Amanda Bynes Amanda Bynes on poster of What a Girl Wants (2003) Born April 3, 1986 Thousand Oaks, California, USA Occupation Actress, Comedian Amanda Laura Bynes (born April 3, 1986) is an American actress and former show host on Nickelodeon. After appearing in several successful television series on Nickelodeon in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Bynes focused on the big screen, starring in many teen films, including her most recent, She's the Man, and her upcoming role in a remake of Hairspray. Bynes has been described as having an "Everygirl" appeal, embodying "both everything her teen fans dream of being and everything they know they really are, and they love her for it."[1] In 2006, she was named one of Teen People's "25 Hottest Stars Under 25".[2] Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 1.2 Career 1.3 Trivia 2 Selected filmography 3 References 3.1 Footnotes 3.2 Interviews 3.3 Web sites Biography Early life Bynes was born in Thousand Oaks, California to Richard Bynes (a dentist who also practiced stand-up comedy) and Lynn Organ (a dental assistant). She has two older siblings, Tommy, a chiropractor, and Jillian, who has a B.A. in psychology from UCLA. Though Bynes grew up "half Catholic and half Jewish"[3], she identifies herself as Jewish.[4] Bynes graduated Thousand Oaks High School's independent study program and has expressed a desire to attend New York University in the near future. She briefly moved into an apartment in Hollywood, California, but has since returned to her family home. Career Bynes, who was trained as an actress by Arsenio Hall and Richard Pryor at a comedy camp, began acting at seven, appearing in a television advertisement for Buncha Crunch candies. After taking acting classes, she joined as a regular cast member of the show All That in 1996 and later became the star of The Amanda Show, both featured on the Nickelodeon channel. Frankie Muniz and Bynes in Big Fat Liar, 2002 Bynes made her film debut in 2002's mild box office success, Big Fat Liar, where she played opposite Frankie Muniz. Her first solo leading role was in 2003's What a Girl Wants, which also performed fairly at the box office with her co-star Oliver James. Subsequently, Bynes starred in the WB Network's sitcom What I Like About You and had a voice part in 2005's CGI animated comedy, Robots. Bynes' rise to fame was noted as part of the teen-star "craze." Bynes appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair's July 2003 edition with Hollywood's nine most popular young stars, including Lindsay Lohan, Hilary Duff, the Olsen Twins and Mandy Moore. However, unlike these stars, Bynes is often seen as more relatable, which she claims stems from the fact that she is "more similar to them than some... socialite or whatever".[1] Bynes has completed filming another romantic comedy Lovewrecked, which will be released in late 2006. She was also recently cast as Penny Pingleton in Hairspray, a new film adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name. Bynes has commented that she wishes to start appearing in more mature roles and believes that she is still developing her acting skills and maturing as an actress, saying that she is "getting better" as she matures.[1] Trivia Bynes enjoys drawing, having once painted a portrait of David Letterman as a gift to him, and fashion design, having commented that "I'm the girl whose biggest nightmare would be to lose my makeup bag while traveling".[5] Selected filmography Year Title Role Notes 2007 Hairspray Penny Pingleton 2006 Lovewrecked Jenny Riley She's the Man Viola Hastings 2005 Robots Piper Pinwheeler voice only 2003 What a Girl Wants Daphne Reynolds 2002 Big Fat Liar Kaylee References Footnotes ^ a b c The Boston Globe. A screen Everygirl stretches her skills. Retrieved on March 12, 2006. ^ Canada.com. Young and hot. Retrieved on May 7, 2006. ^ Amanda Bynes NOW!. A Walk in Your Shoes - October 2001. Retrieved on March 12, 2006. ^ The Jimmy Kimmel Show (March 7, 2006) ^ Interviews Amanda Bynes Blossoming into Major Star (2006) ElleGirl interview (2005) Dark Horizons interview (March 7, 2005) Filmmonthly interview (March 6, 2005) BBC Films interview (July 16, 2003) About.com interview (April, 2003) BlackFilm interview (April, 2003) Girls' Life interview (October-November 2002) collection of interviews at Amanda Bynes.cc Amanda Bynesnow.com press Web sites AmandaBynes.com Official Site AmandaBynes.fr Official website France Amanda Bynes cast bio on The WB AmandaBynesNOW.com Fansite Amanda Bynes at the Internet Movie Database Amanda Bynes at TV.com Search Term: "Amanda_Bynes" Categories: 1986 births | All That | The Amanda Show | American child actors | American film actors | American television actors | American television personalities | Jewish American actors | Kids' Choice Awards winners | Living people | Nickelodeon actors | People from the Greater Los Angeles Area