. After the end of this role, she landed a hosting gig on the weekly talk show, Girl Talk, alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar. In the 90s, Frye maintained her presence in television with guest roles in television series such as The Wonder Years, Friends, Saved by the Bell and Tiny Toon Adventures. In 1995, she appeared in Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings and also worked on stage. She joined the cast of Sabrina, The Teenage Witch as Roxie King for three years. During this time, she lent her voice to Disney Channel’s The Proud Family. Frye made her directorial debut with Wild Horses in 1998. She also directed a documentary called Sonny Boy in 2004 which featured her father. Her work was presented with the Best Documentary award at the 2004 San Diego Film Festival. In 2007, she tried her hands in opening a boutique called The Little Seed in Los Angeles. The boutique now operates wholly on the web. She has also been able to make a name for herself as an author. In 2011, she published Happy Chaos: From Punky to Parenting and My Perfectly Imperfect Adventures in Between. She followed this with Let’s Get This Party Started in 2013. She voiced an animated character in the children’s science fiction series, Planet Sheen, from 2010 to 2013. That year, she began appearing as the host of Home Made Simple on Oprah Winfrey Network.
Frye has continued to be a renowned face in television. Her acting role may have diminished but the audience has not forgotten her career defining role of Punky Brewster.