Amanda Peet is an American actress. After studying at Columbia University, Peet began her acting career with small parts on television, and made her film debut in “Animal Room.” Take a look below for 28 more awesome and interesting facts about Amanda Peet.
1. Her featured role in the comedy “The Whole Nine Yards” brought her wider recognition, and she has since appeared in a variety of films.
2. Peet was born in New York City, the daughter of Penny, a social worker, and Charles Peet Jr., a corporate lawyer, who later divorced.
3. Her father is a Quaker and her mother is Jewish.
4. Peet’s maternal great-grandfathers were Samuel Levy, a lawyer, businessman, and public official, who served as Manhattan Borough President, and Samuel Roxy Rothafel, a theatrical impresario and entrepreneur.
5. At age seven, Peet relocated with her family to London, returning to New York four years later.
6. Peet was raised in the Quaker tradition, and attended Friends Seminary, a Quaker school.
7. She attended and graduated from Columbia University with a degree in American history.
8. In college, she auditioned for acting with teacher Uta Hagen and decided to become an actress after taking Hagen’s class.
9. During her four-year period of study with Hagen, Peet appeared in the off-Broadway revival of Clifford Odet’s “Awake and Sing” with Stephen Lang.
10. Peet’s first screen performances were in a television commercial for Skittles and an uncredited appearance as the girlfriend of the titular character in the second episode of “The Larry Sanders Show” in 1992.
11. Peet took on the role of a psychological and the romantic interest of Jason Biggs in the little seen comedy “Saving Silverman.”
12. In 2004, Peet starred in “The Whole Ten Yards,” the sequel to “The Whole Nine Yards.” Unlike the first film, this production was critically panned and flopped at the box office.
13. Her most significant film role in 2005 was that of a woman who becomes a successful photographer, opposite Ashton Kutcher, in the romantic comedy “A Lot Like Love,” which revolved around two people whose relationship slowly evolved from lust to friendship to romance over the course of seven years.
14. In 2006, Peet acted on Neil Simon’s Broadway production of “Barefoot in the Park.”
15. In “2012”, a disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich, Peet reunited with John Cusack, to play his estranged wife.
16. In 2008, Peet volunteered to be a spokeswoman for Every Child By Two, a non-profit organization that advocated childhood vaccination.
17. Peet began working with the group after becoming concerned by the, “amount of misinformation floating, particularly in Hollywood.”
18. The 3rd Annual Independent Investigative Group Awards recognizing the promotion of science in popular media was held on May 18, 2009. The IIG presented an award to Peet for her work campaigning for vaccines.
19. Peet has co-written a children’s book “Dear Santa, Love, Rachel Rosenstein,” about a Jewish girl during the Christmas season.
20. Peet married screenwriter David Benioff on September 30, 2006, in New York City.
21. They have three children: Frances “Frankie” Pen Friedman, born February 20, 2007; Molly June Friedman, born April 20, 2010; and Henry Peet Friedman, born December 6, 2014.
22. Peet’s three children use the last name Friedman, which is Benioff’s last name. He uses his mother’s maiden name as his professional last name.
23. Peet was maid of honor at Lauren Holly’s marriage in 2001 to Francis Greco.
24. Peet and her family live in Manhattan and Beverly Hills.
25. Peet is best friends with actress Sarah Paulson, whom she met as castmates in “Jack & Jill” and co-starred again in “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.”
26. She is close friends with actor Peter Dinklage, whom she met through friends at Bennington College.
27. In 2008, Peet revealed that she has struggled with postpartum depression and that she has ADHD.
28. From 2015 to 2016, Peet played Tina Morris on the HBO series “Togetherness,” which focused on the lives of two couples living under the same roof.
