Name	Brittany
Native name	''Bretagne'' / ''Breizh'' / ''Bertaèyn''
Settlement type
Total type
Motto	''Kentoc'h mervel eget bezañ saotret'' ''Rather death than dishonour''
Anthem	None (''de jure'')''De facto'' "''Bro Gozh ma Zadoù''" ''Old Land of My Fathers
Image shield	COA fr BRE.svg
Shield size	75px
Map caption	Location of Brittany (dark blue) within the European Union (light blue)
Dot x	|dot_y
Pushpin map
Pushpin label position
Pushpin mapsize
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name
Subdivision name2
Parts type	Largest settlements
Parts style
Parts
P1	Nantes
P2	Rennes
P3	Brest
P4	Lorient
P5	Quimper
P6	Vannes
P7	Redon
P8	Saint-Brieuc
P9	Saint-Nazaire
P10
Leader name
Established title
Established date
Unit pref
Area total km2	34023
Area land km2
Area total sq mi	13136
Area water percent
Elevation footnotes
Elevation min ft
Population as of	January 2007 estimate
Population total	4,365,500
Population density km2
Population density sq mi
Timezone	CET
utc offset	+1
Timezone dst	CEST
utc offset dst	+2
Coor type
Postal code type
Footnotes	}}

Brittany ( ; , pronounced ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'') is a cultural region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as ''Less'', ''Lesser'' or ''Little'' Britain (as opposed to ''Great Britain''). Brittany is considered as one of the six Celtic nations.

Brittany occupies the northwest peninsula of continental Europe in northwest France. It is bordered by the English Channel to the north, the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Bay of Biscay to the south. Its land area is 34,023 km² . The historical province of Brittany is divided into five departments: Finistère in the west, Côtes-d'Armor in the north, Ille-et-Vilaine in the north east, Loire-Atlantique in the south east and Morbihan in the south on the Bay of Biscay.

In 1956, French regions were created by gathering departments between them. The Region of Brittany comprises, since then, four of the five Breton departments (80% of historical Brittany), while the remaining area of the old Brittany, the Loire-Atlantique department, around Nantes, forms part of the Pays de la Loire region. This territorial organisation is regularly contested. The Kingdom and the Duchy of Brittany, the province of Brittany, and the modern Region of Brittany cover the Western part of Armorica, as it was known during the period of Roman occupation.

In January 2007 the population of historic Brittany was estimated to be 4,365,500. Of these, 71% lived in the region of Brittany, while 29% lived in the region of Pays-de-la-Loire. At the 1999 census, the largest metropolitan areas were Nantes (711,120 inhabitants), Rennes (521,188 inhabitants), and Brest (303,484 inhabitants).

History

The peninsula that came to be known as Brittany was a centre of ancient megalithic constructions in the Neolithic era. It has been called the "core area" of megalithic culture. It later became the territory of several Celtic tribes, of which the most powerful was the Veneti. After Caesar's conquest of Gaul, the area became known to the Romans as Armorica, from the Celtic term for "coastal area". Its transformation into Brittany occurred in the late Roman period, with the establishment of Romano-British settlement in the area. The history behind such an establishment is unclear, but medieval Breton and Welsh sources connect it to a figure known as Conan Meriadoc. Welsh literary sources assert that Conan came to Armorica with the Roman usurper Magnus Maximus, who took his British troops to Gaul to enforce his claims and settled them in Armorica. Regardless of the truth of this story, Brythonic (British Celtic) settlement probably increased during the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain in the 5th century. Scholars such as Léon Fleuriot have suggested a two-wave model of migration from Britain which saw the emergence of an independent Breton people and established the dominance of the Brythonic Breton language in Armorica. Over time the Armorican British colony expanded, forming a group of petty kingdoms which were later unified in the 840s under Nominoe in resistance to Frankish control.

thumb|left|Anne of Brittanythumb|right|Historical regions of Brittany in the 14th centuryIn the mid-9th century Nominoe and his successors won a series of victories over the Franks which secured an independent Duchy of Brittany. In the High Middle Ages the Duchy was sometimes allied to England and sometimes to France. The pro-English faction was victorious in 1364 in the Breton War of Succession, but the independent Breton army was eventually defeated by the French in 1488, leading to dynastic union with France following the marriage of Duchess Anne of Brittany to two kings of France in succession. In 1532 the Duchy was incorporated into France.

Two significant revolts occurred in the 17th and 18th centuries: the Revolt of the papier timbré (1675) and the Pontcallec Conspiracy (1719). Both arose from attempts to resist centralisation and assert Breton constitutional exceptions to tax. The Duchy was legally abolished during the French Revolution and divided into five departments. The area became a centre of royalist and Catholic resistance to the Revolution during the Chouannerie. During the Second Empire conservative Catholic values were reasserted. When the Republic was reinstituted in 1871, there were rumours that Breton troops were mistrusted and mistreated at Camp Conlie during the Franco-Prussian War because of fears that they were a threat to the Republic.

In the 19th century the Celtic Revival led to the foundation of the Breton Regionalist Union (URB) and later to independence movements linked to Irish, Welsh and Scottish independence parties in the UK and to pan-Celticism. There was a cultural renaissance in the 20th century associated with the movement Seiz Breur. The alliance of the Breton National Party with Nazi Germany in World War II weakened Breton nationalism in the post-war period. In 1956, Brittany was legally reconstituted as the Region of Brittany, although the region excluded the ducal capital of Nantes and the surrounding area. Over this period the Breton language declined precipitously. Children were not allowed to speak Breton at school, and were punished by teachers if they did. Famously, signs in schools read: "It is forbidden to speak Breton and to spit on the floor" ("Il est interdit de parler breton et de cracher par terre"). As a result, a generation of native Breton speakers were made to feel ashamed of their language and avoided speaking it or teaching it to their children. These factors contributed to the decline of Breton. Nevertheless Brittany retained its cultural distinctiveness.

Sights

Brittany is home to many megalithic monuments which are scattered across the peninsula. The largest alignments are near Karnag/Carnac. The purpose of these monuments is still unknown, and many local people are reluctant to entertain speculation on the subject.

Brittany is also known for its calvary sculptures, elaborately carved crucifixion scenes found at crossroads in villages and small towns, especially in Western Brittany.

Besides its numerous intact manors and châteaux, Brittany also has several old fortified towns. The walled city of Saint-Malo (''Sant-Maloù''), a popular tourist attraction, is also an important port linking Brittany with England and the Channel Islands. It was the birthplace of the historian Louis Duchesne, the acclaimed author Chateaubriand, the corsair Surcouf and the explorer Jacques Cartier. The town of Roscoff (''Rosko'') is served by ferry links with England and Ireland.

Significant urban centres include: :* Nantes (Gallo: ''Naunnt'', Breton: ''Naoned'') : 282,853 inhabitants in the commune (2006), 804,833 in the urban area. :* Rennes (Gallo: ''Resnn'', Breton: ''Roazhon'') : 209,613 inhabitants in the commune (2006), 521,188 in the urban area. :* Brest (Breton ''Brest'') : 148,316 inhabitants in the commune (2006), 300,000 in the urban area. :* Saint-Nazaire (Gallo: ''Saint-Nazère'', Breton: ''Sant-Nazer'') : 71,373 inhabitants in the commune (2006); located in the urban area of Nantes. :* Lorient (Breton: ''an Oriant'') : 58,547 inhabitants in the commune (2006), 190,000 in the urban area. :* Quimper (Breton: ''Kemper'') : 64,900 inhabitants in the commune (2006). :* Vannes (Breton: ''Gwened'', Gallo: ''Vann'') : 53,079 inhabitants in the commune (2006), 132,880 in the urban area. :* Saint-Brieuc (Gallo: ''Saint-Bérieu'', Breton: ''Sant-Brieg'') : 46,437 inhabitants in the commune (2006), 121,237 in the urban area (2005). :* Saint-Malo (Gallo: ''Saent-Malô'', Breton: ''Sant-Maloù'') : 52,737 inhabitants in the commune (2007), 81,962 in the urban area. :* Redon (Gallo: ''Rdon'', Breton: ''Redon'') : 9,601 inhabitants in the commune (2006), 52,758 in the urban area.

The island of Ushant (Breton: ''Enez Eusa'', French: ''Ouessant'') is the north-westernmost point of Brittany and France, and marks the entrance to the English Channel. Other islands off the coast of Brittany include: :*Bréhat ''enez Vriad'' :*Batz ''enez Vaz'' :*Molène ''Molenez'' :*Sein ''enez Sun'' :*Glénan islands ''inizi Glenan'' :*Groix ''enez Groe'' :*Belle Île ''ar Gerveur'' :*Houat ''Houad'' :*Hoëdic ''Edig'' :*Île-aux-Moines ''Enizenac'h'' :*Île-d'Arz ''an Arzh'' The coast at Brittany is unusual due to its colouring. The Côte de Granit Rose (pink granite coast) is located in the Côtes d'Armor department of Brittany. It stretches for more than from Plestin-les-Greves to Louannec and is one of the outstanding coastlines of Europe. This special pink rock is very rare and can be found in only three other places in the world, Ontario, Canada, Corsica and China.

The landscape has inspired artists, including Paul Signac, Marc Chagall, Raymond Wintz and his wife Renee Carpentier Wintz, who both painted coastal and village scenes. Paul Gauguin and his famous School of Pont-Aven in the Finistère department, Brittany also painted many village scenes.

Festivals

Brittany has a vibrant calendar of festivals and events. Several are of course maritime themed while others reflect Brittany’s lively music heritage or the region’s diverse culture. Traditional Breton festivals, ''fest noz'' in Breton, regularly take place in towns and villages throughout Brittany and include local music and dancing. Brittany also hosts some of France’s biggest contemporary music festivals.

Cultural festivals

Festival de Cornouaille: July (Quimper, Finistère)

A long-established festival that showcases Brittany’s cultural diversity.

Les Filets Bleus: August (Concarneau, Finistère)

This long-standing festival celebrates fishing traditions in the coastal town of Concarneau.

Festival Interceltique de Lorient: August (Lorient, Morbihan)

An internationally renowned festival that celebrates Celtic traditions.

Festival du Film Britannique: October (Dinard,Côtes-d’Armor)

This British film festival screens previews of British films in France.

Music festivals

Art Rock: May (Saint-Brieuc, Côtes d'Armor)

Pop, rock and electro festival.

Vieilles Charrues: July (Carhaix, Finistère)

This music festival is the Breton equivalent of Glastonbury in the UK.

Astropolis: July (Brest, Finistère)

A prominent electro and techno festival.

La Route du Rock: August (St-Malo, Ille-et-Vilaine)

Pop and rock, often with an Anglo-Saxon flavour.

Les Transmusicales: December (Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine)

Known for showcasing brand new acts : Nirvana and Portishead did some of their early gigs at this festival.

Maritime festivals

Fêtes Maritimes de Brest: July (Brest, Finistère)

This sailing event takes place every 4 years (the next one is in 2012).

La Route du Rhum: November (St-Malo, Ille-et-Vilaine)

This transatlantic single-handed yacht race takes place every 4 years (the next one is in 2014).

Regional languages

French, the only official language of the French Republic, is today spoken throughout Brittany. The two regional languages are supported by the regional authorities within the constitutional limits: Breton, strongest in the west but to be seen all over Brittany, is a Celtic language most closely related to Cornish and Welsh. Gallo, which is spoken in the east, is one of the romance Langues d'oïl.

Breton was traditionally spoken in the west (, or Lower Brittany), and Gallo in the east (, , Gallo: ''Haùtt-Bertaèyn'', or Upper Brittany). The dividing line stretched from Plouha on the north coast to a point to the south east of Vannes. French had, however, long been the main language of the towns. The Breton-speaking area once covered territory much farther east than its current distribution.

Since the 13th century, long before the union of Brittany and France, the main administrative language of the Duchy of Brittany was French, and previously it was Latin. Breton (in the West) and Gallo (in the East) remained the two languages of the rural population of Brittany, but since the Middle Ages the bourgeoisie, the nobility, and the higher clergy spoke French. Government policies in the 19th and 20th centuries, which forbade the speaking of Breton in schools, along with the demands of education, pushed many non-French speakers into adopting the French language. Nevertheless, until the 1960s Breton was spoken and understood by most of the inhabitants of western Brittany.

In the Middle Ages, Gallo gradually expanded into formerly Breton-speaking areas. Now restricted to a much reduced territory in the east of Brittany, Gallo finds itself under pressure from the dominant Francophone culture. It is also felt by some to be threatened by the Breton language revival, which is gaining ground in territories that were not previously part of the main Breton-speaking area.

''Diwan'' ("seed") schools, where classes are taught in Breton by the immersion method, play an important part in the revival of the Breton language. These schools are privately funded, as they receive no French central government support. The issue of whether they should be funded by the State has long been, and remains, controversial. Some bilingual classes are also provided in ordinary schools.

Bilingual (Breton and French) road signs may be seen in some areas, especially in the traditional Breton-speaking area of Lower Brittany. Signage in Gallo is much rarer.

Some villages have received an influx of English-speaking immigrants and second-home owners, adding to the linguistic diversity.

Be Breizh: Breizh is the Breton word for Brittany and given that the Bretons are particularly proud of their roots, you will see the word – or simply the letters BZH – in evidence throughout the region. Along with the black and white Breton flag (the Gwenn Ha Du) and the triskell, you will see these symbols of Breton identity on cars, t-shirts and shop fronts. In 2011, the regional tourist board adopted the phrase ‘Be Breizh’ to sum up this unique Breton spirit.

Religion

thumb|Sculpted "calvaries" can be found in many villages.thumb|right|The Notre-Dame church in Bodilis, Finistère While Christianization may have occurred during Roman occupation, the first recorded Christian missionaries came to the region from Wales and are known as the "Seven founder saints":

St Pol Aurelian, at Saint-Pol-de-Léon (Breton: ''Kastell-Paol''),

Saint Tudwal (''sant Tudwal''), at Tréguier (Breton: ''Landreger''),

St Brioc, at Saint-Brieuc (Breton: ''Sant-Brieg'', Gallo: ''Saent-Berioec''),

St Malo, at Saint-Malo (Breton: ''Sant-Maloù'', Gallo: ''Saent-Malô''),

St Samson of Dol, at Dol-de-Bretagne (Breton: ''Dol'', Gallo: ''Dóu''),

St Patern, at Vannes (Breton: ''Gwened''),

St Corentin (''sant Kaourintin''), at Quimper (Breton: ''Kemper'').

Other notable early evangelizers are Gildas and the Irish saint Columbanus. With more than 300 "saints" (only a few recognised by the Catholic Church), the region is strongly Catholic. Since the 19th century at least, Brittany has been known as one of the most devoutly Catholic regions in France, in contrast to many other more secularised areas (see "Bl. Julien Maunoir"). The proportion of students attending Catholic private schools is the highest in France. As in other Celtic regions, the legacy of Celtic Christianity has left a rich tradition of local saints and monastic communities, often commemorated in place names beginning ''Lan'', ''Lam'', ''Plou'' or ''Lok''. The patron saint of Brittany is Saint Anne, the Virgin's mother. But the most famous saint is Saint Ivo of Kermartin ('saint Yves' in French, 'sant Erwan' in Breton), a 13th century priest who devoted his life to the poor.

Once a year, believers go on a "Pardon", the saint's feast day of the parish. It often begins with a procession followed by a mass in honour of the saint. There is always a secular side, with some food and craft stalls. The three most famous Pardons are:

from Sainte-Anne d'Auray/Santez-Anna-Wened, where a poor farmer in the 17th century explained how the saint had ordered him to build a chapel in her honour.

from Tréguier/Landreger, in honour of St Yves, the patron saint of the judges, advocates, and any profession involved in justice.

from Locronan/Lokorn, in honour of St Ronan, with a ''troménie'' (a procession, 12 km-long) and numerous people in traditional costume (Locronan is also very close to a more known city Douarnenez which used to be the very famous rendez-vous point for all sailers in the world every 4 years).

There is a very old pilgrimage called the ''Tro Breizh'' (tour of Brittany), where the pilgrims walk around Brittany from the grave of one of the seven founder saints to another. Historically, the pilgrimage was made in one trip (a total distance of around 600 km) for all seven saints. Nowadays, however, pilgrims complete the circuit over the course of several years. In 2002, the Tro Breizh included a special pilgrimage to Wales, symbolically making the reverse journey of the Welshmen Sant Paol, Sant Brieg, and Sant Samzun. It is believed that whoever does not make the pilgrimage at least once in his lifetime will be condemned to make it after his death, advancing only by the length of his coffin each seven years.

Many distinctive traditions and customs have also been preserved in Brittany. The most powerful folk figure is the Ankou or the "Reaper of Death". Sometimes a skeleton wrapped in a shroud with the Breton flat hat, sometimes described as a real human being (the last dead of the year, devoted to bring the dead to Death), he makes his journeys by night carrying an upturned scythe which he throws before him to reap his harvest. Sometimes he is on foot but mostly he travels with a cart, the ''Karrig an Ankou'', drawn by two oxen and a lean horse. Two servants dressed in the same shroud and hat as the Ankou pile the dead into the cart, and to hear it creaking at night means you have little time left to live.

Breton music

Brittany is an area of strong Celtic heritage, rich in its cultural heritage. Though long under the control of France and influenced by French traditions, Brittany has retained and, since the early 1970s, revived its own folk music, modernising and adapting it into folk rock and other fusion genres (see, for example, Alan Stivell, Dan Ar Braz, and Red Cardell).

Gastronomy

Although some white wine is produced near the Loire, the traditional drinks of Brittany are: cider () – Brittany is the second largest cider-producing region in France; Traditionally served in a ceramic cup resembling an English Tea cup. beer () – Brittany has a long beer brewing tradition, tracing its roots back to the seventeenth century; Young artisanal brewers are keeping a variety of beer types alive, such as ''Coreff de Morlaix'', ''Tri Martolod'' and ''Britt'';

a sort of mead made from wild honey called ''chouchenn'';

an apple eau de vie called ''lambig''.

Historically Brittany was a beer producing region. However, as wine was increasingly imported from other regions of France, beer drinking and production slowly came to an end in the early to mid-20th century. In the 1970s, due to a regional comeback, new breweries started to open and there are now about 20 of them. Whisky is also produced by a handful of distilleries with excellent results, such as ''Eddu'' distillery at Plomelin near Quimper, which elaborates a real and successful creation using buckwheat, ''Glann ar Mor'' distillery which makes an un-peated Single Malt, as well as a peated expression named ''Kornog''. Another recent drink is ''kir Breton'' (crème de cassis and cider) which may be served as an apéritif. Tourists often try a mix of bread and red wine. Large, thin pancakes made from buckwheat flour (blé noir) are eaten with ham, eggs and other savoury fillings. They are made with plain buckwheat flour and water in Eastern Brittany and called ''galettes'' (Breton: ''galetes''). La Galette Saucisse, a hot grilled pure pork Breton sausage wrapped in a cold galette, is the "fast food" of Eastern Brittany, sold from road side stands, and served at every occasion from football matches to the local school fête. In the western parts of Brittany buckwheat pancakes are made with eggs and called ''crêpes de blé noir'' (Breton: ''krampouezh''). Galettes are often served with a cup of cider, but in Brittany they should traditionally be accompanied by Breton buttermilk called ''lait ribot'' (Breton: ''laezh-ribod''). Brittany also has a dish similar to the pot-au-feu known as the Kig ha farz, which consists of stewed pork or beef with buckwheat dumplings.

Thin crêpes made from wheat flour are eaten for dessert or for breakfast. They may be served cold with local butter. Other pastries, such as ''kouign amann'' ("butter cake" in Breton) made from bread dough, butter and sugar, or ''far'', a sort of sweet Yorkshire pudding, or ''clafoutis'' with prunes, are traditional.

Surrounded by the sea, Brittany offers a wide range of fresh sea food and fish, especially mussels and oysters. Among the sea food specialities is cotriade.

Climate

Located on the west coast of France, Brittany has a warm, temperate climate. Rainfall occurs regularly – which has helped keep its countryside green and wooded, but sunny, cloudless days are also common.

In general, Brittany has a moderate climate during both summer and winter. In the summer months temperatures in the region can reach , yet the climate remains comfortable, especially when compared to parts of France south of the Loire. In Brittany a common expression and response to people complaining about the rain is ''"En Bretagne, il ne pleut que sur les cons"'', which literally translates as "In Brittany, it only rains on the idiots", and should be understood as if one is not pleased with Brittany, he should leave it.

Brittany's most popular summer resorts are on the south coast (La Baule, Belle Île, Gulf of Morbihan), although the wilder and more exposed north coast (the Côte de granite rose, Perros-Guirec, etc.) also attracts summer tourists.

Transport

thumb|right|MV ''Pont-Aven'', the flagship that serves the routes connecting Brittany to England and IrelandAirports in Brittany serving destinations in France, Great Britain and Ireland include Brest, Saint-Malo, Lorient and Rennes. Flights between Brittany and the Channel Islands are served by Saint-Brieuc airport. Several cities in Great Britain and Ireland are also served from Nantes, Loire-Atlantique department and former capital of the historic province of Brittany. The main airlines include, among others, Ryanair, Flybe, Aer Arann, Aer Lingus, Air France and EasyJet. Others smaller airport operates domestic flights in Quimper, and Lannion

TER Bretagne is the regional train that operates in Brittany and the TGV train services link the region with cities such as Paris, Lyon, Marseille, and Lille in France. In addition there are ferry services that take passengers, vehicles and freight to Ireland, England and the Channel Islands.

Brittany Ferries operates the following regular services:

Plymouth-Roscoff (''Armorique'', ''Pont-Aven'', certain winter sailings operated by ''Bretagne'')

Portsmouth-St Malo (''Bretagne'' with winter service operated by ''Pont-Aven'')

Roscoff-Cork (''Pont-Aven'', occasionally ''Bretagne'')

Irish Ferries operates the following routes:

Rosslare-Roscoff

Image gallery

References

External links

The official site for Brittany Tourism – Brittany Regional Tourist Board

Personelezh Breizh e saozneg – Breton identity

Western France Tourist Board Brittany tourism information

* Category:Celtic culture Category:Celtic nations

an:Bretanya (rechión historica) frp:Bretagne ast:Bretaña (nación celta) be-x-old:Брэтанія br:Breizh ca:Bretanya cs:Bretaňský poloostrov cy:Llydaw et:Bretagne'i poolsaar es:Bretaña eo:Bretonio eu:Bretainia fr:Bretagne gv:Yn Vritaan (çheer) gd:A' Bhreatainn Bheag gl:Bretaña (histórica) ka:ბრეტანი (ისტორიული მხარე) kk:Бретан түбегі kw:Breten Vian mk:Бретања xmf:ბრეტანი (ისტორიული აკანი) nl:Bretagne (schiereiland) ja:ブルターニュ半島 no:Bretagne (historisk region) oc:Bretanha (istorica) ru:Бретань (историческая область) sco:Breetany sl:Bretanija ta:பிரித்தானி tr:Breton uk:Бретань (історична область) zh:布列塔尼半岛

name	Abigail and Brittany Hensel
birth name	Abigail Loraine Hensel Brittany Lee Hensel
birth date	March 07, 1990
birth place	Carver County, Minnesota
residence	St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.
nationality	American
education	Lutheran High School in Mayer, Minnesota Bethel University
home town	New Germany, Minnesota, USA
parents	Patty and Mike Hensel
relatives	Dakota (Brother) Morgan (Sister)
website
footnotes	}}

Abigail "Abby" Loraine Hensel and Brittany "Britty" Lee Hensel (born March 7, 1990) are dicephalic parapagus twins, meaning that they are conjoined twins of whom each has a separate head, but whose bodies are joined. They are highly symmetric, giving the appearance of having just a single body with little variation from normal proportion. In fact, several vital organs are doubled up, each twin having a separate heart, stomach, spine and spinal cord.

Each twin controls her half of their body, operating one of the arms and one of the legs. This means that as infants, the initial learning of physical processes that required bodily coordination, such as clapping, crawling, and walking required the cooperation of both children. While each is able to eat and write separately and simultaneously, activities such as running and swimming must be coordinated and alternate symmetrically. Other activities as diverse as brushing hair and driving a car require that each twin perform a sequence of quite separate actions that coordinate with the other.

Despite the curiosity that their condition has generated, the Hensel twins have managed to live private lives with relatively little press attention. At the age of 16, they gave an interview on The Learning Channel on December 17, 2006, in which they discussed aspects of their daily lives and plans for the future.

Background

Abigail and Brittany Hensel were born in Carver County, Minnesota, the daughters of Patty, a registered nurse, and Mike Hensel, a carpenter and landscaper. The twins have a younger brother named Dakota, or Koty for short, a younger sister named Morgan, and a dog named Sadie. They were raised in New Germany and attended Lutheran High School in Mayer, Minnesota.

Physiology

The Hensel twins have a single body with separate heads and necks, a chest that is wider than normal, two arms and two legs. At birth they had a rudimentary arm attached to a shoulder blade at the back. The arm was removed, leaving the shoulder blade.

Abigail's head tilts laterally outward about 5 degrees to the right while Brittany's head tilts laterally at about 15 degrees to the left, causing Brittany to appear shorter. At age 12, they underwent surgery at Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare to correct scoliosis and to expand their chest cavity to prevent future difficulties with breathing.

Each of the twins manages one side of their conjoined body. The sense of touch of each is restricted to her body half; this shades off at the midsagittal plane such that there is a small amount of overlap at the midline. They are effective in cooperatively using their limbs when both hands or both legs are required. By coordinating their efforts, they are able to walk, run, swim and ride a bicycle normally — all tasks that they learned at a normal speed. Together, they can type on a computer keyboard at a normal speed and drive a car.

Organ distribution

Abigail and Brittany have individual organs in the upper part of their body while most of the organs located at or below the level of the navel are shared, the exception being the spinal cord.

2 heads

2 spines merging at the coccyx, and joined at the thorax by sections of ribs. Surgery was employed to correct scoliosis

2 completely separate spinal cords

2 arms (originally 3, but rudimentary central arm was surgically removed, leaving central shoulder blade in place)

1 broad ribcage with 2 highly fused sternums and traces of bridging ribs. Surgery was employed to expand the pleural cavities

2 breasts

2 hearts in a shared circulatory system (nutrition, respiration, medicine taken by either affects both)

4 lungs with the medial lungs moderately fused, not involving Brittany's upper right lobe; three pleural cavities

1 diaphragm with well-coordinated involuntary breathing, slight central defect

2 stomachs

2 gallbladders

1 liver, enlarged and elongated right lobe

Y-shaped small intestine which experiences a slightly spastic double peristalsis at the juncture

1 large intestine with one colon

3 kidneys: 2 left, 1 right

1 bladder

1 set of reproductive organs

2 separate half-sacrums, which converge distally

1 slightly broad pelvis

2 legs

Separation

Upon their birth, their parents rejected the option to attempt surgical separation after hearing from doctors that it was not likely that both girls would survive the operation. As the girls grew and learned to walk and develop other skills, the parents confirmed their decision against separation, arguing that the quality of life for the surviving twin or twins living separately would be less than their quality of life as conjoined beings.

Adulthood

The Hensel twins both successfully passed their drivers license exams, both the written and driving tests. They had to take the tests twice, once for each twin. Abby controls the pedals, radio, heat, defogger, and other devices located to the right of the driver's seat, while Brittany controls the turn signal and lights; together, they control the steering wheel.

They both graduated from high school in 2008. They began college at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.

In conversation, the twins are clearly distinct persons, with distinct likes and dislikes. Their preferences in food, clothing color, etc. differ. Some of their clothes are altered by their seamstress so that they have two separate necklines in order to emphasize their individuality. They will usually have separate meals, but sometimes will share a single meal for the sake of convenience (e.g., each takes a bite of the same hamburger). Abigail is better at mathematics and Brittany is better at writing. For tasks such as responding to e-mail, they type and respond as one, anticipating each other's feelings with little verbal communication between them. In such cases as the latter, their choice of grammatical person is to use the first person singular out of habit when they agree, but when their responses do differ, they use their names in the third person singular.

There is some concern about their ability to have continued good health because only four known sets of conjoined twins who share an undivided torso and two legs have ever survived into adulthood, and most have congenital heart defects or other organ anomalies. None have shown up in the Hensels' case. They have so far had no desire to make themselves available for any medical studies. They intend to make a rather limited number of media appearances in the future, primarily just to appease the world's curiosity and to reduce the number of people who might otherwise be taken aback by their unusual body configuration. They intensely dislike being stared at or photographed by strangers while going about their private lives. In the interviews made for Discovery Channel in 2006, the girls, then 16, said that they hoped to date, get married, and have children. They also stated that they hoped that by providing some information about themselves they would be able to lead otherwise fairly typical social lives as together they continue to make new friends.

Media appearances

In April 2006, they appeared in ''Joined for Life'', a TV documentary produced by Advanced Medical, distributed on the Discovery Health Channel. They also appeared on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' on April 8 and April 29, 1996. In April 1996, the twins were featured on the cover of ''Life'' under the caption "One Body, Two Souls", and their daily lifestyle was depicted in the corresponding article titled ''The Hensels' Summer''. ''Life'' followed up with another story in September 1998. In 2003, an updated story of them at age 11 (filmed in 2001) was published in ''Time'' and again in ''Life''. They appeared in a follow-up documentary on The Learning Channel on December 17, 2006 filmed around the time of their 16th birthday, in which they discuss dealing with puberty and getting their driver's licenses. In the summer of 2006, they had a vacation in Texas at the home of a family whose dicephalus twin girls had died at a few hours old.

Filmography

Documentaries and other television appearances include:

style="text-align:center;"	First aired	Title	Distributor	Produced by
	April 8, 1996		''The Oprah Winfrey Show''		King World Productions		Harpo Productions
	March 27, 2003		''Joined for Life''		Discovery Channel		Advanced Medical Productions, American Broadcasting Company
	December 17, 2006		''Joined for Life: Abby and Brittany Turn 16''		The Learning Channel
		style="vertical-align:top; font-size:90%;"

References

External links

Category:1990 births Category:Articles about multiple people Category:Conjoined twins Category:Living people Category:People from Carver County, Minnesota Category:Twin people from the United States

da:Abigail og Brittany Hensel es:Abigail y Brittany Hensel fr:Abigail et Brittany Hensel hr:Abigail i Brittany Hensel it:Abigail e Brittany Hensel nl:Abigail en Brittany Hensel ja:アビゲイル&ブリタニー・ヘンゼル姉妹 pl:Abigail i Brittany Hensel pt:Abigail e Brittany Hensel ru:Хенсел, Эбигейл и Бриттани simple:Abigail and Brittany Hensel sl:Brittany in Abigail Hensel fi:Abigail ja Brittany Hensel sv:Abigail och Brittany Hensel tr:Abigail ve Brittany Hensel zh:阿比盖尔和布列塔妮·汉瑟尔

name	Ashton Kutcher
birth name	Christopher Ashton Kutcher
birth date	February 07, 1978
birth place	Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S.
occupation	Actor, producer, former fashion model, comedian, television host
yearsactive	1998–present
spouse	Demi Moore (m. 2005–present; divorce filed)
website	}}

Christopher Ashton Kutcher (; born February 7, 1978), best known as Ashton Kutcher, is an American actor, producer, former fashion model, and comedian, known for his portrayal of Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom ''That '70s Show''. He also created, produced and hosted ''Punk'd'', and played lead roles in the Hollywood films ''Dude, Where's My Car?'', ''Just Married'', ''The Butterfly Effect'', ''The Guardian'', and ''What Happens in Vegas''. He is also the producer and co-creator of the supernatural TV show ''Room 401'' and the reality TV show ''Beauty and the Geek''. Kutcher currently co-stars in the hit CBS sitcom ''Two and a Half Men'' as the character Walden Schmidt.

Early life

Kutcher was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He is the son of Diane (née Finnegan), a Procter & Gamble employee, and Larry M. Kutcher, a factory worker. His father is of Bohemian (Czech) descent and his mother is of Irish, German, and Bohemian ancestry. Kutcher was raised in a conservative Roman Catholic family, with an older sister, Tausha, and a fraternal twin, Michael, who had a heart transplant when the brothers were young children. Kutcher's twin brother also has cerebral palsy and is a spokesperson for the advocacy organization Reaching for the Stars.

Kutcher's brother's cardiomyopathy caused his home life to become increasingly stressful. He has stated that "I didn't want to come home and find more bad news about my brother" and "kept myself so busy that I didn't allow myself to feel". Kutcher stated that during adolescence, he contemplated committing suicide. At thirteen, he attempted to jump from a Cedar Rapids hospital balcony, with his father intervening in the incident. Kutcher attended Washington High School in Cedar Rapids for his freshman year, before his family moved to Homestead, Iowa, where he attended Clear Creek Amana High School. During high school, he developed a passion for acting and appeared in school plays. However, Kutcher's home life worsened as his parents divorced when he was sixteen. During his senior year, he broke into his high school at midnight with his cousin in an attempt to steal money; he was arrested leaving the scene. Kutcher was convicted of third-degree burglary and sentenced to three years' probation and 180 hours of community service. Kutcher stated that although the experience "straightened him out", he lost his girlfriend and anticipated college scholarships, and he was ostracized at school and in his community.

Kutcher enrolled at the University of Iowa in August 1996, where his planned major was biochemical engineering, motivated by the desire to find a cure for his brother's heart ailment. At college, Kutcher was kicked out of his apartment for being too "noisy" and "wild". Kutcher stated, "I thought I knew everything but I didn't have a clue. I was partying, and I woke up many mornings not knowing what I had done the night before. I played way too hard. I am amazed I am not dead." To earn money for his tuition, Kutcher worked as a college summer hire in the cereal department for the General Mills plant in Cedar Rapids, and sometimes donated blood for money. During his time at UI he was approached by a scout at a bar called "The Airliner" in Iowa City and was recruited to enter the "Fresh Faces of Iowa" modeling competition. After placing first, he dropped out of college and won a trip to New York City to the International Modeling and Talent Association (IMTA) Convention. Following his stay in New York City, Kutcher returned to Cedar Rapids before relocating to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting.

Career

Modeling career

After participating as a modeling contestant in an IMTA competition (losing to Josh Duhamel) in 1998, Kutcher signed with the Next modeling agency in New York, appeared in ads for Calvin Klein, and modeled in Paris and Milan.

Television and film career

After some success in modeling, Kutcher moved to Los Angeles and, after his first audition, was cast as Michael Kelso in the television series ''That '70s Show'', which debuted in 1998 and ended in 2006. Kutcher was cast in a series of film roles; although he auditioned but was not cast for the role of Danny Walker in ''Pearl Harbor'' (2001) (the role went to Josh Hartnett), he starred in several comedy films, including ''Dude, Where's My Car?'' (2000), ''Just Married'' (2003), and ''Guess Who'' (2005). He appeared in the 2003 family film, ''Cheaper By The Dozen'', playing a self-obsessed actor. His 2004 film ''The Butterfly Effect'' was a dramatic role for Kutcher, playing a conflicted young man who time travels; the film received mixed to negative reviews, but was a box office success.

In 2003, Kutcher produced and starred in his own series, MTV's ''Punk'd'', as the host. The series involved hidden camera tricks performed on celebrities. Kutcher is also an executive producer of the reality television shows ''Beauty and the Geek'', ''Adventures in Hollyhood'' (based around the rap group Three 6 Mafia), ''The Real Wedding Crashers'', and the game show ''Opportunity Knocks''. Many of his production credits, including ''Punk'd'', come through Katalyst Films, a production company he runs with partner Jason Goldberg. In 2006, ''People'' magazine ranked him third in its annual list of "The Sexiest Men Alive".

Because of scheduling conflicts with the filming of ''The Guardian'', Kutcher was forced not to renew his contract for the eighth and final season of ''That 70s Show'', although he did appear in the first four episodes of it (credited as a special guest star) and returned for the series finale.

Kutcher produced and starred in the 2010 action comedy, ''Killers'', in which he played a hitman.

In May 2011, Kutcher was announced as Charlie Sheen's replacement on the series ''Two and a Half Men''. Kutcher's contract was for one year and was believed to be worth nearly $20 million. His debut as the character Walden Schmidt, entitled "Nice to Meet You, Walden Schmidt", was seen by 28.7 million people on September 19, 2011. The Nielsen ratings company reported that figure was more than any episode in the show's first eight seasons, when Sheen starred in it.

Other work

Kutcher was part of the management team for Ooma, a tech start-up launched in September 2007. Ooma is in the Voice over Internet Protocol business and Kutcher's role was as Creative Director. He spearheaded a marketing campaign and produced viral videos to promote this service. Kutcher also created an interactive arm of Katalyst called Katalyst Media, with his partner from Katalyst Films, Jason Goldberg. Their first site was the animated cartoon ''Blah Girls''. Ooma revamped its sales and marketing strategy with a new management team in the summer of 2008, replacing Kutcher as their creative director. Rich Buchanan, from Sling Media, became Ooma's Chief Marketing Officer.

Kutcher appears in advertisements for Nikon cameras.

On March 23, 2011, Kutcher launched his own Twitter client with UberMedia, called A.plus. While the app was initially available exclusively for desktop computers with Adobe Air installed, it eventually became available on mobile platforms, for iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry. In order to download on one of the 3 mobile platforms, users must first have the UberSocial client installed on their device, and then proceed to the device's browser to download A.plus.

In July 2011, Brazilian fashion label Colcci hired Kutcher and Alessandra Ambrosio to feature in a denim advertisement.

Personal life

In 2003, Kutcher began dating actress Demi Moore. Moore and Kutcher married on September 24, 2005, in a private ceremony conducted by a Rabbi of the Kabbalah Center; the wedding was attended by about 150 close friends and family of the couple, including Bruce Willis, Moore's ex-husband. In October 2010, Kutcher and Moore met with co-director of the Kabbalah Center Rabbi Yehuda Berg in Israel. On November 17, 2011, Moore released a statement announcing her intention to divorce Kutcher. The announcement followed weeks of media speculation about the state of the couple's marriage.

Kutcher has invested in an Italian restaurant, ''Dolce'' (other owners include Danny Masterson and Wilmer Valderrama) and a Japanese-themed restaurant named ''Geisha House'' located in Atlanta, Los Angeles and New York.

Kutcher is a self-described fiscal conservative and social liberal. He is a student of Kabbalah; his ''No Strings Attached'' co-star, Natalie Portman, stated in 2011 that Kutcher "has taught me more about Judaism than I think I have ever learned from anyone else".

On September 17, 2008, Kutcher was named the assistant coach for the freshman football team at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles. However, he was unable to return in 2009 because he was filming ''Spread''.

In February 2011, Kutcher sold his Hollywood Hills home, which he originally bought in 2004.

In April 2012, Ashton Kutcher became the 500th paying customer to sign up to ride Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo.

Twitter presence

On April 16, 2009, Kutcher became the first user of Twitter to have more than 1,000,000 followers, beating CNN in the "Million followers contest". Kutcher announced via Twitter that he would be donating $100,000 to a charity to fight malaria. However, there have been several reports that Twitter manipulated the contest's results by preventing users from "unfollowing" Kutcher or CNN.

Controversy

In April 2011, Kutcher and wife Demi Moore began a public service announcement campaign claiming that "Real Men" do not engage the services of child prostitutes who are the victims of human trafficking. Kutcher's claims that 100,000 to 300,000 American children were sold into sexual slavery were criticized by newspaper the ''Village Voice'', which gave evidence refuting the claims. Kutcher represented a study referring to minors 'at risk' for sexual exploitation as referring to children actually being prostituted. Experts estimate the true numbers to be in the hundreds, not the hundreds of thousands. Kutcher reacted to the criticism by accusing the ''Village Voice'' of promoting child prostitution and using Twitter to request that ''Village Voice'' advertisers including American Airlines, Disney, the City of Seattle, and Domino's Pizza withdraw their advertising from publications owned by the parent company of the Village Voice.

Filmography

! Year	! Film	! Role	! Notes
1999		Louie
	''Down to You''	Jim Morrison
''Reindeer Games''	College Kid
''Dude, Where's My Car?''	Jesse Montgomery III
	''Just Shoot Me!''	Dean Cassidy	1 episode
	George Durham
	''Just Married''	Tom Leezak
''My Boss's Daughter''	Tom Stansfield
	Hank	Supporting role
2004	''The Butterfly Effect''	Evan Treborn	Main role
		Simon Green
''A Lot Like Love''	Oliver Martin
''Robot Chicken''	Various	Voice
		Fisher
	Jake Fischer
	Elliot	Voice
2008	''What Happens in Vegas''	Jack Fuller	Lead role
		Nikki	Main role
''Personal Effects''	Walter	Main role
		Reed Bennet	Main role
	Spencer Aimes	Main role
		Adam Franklin	Main role
	Randy	Supporting role
		Steve Jobs	Main role

Television

{|class="wikitable" |- style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- |1998–2006 |''That 70's Show'' |Michael Kelso |Seasons 1–7 (Regular); Season 8 (Recurring)
184 episodes |- |2001 |''Just Shoot Me'' |Dean Cassidy |1 episode |- |2002 |''Grounded for Life'' |Cousin Scott |1 episode |- |2003–2009 |''Punk'd'' |Himself/Host |104 episodes |- |2005 |''Robot Chicken'' |Various |Voice |- |2008 |''Miss Guided'' |Beaux |1 episode |- |rowspan=1|2011–''present'' |''Two and a Half Men'' |Walden Schmidt |Main roleseason 9 |- |}

As a producer

! Year	! Title	! Episodes	! Notes
2003–2007	''Punk'd''	69 episodes	Executive producer/host
2003	''My Boss's Daughter''		Co-producer
	''The Butterfly Effect''		Executive producer
''You've Got a Friend''	8 episodes	Executive producer
2005–2008	''Beauty and the Geek''	48 episodes	Executive producer
	''Adventures in Hollyhood''	8 episodes	Executive producer
''Miss Guided''	7 episodes	Executive producer
''Game Show in My Head''		Executive producer
''The Real Wedding Crashers''	7 episodes	Executive producer
''Room 401''	8 episodes	Executive producer
2008	''Pop Fiction''		Executive producer
2008–2009			TV series (Executive producer)
			Executive producer
''The Beautiful Life''	5 episodes
2005	''A Lot Like Love''
2010			Executive producer

Awards

Young Artist Award

* 1999 – Best Performance in a TV Series – Young Ensemble for ''That '70 Show'' (shared with Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Mila Kunis, Wilmer Valderrama and Danny Masterson)- Nominated

Kid's Choice Awards

* 2004 – Favorite Movie Actor for ''Just Married'', ''My Boss's Daughter'' and ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' – Nominated

* 2004 – Favorite Television Actor for ''That '70s Show'' and ''Punk'd'' – Winner

* 2005 – Favorite TV Actor for ''That '70s Show'' and ''Punk'd'' – Nominated

* 2006 – Favorite TV Actor for ''That '70s Show'' – Nominated

* 2007 – Favorite Voice in a Cartoon for ''Open Season'' – Nominated

People's Choice Awards

* 2010 – Favorite Web Celeb – Winner

Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award

* 2000 – Sierra Award Best Male Newcomer for ''Dude, Where's My Car?'' – Nominated

MTV Movie Awards

* 2001 – Breakthrough Male Performance for ''Dude, Where's My Car?'' – Nominated

* 2011 – Best Comedic Performance for ''No Strings Attached'' – Nominated

Teen Choice Awards

* 2003 – Choice Reality Hunk for ''Punk'd'' – Winner

* 2003 – Choice TV Reality/Variety Host for ''Punk'd''- Winner

* 2003 – Choice TV Actor – Comedy for ''That '70s Show'' – Winner

* 2004 – Choice TV Personality – Winner

* 2004 – Choice Reality/Variety TV Star – Male for ''Punk'd'' – Winner

* 2004 – Choice TV Actor – Comedy for ''That '70s Show'' – Winner

* 2004 – Choice Movie Hissy Fit for ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' – Nominated

* 2004 – Choice Movie Liplock ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' (shared with Piper Perabo) – Nominated

* 2005 – Choice: TV Male Personality for ''Punk'd'' – Winner

* 2005 – Choice TV Actor: Comedy for ''That '70s Show'' – Winner

* 2005 – Choice Movie Actor: Comedy for ''Guess Who'' and ''A Lot Like Love'' – Nominated

* 2005 – Choice Movie Rockstar Moment for ''A Lot Like Love'' – Winner

* 2007 – Choice Movie Actor: Drama for ''The Guardian'' – Nominated

* 2008 – Choice: Movie Actor Romantic Comedy for ''What Happens In Vegas'' – Winner

* 2010 – Choice: Movie Actor Romantic Comedy for ''Valentine's Day'' – Winner

* 2011 – Choice: Movie Actor Romantic Comedy for ''No Strings Attached'' – Winner

Golden Raspberry Awards

* 2003 – Razzie Award for Worst Screen Couple for ''Just Married'' (shared with Brittany Murphy) and ''My boss's Daughter'' (shared with Tara Reid) – Nominated

*2004 – Razzie Award for Worst Actor for ''Cheaper By The Dozen,'' ''Just Married'' and ''My Boss's Daughter'' – Nominated

* 2010 – Razzie Award for Worst Actor for ''Killers'' – Winner

References

External links

Category:1978 births Category:Actors from Iowa Category:American people of Czech descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of German descent Category:American film actors Category:American male models Category:American television actors Category:American television producers Category:American voice actors Category:Living people Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from Cedar Rapids, Iowa Category:Pranksters Category:Twin people from the United States Category:University of Iowa alumni

ar:آشتون كاتشر bn:অ্যাশ্‌টন কুচার bg:Аштън Къчър cs:Ashton Kutcher cy:Ashton Kutcher da:Ashton Kutcher de:Ashton Kutcher et:Ashton Kutcher el:Άστον Κούτσερ es:Ashton Kutcher eu:Ashton Kutcher fa:اشتون کوچر fr:Ashton Kutcher ko:애쉬튼 커처 hy:Էշթոն Քաթչեր hr:Ashton Kutcher id:Ashton Kutcher is:Ashton Kutcher it:Ashton Kutcher he:אשטון קוצ'ר kk:Эштон Кутчер lv:Eštons Kačers lt:Ashton Kutcher hu:Ashton Kutcher mk:Ештон Кучер ms:Ashton Kutcher nl:Ashton Kutcher ja:アシュトン・カッチャー no:Ashton Kutcher pl:Ashton Kutcher pt:Ashton Kutcher ro:Ashton Kutcher ru:Кутчер, Эштон sq:Ashton Kutcher simple:Ashton Kutcher sk:Ashton Kutcher sl:Ashton Kutcher sr:Ештон Кучер sh:Ashton Kutcher fi:Ashton Kutcher sv:Ashton Kutcher th:แอชตัน คุชเชอร์ tr:Ashton Kutcher uk:Ештон Кучер vi:Ashton Kutcher zh:艾希頓·庫奇

name	Heather Morris
birth name	Heather Elizabeth Morris
birth date
birth place	Thousand Oaks, California, U.S.
occupation	Dancer, actress, singer
years active	2006–present
height	}}

Heather Elizabeth Morris (born February 1, 1987) is an American actress, dancer, and singer, known for her role as the cheerleader Brittany S. Pierce in the musical comedy series ''Glee''.

Early life

Morris was born in Thousand Oaks, California, and raised in Scottsdale, Arizona. She began dancing when she was one. Morris competed at a young age in a variety of styles including jazz, tap, and contemporary. Morris's father passed away of cancer when she was 14 years old. "It's something that is hard for me, because I'm sad about it, but I don't dwell on it," she said during an interview workshop with students in December 2009. "I know he's in a better place, instead of suffering." After graduating from Desert Mountain High School, Morris decided to enroll in a local university but realized she was in the wrong place so she moved to L.A. instead at age 19.

Career

Morris' first significant appearance was in 2006 on ''So You Think You Can Dance'' Season 2 where she made the "green mile" or "Vegas Week" but failed to make the final 20 by a vote of 3-2.

Not discouraged, Morris moved to Los Angeles and actively pursued a career in dancing and was trained in jazz dance. Her big break came in 2007 via Beyoncé. Morris was one of Beyoncé's backup dancers on ''The Beyoncé Experience'' world tour and, following that, worked again with Beyoncé on a mini "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" promotional tour that included 2008 performances on the ''American Music Awards'', ''Saturday Night Live'', ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'', ''Today'', and MTV's ''Total Request Live'' Finale. She also danced backup for Beyoncé and Tina Turner at the 50th Grammy Awards in 2008. She later appeared in a small role in the movie ''Fired Up'', where she met choreographer Zach Woodlee. Following that film, Woodlee brought Morris in to dance on other shows he was choreographing, including episodes of ''Eli Stone'' and ''Swingtown'', the movie ''Bedtime Stories'', and eventually ''Glee''.

In December 2010 Morris was named the Celebrity Style Ambassador for FLIRT! Cosmetics, an Estee Lauder cosmetics line.

In 2010 Morris made the Maxim Hot 100 list, coming in at number 85. On the AfterEllen hot 100 list she was ranked #2 behind Naya Rivera.

In 2011 Morris starred in a back-to-school commercial for Staples Canada that featured her dancing.

In the October 2011 issue of Fitness magazine, Heather Morris stated that she has had her breast implants removed. She was quoted saying "Implants were something I thought I wanted when I was younger, and now I don't, It was hard being active with them, because my chest was always sore. It hurt a lot, and I didn't like always being in pain, so they had to go!" Her breast implant surgery was done sometime between her time on So You Think You Can Dance at age 18 and age 21 when she was a backup dancer for Beyoncé.

''Glee''

Morris was taking acting classes and actively pursuing an acting career when she was asked by Woodlee to teach the choreography for Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" dance to the ''Glee'' actors. At the same time, the show was looking for a third cheerleader, and Morris ended up landing the role of Brittany. Initially a background character who hardly ever spoke, the role grew as writers discovered Morris had a gift for delivering one-liners. Jarrett Wieselman of the ''New York Post'' opined that Morris has "emerged as one of the funniest second bananas on TV right now" and the LA Times wrote of having a "...comedy crush on Morris, who plays the galactically dim Glee Club cheerleader Brittany".

When a promotional clip for the episode "Sectionals" indicated that Brittany Pierce and Santana Lopez had slept together, Dorothy Snarker, writing for lesbian entertainment website After Ellen, praised the pairing, referring to them by the portmanteau "Brittana". Snarker called the two her "new favorite ''Glee'' pairing", commenting that: "While Heather Morris (Brittany) and Naya Rivera (Santana) have had minimal screen time, they've made it count. Heather in particular has brought the laughs as the Cheerio least likely to get a Mensa invitation. Never mind Finn and Rachel — I'm on Team Brittana now."

Morris' role became more prominent during the final nine episodes of season one, and due to the overwhelmingly positive response to her character, was promoted to official series regular status during season two. She was at the center of the second episode, "Britney/Brittany", (a tribute to Britney Spears) where she made her singing debut covering Spears' "I'm a Slave 4 U" solo and dueting with Naya Rivera on "Me Against the Music". The second half of season two saw Morris' character engage in a lesbian storyline with Rivera's character. Both the arc along with Rivera's and Morris' performances were met with critical acclaim. As on Glee, Morris is best friends in real life with co-star Rivera.

During the 2011 Glee Tour Heather performed Britney Spears' song "I'm a Slave 4 U". She also had a dance spotlight with castmate Harry Shum Jr. during Naya Rivera's performance of "Valerie," and was one of the dancers in the Single Ladies and Safety Dance numbers.

Morris co-wrote and appeared in a January 2011 video for Funny or Die, "Nuthin' But A Glee Thang," a take-off of the Dr. Dre/Snoop Dogg collaboration "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang". Co-written with actresses Ashley Lendzion and Riki Lindhome, the video features appearances from ''Modern Family'''s Sofia Vergara and Morris's Glee castmates Matthew Morrison, Cory Monteith, Harry Shum, Jr., and Naya Rivera.

Filmography

border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9;>

Music Video appearances
Year	Artist	Song Title	Notes
2008	''An-Ya''	''Nightlife''	Dancer
2008	''The White Tie Affair''	''Allow Me To Introduce Myself...Mr. Right/Candle_(Sick_and_Tired)''
2008	''Hit the Lights''	''Drop the Girl''
2011	Leo Moctezuma	2 Da Left

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Film appearances
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2008		Cat Girl	Uncredited
2009		Fiona	Minor role.
2011	''Glee: The 3D Concert Movie		Also Self
2012	''Ice Age: Continental Drift''	Katie, The Gossip Girl	Voice
2013	''Spring Breakers''		Pre-Production

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Television appearances
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2007	''''	Dancer	DVD: ''''
2008	''Swingtown''	Red Dress Disco Girl	Uncredited, Episode: "Get Down Tonight"
2008	''Eli Stone''	Street Dancer/Back-Up Dancer	Uncredited, Episodes: "The Path" and "The Humanitarian"
2009-present			Season 1 - Series Recurring.Season 2,3 – Series Regular	Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy SeriesNominated – 2010 Teen Choice Awards>Teen Choice Award for Choice Music: Group (shared with Glee Cast)
2010	''How I Met Your Mother''	Dancer in Pink Shirt	Uncredited, Episode: "Girls Versus Suits"
2011	Staples Commercial	Herself/Dancer	Back-to-school commercial for ''Staples (Canada)''
2012	Punk'd	Herself

Awards and nominations

Best Supporting Actress in a Feature Film

style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Award	Year	Category	Result	Role
Playhouse West Film Foundation 2011 PWFF Grand Jury Awards	2011	|		Lily in a Short Film called POST by Jim Parrack

Discography

References

External links

Category:1987 births Category:Actors from Arizona Category:Actors from California Category:American dancers Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:California dance occupations Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Arizona Category:Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:Singers from California Category:So You Think You Can Dance contestants Category:People from Thousand Oaks, California Category:People from Scottsdale, Arizona

cs:Heather Morris de:Heather Morris es:Heather Morris fr:Heather Morris ko:헤더 모리스 hr:Heather Morris id:Heather Morris it:Heather Morris ka:ჰეიზერ მორისი lt:Heather Morris nl:Heather Morris ja:ヘザー・モリス pl:Heather Morris pt:Heather Morris fi:Heather Morris sv:Heather Morris tl:Heather Morris vi:Heather Morris

name	Brittany Snow
birthname	Brittany Anne Snow
birth date	March 09, 1986
birth place	Tampa, Florida, United States
occupation	Actress, Singer
yearsactive	1995–present

Brittany Anne Snow (born March 9, 1986) is an American television and film actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Meg Pryor in ''American Dreams'', Daisy Lemay in ''Guiding Light'', Kate Spencer in ''John Tucker Must Die'', Naminé in the video game ''Kingdom Hearts II'', Amber Von Tussle in ''Hairspray'', Donna Keppel in ''Prom Night'' and Jenna Backstrom in the NBC legal drama ''Harry's Law''.

Personal life

Snow was born and grew up in Tampa, Florida. Her mother, Cindy Johannah (née Archer), works for Prentice Hall, and her father, John Thomas Snow, Sr., ran an insurance agency until retiring to organize Brittany's schedule. She has one half-brother, John Jr., and a half-sister, Holly; both of them live in Ohio. Snow has spoken openly about her battles with eating disorders. It has been reported by media outlets that she is currently dating Matthew Mayfield, a musician from Birmingham, AL.

Career

Snow began modeling at the age of three and a half in a print ad for Burdines. She was on CBS' ''Guiding Light'' for three years as troubled teen Susan/Daisy Lemay. She played Meg Pryor on NBC's ''American Dreams'' and neo-Nazi high school student Ariel Alderman on the third season of ''Nip/Tuck''. In 2005, she appeared in ''The Pacifier'' with action star Vin Diesel.

In 2006, she was in the film ''John Tucker Must Die'' and voiced Naminé in the video game ''Kingdom Hearts II'' as well as Shizuku Tsukishima in the Studio Ghibli film ''Whisper of the Heart'', along with Ashley Tisdale. She also portrayed a young woman afflicted with bipolar disorder in the season seven finale of ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''.

She appeared in ''Hairspray'', a film adaptation of the Broadway musical, playing Amber Von Tussle, the daughter of Michelle Pfeiffer's character. She had already worked with the director of ''Hairspray'' (Adam Shankman) on the Disney film ''The Pacifier.'' With her role in ''Hairspray'', her musical side is shown in several numbers, including a solo entitled "The New Girl In Town", a song previously cut from the Broadway musical version. She played the lead role in ''Prom Night'', which was released in April 2008. Snow appeared on the music video for "The Phrase That Pays" by The Academy Is... which was released July 2007.

Snow is set to play the lead, Alyssa, in the film adaptation of ''Clock Tower'', to be released in 2012. She stars alongside Evan Ross in the cautionary thriller ''96 Minutes''.

In 2011, Snow appeared in the short lived CBS' romantic comedy ''Mad Love''.

Snow recently appeared as a series regular in the first season of the legal drama ''Harry's Law'' as Jenna, which premiered on January 17, 2011, created by David E. Kelley. Snow returned as a recurring character in the series for season two.

Filmography

''The Pacifier'' ''Whisper of the Heart (film) ''John Tucker Must Die'' ''Kingdom Hearts II'' ''Hairspray (2007 film) ''Prom Night (2008 film) ''The Vicious Kind'' ''Janie Jones (film) ''96 Minutes'' ''Would You Rather (film) ''Clock Tower (series)#Film adaptation

colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"	Film
		! Film	! Role	! Notes
rowspan="1"	2001	''Murphy's Dozen''
rowspan="1"	2005	|	Zoe Plummer	Supporting role
rowspan="1"	2006	Whisper of the Heart'' ||	Shizuku Tsukishima	Lead role (voice)
rowspan="1"	2006	|	Kate Spencer	Lead role
rowspan="1"	2006	|	Naminé	Supporting role (voice)
rowspan="2"	2007	Hairspray'' ||	Amber Von Tussle	Supporting role
''On the Doll''	Balery
rowspan="3"	2008	Prom Night'' ||	Donna Keppel	Lead role
''Finding Amanda''	Amanda Tangerman
''Streak (film)	Streak''	Baylin
rowspan="2"	2009	|	Emma Gainsborough	Lead role
''Black Water Transit''	Sardoonah
rowspan="2"	2010	Janie Jones'' ||	Iris	Lead role
''Walks''	TBA
rowspan="1"	2011	|	Carley	Lead role
rowspan="1"	2012	Would You Rather'' ||	Iris	Lead role
rowspan="1"	TBA	Clock Tower'' ||
colspan=4 style="background:#b0c4de;">Television
Year	Show	Role	Notes
1998–2002	''Guiding Light''	Susan Lemay	9 episodes
2002–2005	''American Dreams''	Margaret "Meg" Pryor	Main cast; 61 episodes
2005	''Nip/Tuck''	Ariel Alderman	5 episodes
	''Law & Order: SVU''	Jamie Hoskins
	''Family Guy''	Candy	Episode: "Quagmire's Baby"
''Gossip Girl''	Young Lily Rhodes
	''Harry's Law''	Jenna Backstrom	Main cast (season 1), 12 episodes - Recurring (season 2)
	Julia Swanson	Episode: "Little Sister, Big City"
Music videos
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2007	''The Phrase That Pays''	Naughty Nurse	The Academy Is... video
	''Otep The Ascension''		Crooked Spoons video
	Girlfriend	Cary Brothers video
''Just Impolite''	Girlfriend	Plushgun video
2011	''Fire Escape''		Matthew Mayfield video

Discography

Soundtracks

2007: ''Hairspray'' Soundtrack - July 10

References

External links

Category:1986 births Category:Actors from Florida Category:American child actors Category:American film actors Category:American soap opera actors Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Gaither High School alumni Category:Living people Category:People from Tampa, Florida Category:Young Artist Award winners

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