Amanda Bynes

Amanda Laura Bynes (born April 3, 1986) is an American former actress. Known for playing comedic roles, Bynes is heralded for her television work in the 1990s and her successful pivot to film in the 2000s.

Bynes began her career as a child actor and received recognition for her roles on the sketch comedy series All That (1996–2000), and The Amanda Show (1999–2002), both for Nickelodeon. She won several Kids' Choice Awards for both of these roles. In her mid-teens, Bynes starred in The WB 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 a hiatus from acting. She announced her intent to return in 2018.

In her personal life, Bynes has struggled with mental health and substance abuse. The issues and resulting legal problems have been well documented by the media. She was in a conservatorship 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 December 2013, Bynes enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) in Irvine, California for 2014. 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. In 2019, Bynes graduated from FIDM.

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. A Nickelodeon producer spotted her at a performance at the Laugh Factory, which prompted the network to cast her on the sketch comedy series All That, where she played various roles from season three to season six. 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's 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 hiatus

Bynes was named one of Teen People's "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. She was also featured on the Hairspray soundtrack, which received a Grammy nomination. 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".

In 2009, Bynes was set to star in the comedy Post Grad, but she dropped out and was replaced by Alexis Bledel amid rumors that she was having difficulties. In June 2010, Bynes announced via twitter she would retire from acting. The following month, she seemingly retracted her previous statement by tweeting, "i've unretired"; and subsequently posted the ad for her upcoming film, Easy A, where 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 of the film and was replaced by Alexandra Daddario. In a September 2012 interview, Bynes clarified her acting status, telling People Magazine, "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: Post-hiatus

In June 2018, Bynes considered returning to acting, but nothing has happened since.

Bynes was set to reunite with former All That cast members at '90s Con in March 2023, her first public appearance since the end of her conservatorship the previous year, but she did not attend due to illness. 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 2025, Bynes joined OnlyFans, an internet content subscription service popular with adult models, in order to speak with fans and not post any "sleazy content".

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."

In 2008, Bynes briefly dated Seth MacFarlane after voicing Anna in the episode "Long John Peter" of MacFarlane's show Family Guy.

Mental health, substance abuse, and legal issues

In March 2012, Bynes was pulled over by Los Angeles police for talking on the phone. 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.