Hallie Todd

Hallie Todd (born Hallie Eckstein on January 7, 1962 in Los Angeles, California) made a guest appearance as Blanche's niece, Lucy Warren, in the Season 1 episode of The Golden Girls titled "Nice and Easy". An actress, producer and writer and acting coach, Hallie is perhaps best known for her roles as Penny Waters on Brothers and as Jo McGuire on the Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire.

Career
Todd played a homeless character, “The Kid,” on a Christmas episode of the sitcom, Growing Pains. She played Penny Waters, the daughter of fictional former football player Joe Waters on the Showtime comedy series Brothers, which is her longest lasting role. In 1990, a year after Brothers left the air, Todd moved into her next sitcom role as spunky writer-and-aspiring-comedian Kate Griffin on Going Places. Later roles include Lal, Data’s “daughter,” on the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Offspring;" the mother in the Disney Channel original movie The Ultimate Christmas Present; Hilda's and Zelda’s cousin Marigold, Amanda's mother, on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch; and—Lizzie's mother, Jo McGuire, on Lizzie McGuire.

Todd subsequently appeared frequently on VH1, providing comedic commentary. She also starred in numerous Murder, She Wrote episodes. Todd starred in the feature film The Mooring, which she co-wrote with her husband and daughter. The film is being released on DVD, digital download and Video on Demand on February 19, 2013.

Todd is the co-founder of the film production company In House Media and the Hallie Todd Studios acting conservatory, the latter of which is devoted to training actors of all ages.

Books
In between her acting roles, Todd wrote two books, Being Young Actors and Parenting The Young Actor.