Amanda Peet is an American actress, who has appeared on film, stage, and television. After studying with Uta Hagen at Columbia University, she began her career in television commercials, and progressed to small roles on television, before making her film debut in 1995.

Featured roles in films such as The Whole Nine Yards brought her recognition and she was named one of People`s 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 2000. Since then, Amanda Peet has appeared in a variety of films, including Something`s Gotta Give, Syriana, and 2012. She was born in New York City, the daughter of Penny, a social worker, and Charles, a corporate lawyer.

The two are now divorced. Her father is a Quaker and her mother is Jewish. Amanda Peet attended Friends Seminary, then studied history at and graduated from Columbia University, where she auditioned for acting teacher Uta Hagen and decided to become an actress after taking Hagen`s class. During her four-year period of study with Hagen, she appeared in the off-Broadway revival of Clifford Odets`s Awake and Sing.