'What's Happening!!' Star Danielle Spencer: In the '70s the Now-Pet Vet Was in a Tragic Car Accident

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Danielle Spencer was born on June 24, 1965, in Trenton, New Jersey. By her teenage years, she was a star via the What's Happening!! TV sitcom of the 1970s. During that time, she got involved in a horrific car accident. In 1996, Spencer became a veterinarian. This is her story.

TV Stardom was soon Followed by Tragedy

Following the cancelation of What's Happening!! in 1983, Danielle Spencer enrolled at the University of California to pursue a degree in medicine, inspired by her stepfather, Tim Pelt.

In 1977, she was in a car accident that took Pelt's life and left her with a broken left arm and facial injuries. She remained at the University until 1985, when she returned to TV in What's Happening, Now!!, the 1980s syndicated sequel sitcom to her original series.

Spencer, however, still became a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority. Following the end of the second Happening!! series, she attended Tuskegee University Veterinary School in Alabama and became a veterinarian in 1996. That same year, she married Garry Fields.

The now Dr. Danielle Spencer returned to acting in 1997, in the movie As Good As It Gets, and made additional films for the big screen.

In 2006, she tied with actress Little House on the Prairie actress and author Alison Arngrim for the "Character Most In Need Of A Time-Out" award at the TV Land Awards.

In the End

Unlike many other former child stars, Dr. Danielle Spencer not only survived her youth in the spotlight, she triumphed in her life and career beyond Hollywood.

As one of the stars of What's Happening!!, a sitcom that addressed education, poverty, and imbued moral venues, Spencer will forever be known as an actress who utilized her public persona for the highest good.