Danielle Fishel

Danielle Christine Fishel Karp ( FIH-shəl; née Fishel; born May 5, 1981) is an American actress and director. Her career started in community theater, and she made her screen debut with guest roles on shows such as Full House (1992–1993) and Harry and the Hendersons (1993). Fishel's breakthrough came with the role of Topanga Lawrence on the ABC sitcom Boy Meets World (1993–2000), which she later reprised in its successor, Girl Meets World (2014–2017), on Disney Channel. For the role, she received a YoungStar Award in 1998. After Boy Meets World, Fishel appeared in a number of films; her first feature film role being in the 2000 comedy Longshot. She also acted in National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze (2003) and its 2006 sequel, followed by the animated film The Chosen One (2007) and the drama Boiling Pot (2015). Fishel also made her directorial debut in 2016 with episodes of Girl Meets World, and has since directed episodes of other series, including Raven's Home (2019–2022), Coop & Cami Ask the World (2019–2020), Sydney to the Max (2019–2021), Just Roll with It (2020), and more. Outside of fiction media, Fishel was the host of Style Network's The Dish (2008–2011), and is also a resident reporter on PopSugar, and on their spin-off YouTube channel, PopSugar Girls Guide. In 2025, she was a contestant in the 34th season of Dancing with the Stars, coming in eighth.