Biography
Born on January 11th, 1972, Amanda Peet grew up in New York and made a decidedly unconventional debut into showbiz: At three-years-old, a thoroughly uninvited Peet jumped onto a stage during the middle of a play. Despite the auspicious beginning, Peet treated acting as more of a hobby than anything else, and only began to consider it a potential career after her drama professor at Columbia University encouraged her to audition for renowned acting teacher
Uta Hagen. Peet studied with Hagen for four years, during which time she participated in the off-Broadway revival Awake and Sing. Though she would eventually be voted one of the year's 50 most beautiful people in a 2000 issue of People magazine -- not to mention participate with the likes of
Susan Sarandon, Samuel L. Jackson, and
Jack Nicholson -- Peet worked as a waitress during the first few years of her acting career.
The sloe-eyed brunette made her onscreen debut in Craig Singer's
Animal Room (1996). That same year, she could also be seen in an episode of Law & Order, and went on to play a role in
Grind (1996), a crime drama starring
Billy Crudup. Before long, Peet landed a small role in the
Michelle Pfeiffer-
George Clooney romantic comedy
One Fine Day. Since then, the actress has continued to build both her film and television credits: in 1997, she appeared in the AIDS drama
Touch Me, and the following year she had sizable roles in South Boston crime drama
Southie with
Donnie Wahlberg and
Rose McGowan, which won the American Independent award at the 1998 Seattle Film Festival. On television, she could be seen guest starring on a number of shows including
Seinfeld and
Ellen Foster. In 1999, she got her own television show, Jack & Jill, on the WB network. That same year, she could be seen playing
Sean Patrick Flanery's fiancée in
Simply Irresistible and then acting as his bedmate in
Body Shots, another in the long line of explorations into pre-millennial twentysomething dating angst.
After starring in director Neil Turitz's debut
Two Ninas, Peet landed a leading role in Peter M. Cohen's independent comedy
Whipped. While the film itself performed dismally, Peet met her boyfriend, Brian Van Holt, on the set. Despite it's independent status,
Whipped was given a solid amount of mainstream marketing, and Peet was praised for a game performance in the face of an admittedly weak script.
After a small role in 2000's
Isn't She Great with
Bette Midler and
Nathan Lane, Peet was finally recognized by critics and audiences alike in
The Whole Nine Yards. Though the film itself did not fare particularly well, Peet was praised for holding her own against Hollywood heavy-hitter
Bruce Willis, which certainly didn't hurt her when it came time to audition for
Saving Silverman, which placed her opposite
Jason Biggs while he was still reeling from the success of
American Pie. In 2002, Peet played a considerably less vicious wife in
Changing Lanes with
Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson, and won no small amount of praise for her performance as the heroin-addled mistress of
Kieran Culkin's godfather in
Igby Goes Down. Peet would go on to star opposite film veterans
Diane Keaton and
Jack Nicholson in
Nancy Meyers'
Something's Gotta Give, in which she stars as Nicholson's scandalously young girlfriend, as well as
James Mangold's psychological thriller
Identity with
John Cusack. In 2004, Peet signed on for the sequel to
The Whole Nine Yards (aptly titled
The Whole Ten Yards), and acted alongside
Will Ferrell,
Chloë Sevigny, and
Josh Brolin in the
Woody Allen feature
Melinda and Melinda.
The next year, Peet starred alongside
Ashton Kutcher in the romantic comedy
A Lot Like Love, before joining the cast of the politically charged thriller
Syriana. Then, in 2006, the actress accepted a recurring role on the one-hour drama
Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip. The
Aaron Sorkin written series received major critical acclaim but was cancelled after just one season. Undeterred, Peet next teamed up with
John Cusack for the quirky, heartfelt drama
Martian Child. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide