Do you remember “Full House” from the hit ABC television series? If you do, then you must remember Kimmy Gibbler, the goofy character from the series.
Well, Kimmy Gibbler is actually Andrea Barber, an actress that established herself through numerous movies and series as a great comic actor.
She is currently working on the Full House Netflix spin-off “Fuller House”, and she is as good and funny as in the “Full House”.
Early Days
Andrea Barber comes from Los Angeles, California, and was born on July 3, 1976, and she is a daughter of Donald and Sherry Barber.
Darin is one of her older brothers, but there is Justin as well, which means – Andrea was the youngest child in the family.
She went to La Serna High School in Whittier, California, and then to the Whittier College, where she earned a degree in English in 1999.
Andrea went to an internship at the United Nations in Geneva, which opened her door to the international working space.
After graduation, she worked as an Assistant Manager of International Programs at Whittier.
As Andrea dedicated herself to education through all her life, she got an MA degree in Women’s Studies, which she finished in England.
She started acting at a very young age, and it seemed it would be her life path for the future as well.
Career Development
Andrea’s acting career begun with the TV series “The King and I”.
“Days of Our Lives” from 1982 is the famous American soap opera Andrea worked on before starring at “Full House” as Kimmy.
She worked on “Days of Our Lives” from 1982 to 1986, and the name of her character was Carrie Brady.
Amanda Gorman is a role Andrea played in an American TV series “Fantasy Island” from 1983.
Her next project was the film “Do You Remember Love”, where she appeared as Jennifer.
Barber appeared in numerous TV series and movies from that moment on, in which she usually had a guest star role. Some of these content was “The Twilight Zone” as Cathy Marano, “St. Elsewhere” as Carrie Garman, in “Our House” as Naomi, “Wonderful World of Color” as Zoey, and many more.
Apart from this, she strived for greater roles, and life gave her many opportunities to appear as a guest in televisions shows and movies.
“Full House” made Andrea famous throughout the American nation, but it wasn’t the end for her.
In fact, Andrea was supposed to appear as a guest role in “Full House”, as DJ Tanner’s best friend from school.
Yet, as she proved her goofy and funny side to the audience, that made the makers keep her as a regular cast member, and Andrea made them proud of this decision.
“Full House” was a truly good chance to prove her caliber as an actor, and opened her new doors for the upcoming period.
Andrea has fond memories related to dinners before Friday night tapings.
The team would go to City Walk or Jerry’s Famous Deli to eat, talk, and laugh together as if they were a family.
That was a great stress relief before live audience shows.
After “Full House” reached its final episodes, Andrea decided to take a break from acting, as she was feeling more like spending time with family.
Yet, they haven’t stopped meeting and seeing each other, even though they are not working.
Jeff Franklin usually invites the team over to pool parties, where the whole cast goes, and they bring their kids, dates, and family with them to those parties.
Andrea remembers the period while filming Full House with a smile.
There is an anecdote about costumes from the sitcom. People responsible for costumes told the cast members to take whatever they wanted from the wardrobe from time to time.
This seemed like a great option for many, as they would bring entire armloads to their homes, except Andrea.
She used to take a pair of pants or jeans and was more than happy with that. That is one more reason why the audience loves her – simplicity.
Her break from acting lasted until 2012 when she started working with Dave Coulier, her former co-star from the hit series.
These two were involved in a sketch comedy “Funny Or Die”.
Her involvement in the episode “It’s F***** Late with Dave Coulier” in 2012 brought her back to the game.
“Fuller House”, a spin-off of Full House, was announced in 2015, which made millions of fans happy about the decision.
The first episode was released in February 2016, and the audience loves the fact it followed the same plot line and almost all of the old actors were included in it.
Barber has appeared in numerous commercials for 7UP, AT&T telephone, Brewster doll, Punky, Lock ’N’ Chase, Quaker Oh’s Cereal, and many more.
Andrea won a number of awards, such as Soap Opera Digest Award, Teen Choice Award for on-screen chemistry with her co-stars, as well as Young Artist Award – both for Full House.
In 2016, Andrea appeared in FabLife, Good Morning America, Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Insider, and The View.
Surprisingly, she performed soundtracks in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Fuller House as well.
A year later, she appeared in Home and Family and Entertainment Tonight, as she was always trying to stay active and give as much as she can to her fans.
She earned her fame through drama and comedy roles, which proves she is an absolute great versatile actor.
Both critic and audience accepted her from the first day she appeared on TV.
However, apart from her acting, audience love her personality and her sense for humor, and she is an inspiration to millions.
It is impossible not to notice her blue eyes and a broad smile.
Personal Life
Andrea married Jeremy Rykty in 2002, and they have two kids (Felicity Ruth – 2007, and Tate James Ricky – 2004).
The couple started dating 2 years before and moved to England after they got married.
Yet, the marriage didn’t last upon this date, as Andrea and Jeremy divorced in 2014.
The thing is, it seems like this marriage failed because of her devotion to the upbringing kids, as all she did was to focus on them, while Jeremy felt neglected.
She definitely put her children first, as she feels like there is nothing wrong with delaying an answer to text messages or emails while she spends some time with them.
What is more, she tries to put away her phone and turn off the sounds when she is with Felicity and Tate.
She claims that multitask parenting is definitely not her thing, as she wants to have a time set aside for family and work individually.
Andrea loves sports and athletic events besides acting, and actively takes part in the marathon. This all helps her stay fit.
However, Andrea found a way out of depression and anxiety, as sport produces endorphin and helps her feel better.
On the other side, she noticed doing sports helps her refocus and recent, as she needs some time to spin her thoughts after a busy week.
She says for herself that she is an introvert and that she simply needs some time alone. In the end, running is a confidence booster for her, as she feels much better about her body since she works out.
Her favorite band is New Kids on the Block, on whose concerts she appears often.
Andrea’s best friend is Cameron Bure, her co-star from Fuller House.
One of her plans for the future includes writing a book about her life. She is single at the moment.
Quick Summary
Full Name: Andrea Laura Barber
Date of Birth: July 3, 1976
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
Age: 43
Profession: Actress
Height: 1,57m
Weight: 57kg
Net Worth: $2 million