The Hottest TV Actress
Growing Up
Born on April 3, 1986 in Thousand Oaks, California, Amanda began her career at a comedy camp and starring in commercials. Her father Rick, a dentist, always encouraged her to act. She was discovered at the early age of 10 by producer Brian Robbins while performing at a Laugh Factory kid’s comedy showcase and invited to join the cast of Nickelodeon’s “All That”. Her nomination for a CableAce Award in 1997 came just after her first season on the show. She remained at the top of the series for 4 seasons. At that time she also became famous for her role in “Ask Ashley”.
Bynes got her very own sketch show when she was only 13 – “The Amanda Show”, which brought her the title of Favorite Television Actress for three consecutive years from Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards. It ran from 1999 to 2002 and helped launch her in the Hollywood spotlight.
The Teenage Years
Having spent years on TV Amanda made her transition to the big screen with the 2002 flick “Big Fat Liar”, with Frankie Muniz from TV’s “Malcolm in the Middle”.
It’s a hilarious movie about how a young boy’s school essay erroneously finds its way in the hands of a Hollywood producer who turns the idea into a hit film, and the boy travels to Los Angeles to claim his credit.
In the same year the actress signed onto a new WB sitcom – “What I Like About You”, in which she plays the role of a teenager, Holly, who moves in with her sister Val (Jenny Garth) in New York City and naturally turns her world upside down. The show has been a great success since the very first episode. Here’s a fun fact – both stars share the same birthday in real life.
In 2003 Bynes landed her first leading role in “What a Girl Wants”, about an American teen, Daphne, in search of her long lost father (Colin Firth) in London, England. The movie can be described as a funny fairy tale, very romantic and entertaining. She auditioned against Britney Spears for the role and proved to be the right actress for it.
The new guy in campus is really just a girl pretending to be her twin brother in order to be accepted in the soccer team – that’s the plot of the 2006 romantic comedy “She Is The Man”, in which Amanda stars with Channing Tatum. The movie is based on Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”. She once again shows her incredible acting skills and physical comedy talent.
What’s Next?
We’ll see Bynes in the role of Penny Pingleton in the upcoming production “Hairspray” (2007) with stars like John Travolta and Queen Latifah. It’s based on the 1988 John Waters comedy and New Line’s hit Broadway adaptation of the film, which debuted in 2002, and went on to win eight Tony Awards.
Currently Amanda lives with her family in Ventura County, California and plans to study business at UCLA. As you might know she is a straight-A student. She does her best to stay out of the tabloids and likes to spend time with her dog Midge. She spends her free time drawing, painting and reading.
She’s still good friends with her “Big Fat Liar” co-star Frankie Muniz. After all, who wouldn’t want to be friends with her? Down-to-earth, charming, sweet, beautiful, intelligent – that certainly makes her the hottest TV actress.
