Amanda Bynes

Amanda Laura Bynes (born April 3, 1986) is an American retired actress. Bynes began her career as a child actress and received recognition for her roles on the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series All That (1996–2000), and The Amanda Show (1999–2002), for which she won several Kids' Choice Awards for both.

In her mid-teens, Bynes starred in The WB (now The CW) sitcom What I Like About You (2002–2006) and in the teen comedy films Big Fat Liar (2002) and What a Girl Wants (2003). As an adult, she appeared in the films She's the Man (2006), Hairspray (2007), Living Proof (2008), and Easy A (2010), before announcing her retirement from acting.

Upon her retirement from acting in 2010, Bynes publicly struggled with mental health and substance abuse. Her legal problems, which persisted from 2012 to 2014, resulted in her parents being granted conservatorship of her from 2013 to 2022.

Early life and education Bynes was born on April 3, 1986, and raised in Thousand Oaks, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. Her father is Catholic and is of Irish, Lithuanian, and Polish descent, and her mother is Jewish, born to a Canadian couple whose families were from Poland, Russia, and Romania.

Since childhood, Bynes has been interested in illustration and fashion design. In 2018, she received her associate's of art degree in merchandise product development and announced her intentions to start a bachelor's degree program.

Career

1993–2005: Child acting and breakthrough Bynes began professionally acting at age seven, appearing in television advertisements for Buncha Crunch candies, Cut and Style Barbie, and Taco Bell. During her childhood, she appeared on stage in versions of Annie, The Secret Garden, The Music Man, and The Sound of Music. Later she attended a comedy camp at the Los Angeles Laugh Factory, at which she received advice from Richard Pryor and Arsenio Hall. The show brought Bynes recognition, and she won a Kids' Choice Award in 2000. Bynes was a regular member of the series Figure It Out from 1997 to 1999.

At the age of 13, Bynes starred in the All That spin-off comedy The Amanda Show from 1999 to 2002. She had her breakthrough on the show, earning praise and acclaim. She won four Kids' Choice Awards and received two Young Artist Award nominations. In 2002, Bynes made her feature film debut in Big Fat Liar starring as Kaylee, best friend of co-star Frankie Muniz's character. Although the film had a mixed reception, it was a commercial success, and she won another Kids' Choice Award for her performance. Also in 2002, she landed a starring role in the WB sitcom What I Like About You from 2002 to 2006. The series garnered positive reviews and Bynes received a number of nominations from the Teen Choice Awards and the Young Artist Awards.

In 2003, Bynes appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair July 2003 edition. She had a voice role in the direct-to-video film Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure, which was panned by critics. She had a voice role as Piper Pinwheeler in the 2005 animated film Robots, which was a commercial success. Also in 2005, she starred in the romantic comedy Love Wrecked.

2006–2010: Mainstream stardom and acting retirement Bynes was named one of Teen Peoples "25 Hottest Stars Under 25" in 2006. In 2006, Bynes starred in the teen sports romantic comedy film She's the Man, based on William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. She portrays Viola Hastings, a girl who pretends to be her twin brother to play with the boys' soccer team at an elite boarding school after the girls soccer team at her school gets cut. Critic Roger Ebert wrote "Of Amanda Bynes let us say that she is sunny and plucky and somehow finds a way to play her impossible role without clearing her throat more than six or eight times. More importantly, we like her."

In 2007, Bynes starred as Penny Pingleton, a sheltered young girl, in the musical comedy film Hairspray, based on the musical theater adaptation of John Waters' 1988 film. The film was a critical and commercial success premiering in over 3,000 theaters, the largest debut for any musical film. It went on to become Bynes's most successful film at the time, and she and the rest of the cast were acclaimed for their performances. She won the Critics' Choice Award for Best Acting Ensemble and received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination in 2008, among others. It was announced Bynes would reprise her role in Hairspray 2, but the project was canceled. In August 2007, Bynes worked with Steve & Barry's to create her own fashion line called Dear, consisting of apparel and accessories. The line was cut short when Steve & Barry's filed for bankruptcy in 2008.

Bynes' next role was in another comedy, Sydney White, released in 2007. The film was a critical and commercial failure, although Bynes' performance was praised. Review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes wrote "Amanda Bynes is charming, but Sydney White is a poorly adapted take on Snow White, relying on tired ethnic stereotypes laughs." In 2008, she appeared in the Lifetime Television movie Living Proof as the student assistant of Harry Connick, Jr.'s character. The film and the cast were praised. Also in 2008, Bynes voiced Anna in the Family Guy episode "Long John Peter". The workplace comedy followed a group of friends that were all fired on the same day. She was also set to star in the romantic comedy Post Grad, but she dropped out and was replaced by Alexis Bledel amid rumors that she was having difficulties.

In January 2010, Bynes posed for the cover of Maxim for their February issue. In June, Bynes announced via Twitter she would retire from acting. The following month, she seemingly retracted her previous statement by tweeting, "i've unretired"; and concurrently posted an advertisement for her upcoming film, Easy A, in which she would co-star alongside then-relatively unknown Emma Stone. She played Marianne Bryant, the president of a high school Bible study club who becomes the personal nemesis of Stone's character. The film was a critical and commercial success, with Stone and Bynes receiving critical praise for their performances. In the same year, Bynes started shooting the Farrelly Brothers comedy film Hall Pass, but dropped out and was replaced by Alexandra Daddario. In a September 2012 interview, Bynes clarified her acting status, telling People, "I am retired as an actor. I am moving to New York to launch my career. I am going to do a fashion line."

2018–present: Other ventures In June 2018, Bynes considered returning to acting, but nothing has happened since.

In December 2023, Bynes debuted as the co-host of an interview-style podcast, Amanda Bynes & Paul Sieminski: The Podcast, but she left after one episode to "get [her] manicurist license and have a consistent job".

In April 2026, Bynes signed with Create Music Group, and released her EDM trap single "Girlfriend" featuring Fenix Flexin.

Personal life In 2007, Bynes described herself as Jewish and said: "As far as religion, I was raised both. I learned about both [Judaism and Catholicism]. My parents said it was up to me to decide when I grew up. I'm sort of a spiritual person anyway. I haven't decided yet. I don't know yet exactly what I believe."

Bynes became engaged to Paul Michael in 2020. In July 2022, E! News reported Bynes and Michael had broken up after two years of dating.

Mental health, substance abuse, and legal issues In March 2012, Bynes was pulled over by Los Angeles police for talking on the phone while driving. She then left the scene before the officer could finish writing her ticket. However, he did not pursue her as he already had her information. She later returned to the station to sign the ticket.

On April 4, Bynes was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) in West Hollywood after side-swiping a police car and refusing to take a breathalyzer test. Upon being officially charged in June, Bynes took to Twitter to enlist the help of then-President of the United States Barack Obama after claiming she was wrongfully arrested, writing 'Hey @BarackObama... I don't drink. Please fire the cop who arrested me. I also don't hit and run. The end.' She later accepted a plea bargain of three years probation in exchange for the dismissal of the DUI charge.

In May 2013, Bynes was charged with reckless endangerment and marijuana possession after she was found smoking in the lobby of her Manhattan apartment building. When officers entered her 36th-floor apartment, she allegedly threw a bong out the window. Bynes's parents filed for conservatorship of their daughter shortly after her July 2013 hospitalization began. In August, Bynes' mother was granted a temporary conservatorship over Bynes's affairs.

In October 2014, Bynes accused her father of emotional and sexual abuse in a series of tweets. After her parents protested and claimed innocence, Bynes tweeted that her father had never abused her, adding: "The microchip in my brain made me say those things but he's the one that ordered them to microchip me". Days later, Bynes' mother again received conservatorship of her. Soon afterward, Bynes announced that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In August 2018, paperwork was filed to continue the conservatorship until August 2020.

In 2018, Bynes stated she had been sober for four years with the help of her parents.

In February 2022, Bynes filed to end her conservatorship. Her attorney stated that Bynes believed her condition was improved and protection of the court was no longer necessary. Attorneys for her parents stated that they supported her in ending it. The conservatorship was officially terminated on March 22, 2022.

On March 20, 2023, Bynes was placed on a 72-hour psychiatric hold after she flagged a bystander for help and called 911 following a psychotic episode in Los Angeles. The previous weekend she had been scheduled to appear at an All That panel at '90s Con in Connecticut, her first scheduled public event since the end of her conservatorship, but she did not appear.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 2002 Big Fat Liar Kaylee Garrett 2003 Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure Nellie Direct-to-video; voice role What a Girl Wants Daphne Reynolds 2005 Robots Piper PinwheelerVoice role Love Wrecked Jenny Taylor 2006 She's the Man Viola Hastings 2007 Hairspray Penny Pingleton Sydney White Sydney White 2010 Easy A Marianne Bryant

Television Year Title Role Notes 1996–2000 All That Various roles Main role 1997–1999 Figure It Out Herself Panelist 1998 Blue's Clues Episode: "Blue's Birthday" 1999 Arli$$ Crystal Dupree Episode: "Our Past, Our Present, Our Future" 1999–2002 The Amanda Show Host / Various roles Lead role 2000 Crashbox Pink Robot Episode: "Amanda Bynes" Double Dare 2000 Herself 2 episodes; contestant 2001The Drew Carey Show Sketch player Episode: "Drew Carey's Back-to-School Rock 'n' Roll Comedy Hour" The Nightmare Room Danielle Warner Episode: "Don't Forget Me" 2001–2002 Rugrats Taffy Recurring voice role 2002–2006 What I Like About You Holly Tyler Lead role 2008 Family Guy Anna Voice role; episode: "Long John Peter" Living Proof Jamie Television film

Podcast Year Title Role Notes 2023 Amanda Bynes & Paul Sieminski: The Podcast Herself Creator and co-host; 1 episode

Discography Singles + List of soundtrack appearances Title Year Album "Diamonds" (with Paul Michael) 2022 non-album single "Fairfax" (with Paul Michael) "Girlfriend" (with Zabba e Fenix Flexin)2026

Soundtrack appearances + List of soundtrack appearances Title Year Album "Without Love" (with Zac Efron, Nikki Blonsky, and Elijah Kelley) 2007 Hairspray: Soundtrack to the Motion Picture "You Can't Stop the Beat" (with the cast of Hairspray)

Awards and nominations At the Kids' Choice Awards, Bynes is one of nine actors to win Favorite Movie Actress more than once. Year Organization Award Work Result 1997 CableACE Awards Actress in a Comedy SeriesAll That 2000 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Female TV Star The Amanda Show Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Leading Young Actress YoungStar Awards Best Young Actress/Performance in a Comedy TV Series 2001 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Female TV Star 2002 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Female TV Star 2003 Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actress: Comedy What I Like About You Choice Female Hottie Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a Feature Film: Leading Young ActressBig Fat Liar Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Movie Actress Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actress: Comedy Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Movie Actress What a Girl Wants 2006 Teen Choice Awards Choice Liplock She's the Man 2007 Hollywood Film Festival Ensemble of the Year Hairspray 2008 Critics' Choice Awards Best Acting Ensemble Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Palm Springs International Film Festival Ensemble Cast Award 2011 MTV Movie Awards Best Line From a Movie Easy A