Danielle Fishel

Danielle Fishel is an actress, director and podcast host best known for playing Topanga Lawrence on the hit ABC sitcom Boy Meets World and its Disney Channel spinoff Girl Meets World. Fishel graduated from Calabasas High School in 1999 and later earned a degree in psychology from California State University, Fullerton, in 2013.

Fishel was discovered at age 10 while performing in a community theater production and soon began working in commercials and guest roles. She landed her breakout role as Topanga on Boy Meets World in 1993 and became a central character through the show’s seven-season run. Her performance earned her multiple Young Artist Award nominations and solidified her status as a teen icon. After Boy Meets World ended in 2000, Fishel appeared in projects like Dorm Daze (2003) and hosted Style Network’s The Dish from 2008 to 2011.

In 2014, she reprised her role as Topanga on Girl Meets World, which ran for three seasons. Fishel has since directed multiple episodes of Disney Channel shows including Sydney to the Max and Raven’s Home. In 2022, she reunited with costars Rider Strong and Will Friedle to launch the “Pod Meets World” podcast. In 2025, she was announced as a cast member on season 34 of Dancing With the Stars.

Fishel was married to Tim Belusko from 2013 to 2016. She later moved on with producer Jensen Karp, and the two tied the knot in 2018. The couple has two sons, Adler (born in 2019) and Keaton (born in 2021).

In August 2024, Fishel announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and she went into remission later that year.