SOLEIL Moon Fry, better known as Penelope ‘Punky’ Brewster, started her acting career from the age of eight with the hit series Punky Brewster, which ran for four seasons between the period of 1984-1988.

This was an American sitcom about a little girl raised by her foster parents and the show had many young viewers based on the trials and circumstances young Punky faced and overcame. As Punky embarked into more traditional teenage styles, and her assertion of, and reliance on “Punky Power!” increased the number of young viewers as they connected with her reliance and establishment that intelligence, common sense and a strong will can get one out of any problem.

After her role in pigtails on the hit sitcom she continued her career by spending her TEEN years guest starring in shows like The Wonder Years, Saved by the Bell, Friends and as Roxie King in Sabrina, the TEENage Witch. During this period she voiced the character of Zoey in the Disney Channel series The Proud Family.

Along with doing cartoon voices in Bratz, Tiny Toon Adventures and Robot Chicken, she also directed two movies, Wild Horses and the documentary Sonny Boy, which depicts a two-week trip Frye took with her father, Virgil, who has Alzheimer’s disease. She co-owns The Little Seed, a Los Angeles children’s boutique specialising in eco-friendly clothes and toy and in March 2010 she launched the ‘Better Together’ campaign.

— Talia Soares