Amanda Bynes

Amanda Laura Bynes (born April 3, 1986) is an American former actress.

Bynes is heralded for her work in the 1990s and 2000s.

Bynes began her career as a child actress, appearing on the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series All That (1996–2000) and its spin-off series The Amanda Show (1999–2002).

Bynes was also a regular member of the series Figure It Out from 1997 to 1999.

At the age of 13, Bynes starred in the All That spin-off comedy The Amanda Show from 1999 to 2002.

She had her breakthrough on the shows earning praise and acclaim.

She won four Kids' Choice Awards and received two Young Artist Award nominations.

The show brought Bynes much recognition, and she won a Kids' Choice Award in 2000.

During her mid-teens, Bynes played Holly Tyler in WB Television Network sitcom What I Like About You (2002–2006) and made her film debut in the comedy Big Fat Liar (2002).

In 2002, Bynes made her feature film debut in Big Fat Liar starring as Kaylee, best friend of co-star Frankie Muniz's character.

Although the film had a mixed reception, it was a commercial success; she won a Kids' Choice Award for her performance.

Also in 2002, she landed a starring role in the WB sitcom What I Like About You from 2002 to 2006 co-starring with Jennie Garth.

The series garnered positive reviews and Bynes received a number of nominations from the Teen Choice Awards and the Young Artist Awards.

She went on to star in a number of successful films, including What a Girl Wants (2003), Robots (2005), She's the Man (2006), Hairspray (2007), and Easy A (2010).

In 2003, Bynes appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair July 2003 edition.

She had a voice role in the direct-to-video film Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure, which was panned by critics.

She also had a voice role as Piper Pinwheeler in the 2005 animated film Robots, which was a commercial success.

Also in 2005, she starred in the romantic comedy Love Wrecked.

Bynes was named one of Teen People's "25 Hottest Stars Under 25" in 2006.

In 2006, Bynes starred in the teen sports romantic comedy film She's the Man, based on William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. She portrays Viola Hastings, a girl who pretends to be her twin brother to play with the boys' soccer team at an elite boarding school after the girls soccer team at her school gets cut.

Critic Roger Ebert wrote "Of Amanda Bynes let us say that she is sunny and plucky and somehow finds a way to play her impossible role without clearing her throat more than six or eight times. More importantly, we like her."

In 2007, Bynes starred as Penny Pingleton, a sheltered young girl, in the musical comedy film Hairspray.

The film was a critical and commercial success premiering in over 3,000 theaters, the largest debut for any musical film.

It went on to become Bynes's most successful film at the time, and she and the rest of the cast were acclaimed for their performances.

In August 2007, Bynes teamed up with Steve & Barry's to create her own fashion line called Dear, consisting of apparel and accessories.

Bynes' next role was in another comedy, Sydney White, released in 2007.

She won the Critics' Choice Award for Best Acting Ensemble and received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination in 2008, among others.

She was also featured on the Hairspray soundtrack, which went on to get a Grammy nomination.

It was announced Bynes would reprise her role in Hairspray 2, but the project was canceled.

The line was cut short when Steve & Barry's filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2008.

She retired from acting in 2010, and in 2024, she announced her new career as a manicurist.

Bynes was born and grew up in Thousand Oaks, California, a suburb of Los Angeles.

She is the youngest of three children born to Lynn (née Organ), a dental assistant and office manager, and Rick Bynes, a dentist.

Her father is Catholic and is of Irish, Lithuanian, and Polish descent.

Her mother is Jewish, born to a Canadian couple whose families were from Poland, Russia, and Romania.

Bynes began professionally acting at age 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.

Later she attended a comedy camp at the Los Angeles Laugh Factory and was spotted by a Nickelodeon producer before being cast by the network on the sketch comedy series All That, where she played various roles from season two to season six.

In her highly publicized personal life, she has struggled with mental health and other issues, and was in a conservatorship from August 2013 to March 2022.

Magazine Bustle wrote in 2018: "She's The Man was hot and hilarious and anxiety-inducing. It was perfect, and Bynes was a revelation in it."