| Amanda Bynes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name: | Amanda Laura Bynes |
| Born: | April 3, 1986 |
| Occupation: | Actress, Future Fashionista |
| Years active: | 1993-2010 |
Amanda Laura Bynes (born April 3, 1986) is an American actress. Bynes rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s on the Nickelodeon series All That and The Amanda Show. From 2002 to 2006, she starred on the sitcom What I Like About You on The WB. Bynes has also starred in several films, including What a Girl Wants (2003), She's the Man (2006), Hairspray (2007), Sydney White (2007) and Easy A (2010). In recent years, Bynes has been in trouble with the law ranging from drug use to traffic violations. She was later hospitalized after starting a fire at a stranger's driveway. Today, Amanda is clean, sober, wise and (true to half her word) she is currently working on her fashion career.
Early life[]
Bynes was born on April 3, 1986, and raised in Thousand Oaks, California (part of the Greater Los Angeles Area), the youngest of three children of Lynn (née Organ), a dental assistant and office manager, and Rick Bynes, a dentist. Bynes' ancestors immigrated from Ireland, Poland, Russia, and Romania, and her maternal grandparents are from Toronto, Ontario. Her father is Catholic, and her mother is Jewish. In 2007, regarding her religious beliefs, Bynes stated: "As far as religion, I was raised both. I learned about both Judaism and Catholicism. My parents said it was up to me to decide [which faith to adhere to] when I grew up. I'm sort of a spiritual person anyway. I haven't decided yet on a religion. I don't know yet exactly what I believe."
Bynes is interested in illustration and fashion design. Bynes has previously had her own fashion line sold nationwide and moved from Los Angeles to New York in order to facilitate her fashion career.
Acting career[]
In 1993, Bynes attended a comedy camp, and began professionally acting at the age of seven, appearing in a television advertisement for Buncha Crunch candies. During her childhood, she also appeared on stage in versions of Annie, The Secret Garden, The Music Man, and The Sound of Music. Bynes became a regular cast member of Nickelodeon's Figure It Out and All That. She was a regular cast member on All That for seasons three through six. She also starred in her own sketch comedy show, The Amanda Show (1999–2002).
Bynes made her film debut in 2002's modest box office success, Big Fat Liar. Her first leading role was in 2003's What a Girl Wants, co-starring with Colin Firth, Oliver James, and Kelly Preston. From 2002 to 2006, Bynes starred alongside Jennie Garth in The WB Television Network's sitcom What I Like About You. Bynes had voice parts in 2003's Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure and 2005's CGI animated comedy, Robots. She appeared in Arliss as Crystal Dupree. Bynes appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair's July 2003 edition with nine of Hollywood's other young female stars.
Bynes was named one of Teen People's "25 Hottest Stars Under 25" in 2006. Later that year, she starred in She's the Man, a comedy based on William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Bynes appeared in another romantic comedy, Love Wrecked, which was shot before She's the Man but released after it, showing in cinemas outside of the United States in 2005 and 2006 and debuting in the U.S. on the ABC Family network on January 21, 2007. She also portrayed Penny Pingleton in Hairspray. Bynes next starred in another comedy, Sydney White, released on September 21, 2007. Later that year, Bynes signed a five-year deal with Steve & Barry's to create her own fashion line, Dear, consisting of apparel and accessories. The clothing line launched in stores August 16, 2007. The line was cut short when Steve & Barry's filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2008 and went out of business completely in January 2009.
In 2008, Bynes appeared in the Lifetime Television movie Living Proof as the student assistant of Harry Connick, Jr.'s character. Bynes was also originally set to star as Ryden Malby in the 2009 comedy Post Grad but was replaced by Alexis Bledel.
In June 2009, Bynes inked a two-picture deal with Screen Gems. The first of the two movies was the 2010 teen comedy Easy A, starring Emma Stone and Lisa Kudrow, and the second was to have been a starring role. Bynes also planned to reprise her role as Penny Pingleton in the sequel to Hairspray. However, Hairspray 2 was canceled. Bynes was also originally set to star in the comedy Hall Pass but dropped out and was replaced by Alexandra Daddario.
Bynes appeared in lingerie on the cover of the February 2010 issue of Maxim magazine, highlighting her photo spread inside. She stated, "I think every shot ... was sexy" and that the new look is "who I am." That June, Bynes stated that she planned to retire from acting, announcing on her Twitter page, "I don't love acting anymore, so I've stopped doing it." A month later, Bynes had an apparent change of heart and "unretired". At the 2011 MTV Movie Awards, Bynes told People Magazine that she's merely taking "time off." In September 2012, Bynes said that she has once again retired from acting (this time for good) and would instead focus on launching her career as a fashion designer and rapper.
However, Bynes' career fell into a heavy decline in 2012, as she had some mental health and substance issues. By 2018, Bynes became sober after receiving assistance from her parents.
Game Show Appearances[]
Bynes appeared as a panelist on Figure it Out and as a contestant on Double Dare 2000 with some of the cast members of her show, The Amanda Show. Bynes has also appeared on the famous podcast Hear Us Out.