Amanda Bynes

Amanda Bynes
Bynes at The Heart Truth's Red Dress Collection fashion show in February 2009
Born	Amanda Laura Bynes (1986-04-03) April 3, 1986 (age 30) Thousand Oaks, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1996–2010
Television	All That The Amanda Show What I like About You

Amanda Laura Bynes (born April 3, 1986) is an American former actress. After appearing in commercials and in plays, Bynes rose to prominence as a child star in the late 1990s and early 2000s on the Nickelodeon series All That and The Amanda Show. From 2002 to 2006, she starred in the sitcom What I Like About You on The WB. She has also starred in several films, including What a Girl Wants (2003), She's the Man (2006), Hairspray (2007), Sydney White (2007), and Easy A (2010). In 2012, Bynes announced that she was retiring from acting.

Bynes was born in Thousand Oaks, California, the youngest of three children of Lynn Bynes (born: Lynn 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 (from a family from Romania, Russia, and Poland). Bynes' maternal grandparents are Canadians from Toronto, Ontario.

Bynes attended a comedy camp, and began professionally acting at the age of 7, 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. Bynes rose to prominence with her various roles in All That for seasons three through six. She later became a regular member of Nickelodeon's Figure It Out (1997–99). At the age of 13, she began starring in her own sketch comedy show, The Amanda Show (1999–2002). In 2002, Amanda began to establish her fan base with her debut film role in Big Fat Liar (2002) opposite Frankie Muniz, and a co-starring role in the WB sitcom What I Like About You (2002–06) with Jennie Garth, which gained positive reviews. She also made her voice-over debut in Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure and later in the animated comedy Robots (2005).