<Tr> <Th> Children </Th> <Td> Maya Fisher (adopted daughter) Willa Fisher - Chenowith (daughter) Forrest Nathanson (son) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Relatives </Th> <Td> Bernard Asa Chenowith (father, deceased) Margaret Chenowith (mother) Billy Chenowith (brother) </Td> </Tr> <P> Brenda Chenowith is a fictional character on the HBO television series Six Feet Under played by Rachel Griffiths . She was first introduced in the pilot, and remained until the series finale . </P> <P> Brenda is the oldest daughter of a wealthy psychiatrist, Bernard Chenowith, and psychologist Margaret Chenowith . During her childhood, Brenda's parents were sexually open to their children, along with being promiscuous, often deviating from their respective marital partner . Also during her childhood, Brenda was discovered to have an IQ of 185, and, as a result, was the subject of a study by psychiatrist Gareth Feinberg, published as the best - selling book Charlotte Light and Dark, a book that would repeatedly haunt Brenda throughout her life . In fact, as a child Brenda realized she was being observed and began studying mental disorders and would fake symptoms to spite the doctors . At one point in her life, Brenda planned on attending Yale University, but opted to remain at home in California and attend UCLA when her troubled brother, Billy, ostensibly attempted suicide . </P>

Who burned down the house in six feet under