Amanda Bynes

From LoveToKnow Celebrity

Amanda Bynes
Born As:	Amanda Laura Bynes
Birthdate:	April 3, 1986
Best Known As:	Actress
Web Site:	Fan Site

Amanda Bynes is one young superstar who took her child acting years and ran. From her goofy Nickelodeon show, to her role in 2007’s musical Hairspray, Bynes has shown she has the comedic chops that appeal to more than just the preteen set.

Amanda Bynes

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Early Years

Amanda Laura Bynes was born April 3, 1986 in Thousand Oaks, California. Her father, Rick, is a dentist and her mother, Lynn, is a dental assistant and office manager. She also has an older brother, Tommy and a sister, Jillian. Bynes’ exposure to her dad’s extracurricular stand-up comedy routines may have been the inspiration for Amanda’s break into the big time. Bynes graduated from Fillmore High School and had hoped to attend New York University, but her skyrocketing career put plans on hold.

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Young Start

Amanda Bynes’ first taste of performing came at a comedy camp, where she was trained by Arsenio Hall and Richard Pryor. The training helped land her first television commercial at age seven, for Buncha Crunch candies. She was also seen in a number of community theater performances, including To Kill a Mockingbird, Annie, The Secret Garden, The Music Man and The Sound of Music.

She was “discovered” during a Laugh Factory kids’ comedy showcase when a Nickelodeon executive spotted her performance.

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Television Career

Bynes, right, with the cast of Hairspray at its Los Angeles premiere in 2007.

She started her career at Nickelodeon in 1996, as a cast member of All That (1996-2000) when she was just 10. She also appeared frequently on the Nickelodeon game show Figure it Out during the same time period. Her success on those programs led to her own sketch show, called The Amanda Show, which ran from 1999-2002. Other television roles include:

Arli$$ (1999)
The Nightmare Room (2001)
Rugrats (2001)
What I Like About You (2002-2006)

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Film Career

Amanda Bynes moved beyond the small screen in 2002, taking on her first movie role in Big Fat Liar, opposite Frankie Muniz. In 2003, she was cast as the lead in What a Girl Wants, with Colin Firth and Kelly Preston. She also lent her voice to the films Charlotte’s Web 2: Wilbur’s Great Adventure (2003) and Robots (2005).

Bynes also starred in the 2006 comedy She’s the Man, where she disguised herself as a boy to play on a soccer team. Other film roles include:

Lovewrecked (2005)
Hairspray (2007)
Sydney White (2007)

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Fashion Line

Not to be outdone by actress-turned-fashion-designers Hilary Duff or the Olsen twins, Amanda Bynes released a fashion line called “Dear” that includes accessories and clothing. The line was released in August 2007.

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Massive Appeal

Bynes at the New York premiere of Hairspray.

Bynes’ success is part talent and part likability. As a “girl next door” who enjoys comedic acting, she draws the preteen and teen crowds, but also appeals to older fans. According to Bynes, she feels that her relevance to teen fans is that she is "more similar to them than some... socialite or whatever."

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Amanda Bynes Trivia

Bynes was one of Teen People magazine’s “25 Hottest Stars Under 25” in 2006.
She was ranked fifth on the 2007 Forbes list of the highest paid celebrities under 21.
Bynes was named one of People magazine’s 100 Most Beautiful People.
FHM magazine ranked Amanda Bynes as number 79 on their 100 Sexiest Women list for 2007.
She is an artist – and once gave David Letterman a portrait that she had painted of him.
Her awards include the Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite Television Actress four years in a row, as well as Favorite Movie Actress for What a Girl Wants.
The Amanda Show was Nickelodeon’s highest rated live-action show for three seasons.
She appeared on a July 2003 Vanity Fair cover alongside female stars Lindsay Lohan, the Olsen Twins, Mandy Moore, and Hilary Duff, among others.