In her mid-teens, Bynes starred inThe WB sitcomWhat I Like About You (2002–2006) and in the teen comedy filmsBig Fat Liar (2002) andWhat a Girl Wants (2003). As an adult, Bynes shifted her focus onto films, beginning with a voice role in the 2005 animated comedyRobots. She gained wide recognition for portrayingViola Hastings in the romantic comedy filmShe's the Man (2006) andPenny Pingleton in the musicalHairspray (2007), the latter winning her aCritics' Choice Award and becoming her highest-grossing film. She then starred in thetelevision filmLiving Proof (2008) and the teen comedyEasy A (2010) before announcing a hiatus from acting. She announced her intent to return in 2018.
Known for playing comedic roles, Bynes is heralded for her television work in the 1990s and her successful pivot to film in the 2000s. In her personal life, she has struggled withmental health andsubstance abuse. The issues and resulting legal problems have been well documented by the media. She was in aconservatorship from 2013 to 2022.
Early life and education
Bynes was born on April 3, 1986, and raised inThousand Oaks, California,[1][2] a suburb of Los Angeles. Her father is Catholic and is of Irish, Lithuanian, and Polish descent,[3] and her mother is Jewish, born to a Canadian couple whose families were from Poland, Russia, and Romania.[4][5]
At the age of 13, Bynes starred in theAll That spin-off comedyThe Amanda Show from 1999 to 2002.[16] She had her breakthrough on the show, earning praise and acclaim. She won four Kids' Choice Awards and received twoYoung Artist Award nominations.[17] In 2002, Bynes made her feature film debut inBig Fat Liar starring as Kaylee, best friend of co-starFrankie Muniz's character. Although the film had a mixed reception, it was a commercial success,[18] and she won another Kids' Choice Award for her performance. Also in 2002, she landed a starring role in the WB sitcomWhat I Like About You from 2002 to 2006. The series garnered positive reviews and Bynes received a number of nominations from theTeen Choice Awards and the Young Artist Awards.
Bynes was named one ofTeen People's "25 Hottest Stars Under 25" in 2006.[25] In 2006, Bynes starred in the teen sports romantic comedy filmShe's the Man, based onWilliam Shakespeare'sTwelfth Night.[26][27] 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. CriticRoger 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."[28]
In 2007, Bynes starred as Penny Pingleton, a sheltered young girl, in the musical comedy filmHairspray, based on themusical theater adaptation ofJohn Waters'1988 film.[29] The film was a critical and commercial success[30] premiering in over 3,000 theaters,[31] 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 theCritics' Choice Award for Best Acting Ensemble and received aScreen Actors Guild Award nomination in 2008, among others.[32][33] She was also featured on theHairspray soundtrack, which received aGrammy nomination.[34] It was announced Bynes would reprise her role inHairspray 2, but the project was canceled.[35] In August 2007, Bynes worked withSteve & Barry's to create her own fashion line called Dear, consisting of apparel and accessories.[36] The line was cut short when Steve & Barry's filed for bankruptcy in 2008.[37]
Bynes' next role was in another comedy,Sydney White, released in 2007.[38][39] The film was a critical and commercial failure, although Bynes' performance was praised. Review aggregator siteRotten Tomatoes wrote "Amanda Bynes is charming, butSydney White is a poorly adapted take onSnow White, relying on tired ethnic stereotypes laughs."[40] In 2008, she appeared in theLifetime Television movieLiving Proof as the student assistant ofHarry Connick, Jr.'s character.[41] The film and the cast were praised.[42] Also in 2008, Bynes voiced Anna in theFamily Guy episode "Long John Peter".[43][44]
In 2009, Bynes was set to star in the comedyPost Grad, but she dropped out and was replaced byAlexis Bledel amid rumors that she was having difficulties.[45] The following year, she co-starred alongside the then-relatively unknownEmma Stone in the comedyEasy A. 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,[46] with Stone and Bynes receiving critical praise for their performances. In the same year, Bynes started shooting theFarrelly Brothers comedy filmHall Pass, but dropped out of the film and was replaced byAlexandra Daddario.[45][47] Later in 2010, Bynes announced an indefinite hiatus from acting.[48][49][50][51]
2018–present: Post-hiatus
In June 2018, Bynes considered returning to acting, but nothing happened at that time.[49][52][53]
Bynes was set to reunite with formerAll 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.[54][55] In December 2023, Bynes debuted as the co-host of an interview-style podcast,Amanda Bynes & Paul Sieminski: The Podcast,[56] but she left after one episode to "get [her]manicurist license and have a consistent job".[57][58][59]
In 2007, Bynes described herself as Jewish[61] and said: "As far as religion, I was raised both. I learned about both [Judaism andCatholicism]. 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."[4]
In 2012, Bynes was charged withdriving under the influence (DUI) inWest Hollywood.[62] She accepted a plea bargain of three years probation in exchange for the dismissal of the DUI charge.[63] In May 2013, Bynes was charged withreckless endangerment andmarijuana possession after she was found smoking in the lobby of herManhattan apartment building.[64] When officers entered her 36th-floor apartment, she allegedly threw abong out the window.[64] A New York County judge dismissed the case against her in June 2014.[64]
In July 2013,Ventura County, California, sheriff's deputies detained her after she allegedly started a small fire in the driveway of a stranger inThousand Oaks. She was hospitalized under a 72-hourmental-health evaluation hold.[65] Bynes's parents filed forconservatorship of their daughter shortly after her July 2013 hospitalization began.[66] In August, Bynes' mother was granted a temporary conservatorship over Bynes's affairs.[67]
In October 2014, Bynes accused her father of emotional and sexual abuse in a series oftweets. After her parents protested and claimed innocence, Bynes tweeted that her father had never abused her, adding: "Themicrochip in my brain made me say those things but he's the one that ordered them to microchip me".[68][69] Days later, Bynes' mother again received conservatorship of her.[70] Soon afterward, Bynes announced that she had been diagnosed withbipolar disorder.[71] In August 2018, paperwork was filed to continue the conservatorship until August 2020.[72][73]
In 2018, Bynes stated she had been sober for four years with the help of her parents.[9] She apologized for what she said on Twitter during her years of substance use challenges: "I'm really ashamed and embarrassed with the things I said. I can't turn back time but if I could, I would. And I'm so sorry to whoever I hurt and whoever I lied about because it truly eats away at me."[9] In an interview, Bynes stated that during her days of substance use she experimented withcocaine andMDMA, but the drug she "abused the most" was theADHD prescription medicationAdderall.[74]
In February 2022, Bynes filed to end her conservatorship.[75] Her attorney stated that Bynes believed her condition was improved and protection of the court was no longer necessary.[76] Attorneys for her parents stated that they supported her in ending it.[77] The conservatorship was officially terminated on March 22, 2022.[78]
On March 20, 2023, Bynes was placed on a 72-hour psychiatric hold after she flagged a bystander for help and called 911 following apsychotic episode in Los Angeles.[79][80][81] The previous weekend she had been scheduled to appear at anAll That panel at '90s Con in Connecticut, her first scheduled public event since the end of her conservatorship, but she did not appear.[79][81] On June 17, 2023, after she called the police indicating that she had thoughts ofself-harm, mental health professionals determined that she needed inpatient treatment. She left the facility on June 30 with plans for follow-up outpatient treatment.[82]
^"January 3 – January 14".psfilmfest.org. Palm Springs International Film Festival. 2008. Archived fromthe original on November 20, 2012. RetrievedApril 26, 2013.
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