Amanda Peet

Amanda Peet is married to American screenwriter David Benioff who is popular for creating the critically acclaimed HBO fantasy drama series ‘Game of Thrones’. The couple married on September 30, 2006, in Peet’s hometown New York City. They have three children together, Frances "Frankie" Pen Friedman, Henry Peet Friedman, and Molly June Friedman.

Amanda Peet is good friends with the ‘Game of Thrones’ star Peter Dinklage and also shares a strong bond with actress Sarah Paulson with whom she has worked with in ‘Jack & Jill’ as well as ‘Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip’.

Peet has been an active volunteer and spokesperson for childhood vaccination. She has worked closely with ‘Every Child By Two’, a non-profit organization that works for the same cause. She was also felicitated by Independent Investigative Group with an award to recognize her work in this field.

Amanda Peet was born in New York City on January 11, 1972, to Charles D. Peet, Jr. and Penny Levy. Her father was a corporate lawyer by profession and her mother was a social worker.

Peet is also related to Samuel Roxy Rothafel, a theatrical impresario, and Samuel Levy, a public official, who served as the Manhattan Borough President; both were her maternal great-grandfathers.

Her father was a Quaker and her mother belonged to a Jewish family; she was raised in the Quaker tradition. Peet moved to London at the age of seven only to return to New York four years later and attended a private day school named Friends Seminary in Manhattan.

She enrolled at the Columbia University and graduated with a degree in American history. After her graduation, Peet took acting classes under Uta Hagen for four years and also appeared in Broadway shows.

Amanda Peet appeared in Broadway shows and did several commercials including a television commercial for Skittles before trying her luck in the film and television industries.

She made her debut in the film industry with a role in the 1995 American thriller-drama ‘Animal Room’. She appeared alongside the likes of Matthew Lillard and Neil Patrick Harris (as a drug addict).

In 1995, she also made her television debut in an episode (‘Hot Pursuit’) of the American police procedural and legal drama television series ‘Law and Order’. She did two independent films in 1996, ‘Winterlude’ and ‘Virginity’.

She earned a chance to work alongside Michelle Marie Pfeiffer and George Clooney in the romantic comedy film ‘One Fine Day’ in 1996. In the same year, she appeared in the romcom ‘She's the One’ alongside Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Aniston.

For Peet, the roles kept coming but she had to wait till 1999 to get a lead role in a televisions series. She was cast in the American comedy-drama television show ‘Jack & Jill’. She was part of the show between 1999 and 2001, playing the role of ‘Jacqueline Barrett’ in 32 episodes.

Amanda Peet is best known for the role of ‘Jill St. Claire’ in the mafia-comedy film ‘The Whole Nine Yards’. She was part of a high-profile lineup in the movie that had names like Bruce Willis, Michael Clarke Duncan and Natasha Henstridge. The film grossed over US$106 million worldwide and received positive reviews from the critics.

Peet’s role in the movie earned her wider attention and she was nominated for the ‘Favorite Supporting Actress – Comedy or Romance’ award at the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards. She also received a nomination at the Teen Choice Awards.

The role of ‘Jordan McDeere’ in Aaron Sorkin's comedy-drama television series ‘Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip’ is another one of her career highlights. She was part of the show for the entire season and played one of the lead roles. Peet was nominated at the Satellite Award for ‘Best Actress – Television Series Drama’ for her work in the show.