Amanda Laura Bynes was born on April 3, 1986 in Thousand Oaks,
California. Amanda's father, Rick, is a dentist, and her mother, Lynn, works in
the dental office. Amanda has two older siblings, Jillian and Tommy. She
appeared in her first television commercial for Nestle's Buncha Crunch candy at
age 7. As a child, Amanda began starring in community theatre productions such
as Annie, The Music Man, To Kill a Mocking Bird, and The Secret
Garden. She attended comedy classes such as The Comedy Store and the Laugh
Factory, both in Los Angeles.
At the age of 10, Amanda performed at a Laugh Factory kids'
comedy showcase and was immediately signed by Nickelodeon to appear as
the newcomer on All That (1996). Amanda spent four years on the show and
earned 4 Kid's Choice Awards. In 1999, when she was 13, Amanda starred in her
own variety show, The Amanda Show. For three seasons it was the
highest-rated live-action show on Nickelodeon, and for it she won another Kid's
Choice Award in 2001.
In 2001, Amanda made her big-screen debut as Kavlee in Big
Fat Liar. Although she did not have a lead part, she made a big impression
on audiences and film casters. Since 2001, she has been in constant television
and movie production. In 2002, she began co-starring with Jennie Garth in the
WB television series What I Like About You, which was designed as
a launch for Amanda's career. At the same time, she began filming the
movie What A Girl Wants (2003) with Colin Firth and Kelly Preston. In
2003, she won two more Kid's Choice Awards.
In 2004, Amanda celebrated her 18th birthday on the
17th Annual KCA Awards where she earned another Kid's Choice Award,
this time for best actress for her ongoing role in the series What A Girl
Wants. Look for Amanda again soon in Robots (2005), as the voice of
Piper, and in Lovewrecked (2005), starring as Jenny, who, while on a
Caribbean cruise, is marooned on a beach with her rock and roll idol and hides
the fact that they are only a stone's throw away from the resort in order to
spend more time with him.
A straight-A student, Amanda Bynes graduated from Thousand Oaks
High School's independent study program on June 10, 2004. She currently lives
with her family in Ventura County, California.
From 2001-2003, Amanda dated Taran Killam, her co-star from
The Amanda Show.
