A native New Yorker who studied with famed acting teacher Uta Hagen, Peet launched her career in a 1995 off-Broadway revival of
Awake and Sing! After a brief stint on
One Life to Live she moved to Hollywood, where Peet rarely lacked for work, appearing in a succession of romantic comedies before landing her breakthrough role as a relationship-challenged twentysomething on the dramedy
Jack & Jill (1999-2001). Her nude scene in the 2000 comedy
The Whole Nine Yards earned her a bevy of fans, but instead of settling for being eye candy, Peet began tackling challenging supporting roles that made the most of her intelligence, including a junkie in the indie
Igby Goes Down (2002) and a grieving mother in
Syriana (2005). In 2006 she took time out from her jam-packed schedule to make her Broadway debut in a revival of Neil Simon's
Barefoot in the Park, and landed a part in Aaron Sorkin's series
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Despite
60's disappointing one-season run, Peet continued a steady film career, including
2012 (2009) and
Please Give (2010).
Amanda Peet Fast Facts:
- Studied acting with Uta Hagen while finishing college.
- Early acting experience included a spot in a Skittles candy commercial.
- Named one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 2000.
- In 2008, volunteered as a spokesperson for Every Child by Two, a non-profit, vaccine-advocacy group cofounded by former First Lady Rosalynn Carter.
- Has memorized all of the lines to the 1982 film Tootsie.
- Amanda Peet Relationships:
- Brian Van Holt - Ex-significant Other
- Charles Peet - Father
- David Benioff - Husband
- Frances Pen Benioff - Daughter
- Penny Peet - Mother
- Molly June Benioff - Daughter
- College:
- Columbia University, New York, NY (BA in History, 1995)