About
| Birth Name: | Amy Lou Adams |
| Birth Notes: | 20 August 1974, Aviano, Italy |
| Height: | 5' 4" |
| Biography: | Amy Adams was born in Italy to American parents Kathryn and Richard Adams, while her father was a U.S. serviceman. She was raised in a Mormon family of seven children in Castle Rock, Colorado. Adams sang in the school choir at Douglas County High School and was an apprentice dancer at a local dance company, with the ambition of becoming a ballerina. However, she worked as a greeter at The Gap and as a Hooters hostess to support herself before finding work as a dancer at Boulder's Dinner Theatre and Country Dinner Playhouse in such productions as "Brigadoon" and "A Chorus Line." It was there that she was spotted by a Minneapolis dinner-theater director who asked her to move to Chanhassen, Minnesota for more regional dinner theater work. Nursing a pulled muscle that kept her from dancing, she was free to audition for a part in Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999), which was filming nearby in Minnesota. During the filming, Kirstie Alley encouraged her to move to Los Angeles, where she soon won a part in the Fox television version of the film Cruel Intentions (1999) in the part played in the film by Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kathryn Merteuil. Although three episodes were filmed, the troubled series never aired. Instead, parts of the episodes were cobbled together and released as the direct-to-video Cruel Intentions 2 (2000) (V). After more failed television spots, she landed a major role in Catch Me If You Can (2002) playing opposite Leonardo DiCaprio. But this did not provide the break-through she might have hoped for, with no work being offered for about a year. She eventually returned to television, and joined the short-lived series 'Dr. Vegas'. Her role in the low-budget independent film Junebug (2005) (which was shot in 21 days) got her real attention, including an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress as well as other awards. The following year, her ability to look like a wide-eyed Disney animated heroine helped her to be chosen from about 300 actresses auditioning for the role of Giselle in the animated/live-action feature film Enchanted (2007) which would prove to be her major break-through role. Her vivacious yet innocent portrayal allowed her to use her singing and dancing talents. Her performance garnered a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Adams next appeared in the major production Charlie Wilson's War (2007) and went on to act in the independent film Sunshine Cleaning (2008) which premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Her recent role as Sister James in Doubt (2008) brought her a second Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress as well as nominations for a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild award, and a British Academy Film award. She appears as Amelia Earhart in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)and as a post-9/11 hot line counselor, aspiring writer, amateur cook and blogger in Julie & Julia (2009). She is a very sought-after actress with a bright future. |
Filmography
| Catch Me If You Can (2002) as Brenda Strong |
| Charlie Wilson's War (2007) as Bonnie Bach |
| Enchanted (2007) as Giselle |
| Fast Track (2006) as Abby March |
| Julie & Julia (2009) as Julie Powell |
| Leap Year (2010) as Anna Brady |
| Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008) as Delysia Lafosse |
| Moonlight Serenade (2009) as Chloe |
| Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) as Amelia Earhart |
| Psycho Beach Party (2000) as Marvel Ann |
| Pumpkin (2002) as Alex |
| Serving Sara (2002) as Kate |
| Sunshine Cleaning (2008) as Rose Lorkowski |
| Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) as Susan |
| Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006) as Gorgeous Woman |
| The Last Run (2004) as Alexis |
| The Slaughter Rule (2002) as Doreen |
| Underdog (2007) as Polly |
| Daughter of the Queen of Sheba (2010) |
| Doubt (2008) as Sister James |
| Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999) as Leslie Miller |
| Enchanted 2 (2012) as Giselle |
| Janis Joplin: Get It While You Can (2012) as Janis Joplin |
| Junebug (2005) as Ashley |
| On the Road (2011) as Jane |
| Pennies (2006) as Charlotte Brown |
| Standing Still (2005) as Elise |
| Stephen Tobolowsky's Birthday Party (2005) as Herself |
| The Chromium Hook (2000) as Jill Royaltuber |
| The Fighter (2010) as Charlene |
| The Ten Best Days of My Life (2011) |
| The Undomestic Goddess (2011) as Samantha Sweeting |
| The Wedding Date (2005) as Amy |
| Town House (2011) |
Trivia
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* Worked in a Hooters Restaurant until soon after she turned 18, when they started making her wear the customary outfits. * Alumna of the Chanhassen Dinner Theater in Minnesota. Appeared there in many productions including "Brigadoon" and "Good News". * One of seven children. * Natural hair color is Strawberry Blonde. * She was born in Italy and raised in Castle Rock, Colorado. * Her father was in the military and was also an amateur actor. * Born at the U.S. military base located in Aviano, Italy but spent part of her childhood in the US military base located in Vicenza, Italy. * Invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2006. * Attended, and graduated from, Douglas County High School in Castle Rock, Colorado. * Sang in the school choir at Douglas County High School. * Is a trained dancer. * Her brother, Eddie Adams , works for the tabloid show TMZ. * Once worked at The Gap, a clothing store chain. * Met her boyfriend, Darren Le Gallo, in 2001 in an acting class. * Has made two movies back-to-back starring Meryl Streep: Doubt (2008) and Julie & Julia (2009). In the latter she has no scenes with Streep. * One of People Magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People in the world (2008). * Engaged to Darren Le Gallo (July 24, 2008). * During a red carpet interview at the 81st Academy Awards, she claimed to suffer from extreme stage fright and claustrophobia. * Most unusual thing she has eaten is olive oil ice cream in New York City. * Has a lot of hot sauce in her kitchen. Loves raw onions, garlic and garlic press. * Announced on December 4th 2009 that she and her fiancé, Darren Le Gallo, are expecting their first child in 2010. * Enjoys singing karaoke. * Gave birth to her daughter Aviana Olea Le Gallo, with fiancé Darren Le Gallo, weighing in at 7lbs, in Los Angeles (15 May 2010). * Her performance as Ashley Johnsten in Junebug (2005) was named the 6th best performance of the decade in Paste Magazine's 25 Best Movie Performances of the Decade. * Was one month pregnant with her daughter Aviana when she completed filming on The Fighter (2010). * Was in consideration for the part of Dagny Taggart in Atlas Shrugged (2011) after Charlize Theron dropped out of the project, but Taylor Schilling was cast instead. * Was in attendance at the wedding of her Sunshine Cleaning (2008) co-star and best friend Emily Blunt to John Krasinski (10 July 2010). * Returned to work three months after giving birth to her daughter Aviana in order to begin filming On the Road (2011). |
Quotes
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* I have worked with some of the meanest people in the world. You can't do anything to intimidate me. * I think that I've always been attracted to characters who are positive and come from a very innocent place. I think there's a lot of room for discovery in these characters and that's something I always have fun playing. * It's nerve-wracking! I'll be up there, singing the song in front of billions of people - oh, and Daniel Day-Lewis! And Cate Blanchett. I'll be going to Taco Bell when the ceremony is over. Mexican food cures me (On singing at the Oscars). * Not at this point. Right now I'm just doing what I enjoy and I've done some different films, I've done some different types of roles. (On being stereotyped as the 'naive' one.) * Whitney Houston came in. Someone dared me to do "the Gap act" on her. You know, the Gap act. So I went up to her like I didn't know who she was, and I said, 'Hi, I just wanted to let you know about our sale items and make sure to check out our new colors'. She looked at me like I was crazy (On working at The Gap). * Thirty was a big deal for me. It was the age where I reevaluated everything - how I approached life and how I thought about myself. When I look at my 20s, or when I look at any period in my life, I think about how much time I've wasted trying to find the right man. It's like, if I could go back and do it again, I would have taken guitar lessons or something. I would have put my energy into something that paid off in the end, instead of trying to improve myself for men. Oh, the time and the energy, trying to impress somebody who was actually a big jerk, you know? But the truth is, once you have a great man in your life, it allows you - or at least for me - to look at yourself and grow as an individual. And gosh, if I had known I was going to find this, my 20s would have been completely different. |
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