Amanda Peet Biography

In looking at Amanda Peet, it's obvious as to why People magazine voted her one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. It seems a shame that it took her some time to get her career going, forcing her to support herself on commercial residuals and waitressing tips. But with her beauty and talent, it wasn t too long before it all came together for her.Peet was born in New York City, the daughter of a lawyer and a social worker, on January 11, 1972. With her father being a Quaker, and her mother Jewish, she attended an all-girls prep school in London and the Friends Seminary, a Quaker school, the latter of which she attended along with actor Liev Scheiber. She moved on to Columbia University studying history, but was quickly taken in by acting teacher Uta Hagen, who tutored Peet for four years. Peet appeared in the off-Broadway play Awake and Sing.Waiting for her big break, Peet waited tables, working at the City Crab restaurant, and she supported herself on the residuals she received from a Skittles commercial she had done. Her break finally came with a part in the movie Animal Room with Neil Patrick Harris. This led to a guest spot on a Law and Order episode with Jerry Orbach and Benjamin Bratt, and also a guest spot on The Single Guy with Jonathon Silverman.Peet had her first regular role on a television series in Central Park West about ambitious New Yorkers. This series was short-lived, leaving Peet time to complete the romantic comedy movies She's the One with Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Diaz, and Edward Burns; and also One Fine Day with George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer. A few years later, she filmed yet another romantic comedy, Simply Irresistible with Sarah Michelle Gellar and Sean Patrick Flannery.The first starring role for Peet came in the series Jack and Jill, starring with Ivan Sergei and Jaime Pressly. This was yet another short-lived series, but she was back on her feet quickly with the movie Body Shots, starring with Sean Patrick Flannery once again, and also Jerry O Connell and Tara Reid. Peet had the help of a great cast in one of her next movies, The Whole Nine Yards, starring with Bruce Willis, Matthew Perry, Rosanna Arquette, and Michael Clarke Duncan.It was The Whole Nine Yards that made Amanda Peet a household name, and she soon had many starring vehicles under her belt, such as Saving Silverman with Steve Zahn, Jack Black, and Jason Biggs. Peet's next big movie also had some very famous names attached, as she starred with Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reaves, and Frances McDormand in Something's Gotta Give. Next came the sequel to The Whole Nine Yards, The Whole Ten Yards.In the fall of 2006, Peet linked up with her The Whole Nine Yards and The Whole Ten Yards costar Matthew Perry to film the television series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, which also stars Steven Weber.

• AskMen.com - Amanda Peet