Andrea Fay Friedman
| Andrea Fay Friedman | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 1, 1970 California, U.S. |
| Other names | Andrea F. Friedman |
| Education | West Los Angeles Baptist High School |
| Alma mater | Santa Monica College |
| Occupation | Actress, public speaker |
| Years active | 1992–present |
Andrea Fay Friedman (born June 1, 1970) is an American film and television actress, who was born with Down Syndrome.
Friedman attended West Los Angeles Baptist High School and Santa Monica College. In 1992, she portrayed Amanda, the girlfriend of the character Charles "Corky" Thacher, on the TV show Life Goes On for two seasons. In 1993 she appeared in an episode of Baywatch, in which Mary Lou Retton organizes a Special Olympics-like event. She starred in the 1997 film Smudge as Cindy, a girl in a group home for people with disabilities who attempts to hide her puppy, Smudge. The film won the 1998 Humanitas Prize in the Children's Live Action category.
Friedman voiced Ellen, a character with Down syndrome, in the Family Guy episode "Extra Large Medium", her first role as a voice actress. In the episode, Friedman's character stated "My dad's an accountant and my mom is the former Governor of Alaska", referencing Sarah Palin's son, Trig, who has Down syndrome. However, per Friedman, "Sarah Palin said that was insensitive and cruel" and Friedman felt "it was only a joke." In an email concerning Palin's criticism of the episode, she said, "I guess former Governor Palin does not have a sense of humor." She concluded, "In my family we think laughing is good. My parents raised me to have a sense of humor and to live a normal life."
Friedman also had main roles in episodes of Law and Order: SVU, "Competence", playing a pregnant young woman named Katie. and Walker, Texas Ranger, "Special Witness", where she played a young woman in the Special Olympics who witnessed Trent Malloy being stabbed.
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