Amanda Peet

Infobox actor

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imagesize =
caption = Amanda Peet, February 2008
birthname =
birthdate = birth date and age|1972|1|11
birthplace = New York City, New York
deathdate =
deathplace =
occupation = Actress
spouse = David Benioff (2006 – present)
othername =
homepage =
academyawards =

Amanda Peet (born January 11, 1972) is an American film and television actress.

Biography

Early life

Peet was born in New York City, the daughter of Penny (née Levy), a social worker, and Charles Peet, a corporate lawyer. [ [http://www.filmreference.com/film/16/Amanda-Peet.html Amanda Peet Biography (1972-) ] ] The two are now divorced. Her father is a Quaker and her mother is Jewish. [cite news|last=Flatley|first=Guy|coauthors=|title=AMANDA PEET--A GIRL WHO'S BEST WHEN SHE'S BAAAAD!|pages=|publisher=MovieCrazed|date=2000-08-31|url=http://www.moviecrazed.com/outpast/peet.html|accessdate=2007-05-14] [cite news|last=Cohen|first=Benyamin|coauthors=Bradford R. Pilcher|title=WINTER MOVIE PREVIEW: Amanda Peet|pages=|publisher=American Jewish Life Magazine|date=11-12/2005|url=http://www.atlantajewish.com/content/112005/wintermovies/peet.html|accessdate=2007-05-14] She has one older sister, who is a doctor named Alisa Peet. Peet attended Friends Seminary, then studied history at and graduated from Columbia University,cite news|last=Dicker|first=Ron|coauthors=|title=In `Ex,' Peet's Career, Parenting Coincide|pages=|publisher=The Hartford Courant|date=2007-05-13|url=http://www.ctnow.com/movies/reviews/hce-sholede0513.artmay13,0,5450078.story?coll=hce-headlines-entertainment|accessdate=2007-05-14] where she auditioned for acting teacher Uta Hagen and decided to become an actress after taking Hagen's class.cite news|last=Wang|first=Julia|coauthors=|title=Amanda Peet's Pre-Wedding Jitters|pages=|publisher=People Magazine|date=2006-09-28|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1540724,00.html|accessdate=2007-11-04] During her four-year period of study with Hagen, Peet appeared in the off-Broadway revival of Clifford Odets's "Awake and Sing".

Career

Peet's first screen performance was a television commercial for Skittles. Her early roles included a guest role on the television series "Law & Order". She made her film debut in "Animal Room" (1995). Peet maintained a steady acting career in relatively obscure indie movies.

Her first major role was as "Jack" in the 1999 WB network series "Jack & Jill" (which aired for two seasons). She also appeared in the eighth-season finale of "Seinfeld" ("The Summer of George") as a waitress whom Jerry Seinfeld meets. Her character is notable for seemingly dating two men at once: Jerry and her apparent roommate ("dude"), Lyle. Peet's first role in a widely-released feature film came in 2000, with "The Whole Nine Yards", which, together with the cult film Whipped, helped to elevate her status from supporting actress to lead. That same year, she was voted one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World by "People" magazine. Peet was also in the movie "Saving Silverman" with Jack Black and Steve Zahn. She also starred in "Something's Gotta Give" in 2003, playing Diane Keaton's daughter, and, at one point, Jack Nicholson's girlfriend.

In 2005, Peet appeared in the play "This Is How It Goes", filling in for Marisa Tomei at the last minute after six days of rehearsal. In the same year, she also co-starred in the films "Syriana" alongside Matt Damon and George Clooney, and "A Lot Like Love", with Ashton Kutcher. In February 2006, she was performing in Neil Simon's Broadway production of "Barefoot in the Park".

Peet was a member of the cast of the television series "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip", which premiered on NBC on September 18, 2006. She starred with Matthew Perry, with whom she worked in "The Whole Nine Yards" and "The Whole Ten Yards", and Sarah Paulson, with whom she co-starred in "Jack & Jill". In "Studio 60", Peet's character Jordan McDeere was the newly-appointed president of the National Broadcasting System (NBS). In 2006, she also starred along with Dermot Mulroney in "Griffin and Phoenix", where she played a terminally-ill woman living life to the fullest.

In 2007's "The Ex", a comedy co-starring Zach Braff, Peet played an attorney who stays home to raise a new baby. In 2008, Peet went on to play an FBI agent in "". [ [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i7c5caf365ab6a9b896e30bce25086ad5 Threesome mark spots for 'X-Files' ] ]

Personal life

Peet married screenwriter David Benioff on September 30, 2006 in New York City [ [http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1224905,00.html Amanda Peet Weds Screenwriter Beau - Marriage, Amanda Peet : People.com ] ] and gave birth to a daughter, Frances Pen, on February 20, 2007. [cite news|coauthors=|title=Amanda Peet Has a Girl|pages=|publisher=People Magazine|date=2007-02-23|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20012460,00.html|accessdate=2007-11-04] The three live in Manhattan and Los Angeles. She was also maid of honor at Lauren Holly's marriage in 2001 with Francis Greco.In 2008 she was hired as a spokeswoman for Every Child By Two (ECBT), a non-profit vaccination advocacy organization primarily funded by the pharmaceutical giant Wyeth. The hiring of Peet is part of a broader effort by vaccine marketers to counter the influence of celebrities, including Jenny McCarthy and Deirdre Imus, who advocate fewer and safer vaccines. [http://www.idinchildren.com/200809/guested.asp] As a spokesperson for the campaign, Peet has stirred controversy with the statement "Frankly, I feel that parents who don't vaccinate their children are parasites" although she later apologized for using the word "parasite". [ [http://www.cookiemag.com/entertainment/2008/07/amandapeet] ] This was in relation to the controversy over whether vaccines contribute to the onset of autism, though there are epidemiological studies that have not found direct causal association. [Doja A, Roberts W (2006). "Immunizations and autism: a review of the literature". Can J Neurol Sci 33 (4): 341–6. PMID 17168158.] [Taylor B (2006). "Vaccines and the changing epidemiology of autism". Child Care Health Dev 32 (5): 511–9. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2214.2006.00655.x. PMID 16919130.]

Filmography

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0001605|name=Amanda Peet
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20070626070210/http://www.moviehole.net/news/20050414_5455.html Amanda Peet interview for A Lot Like Love]

Persondata
NAME= Peet, Amanda
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Actress
DATE OF BIRTH= 1972-1-11
PLACE OF BIRTH= New York City, NY, U.S.
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=