Amanda Peet is an American actress, writer, producer, and author known for her work in film, television, theater, and streaming series.
Peet was born in Manhattan on January 11, 1972. Her mother was a social worker, and her father was a lawyer. She attended Columbia University, graduating in 1994. During her time at Columbia, Peet studied American history and also pursued acting, including through an independent acting program taught by Uta Hagen. She later recalled that this period helped her begin to see acting as a possible vocation rather than only a hobby.
Peet began her screen career in the mid-1990s. She made her screen debut in a Skittles commercial, and her first film was Animal Room in 1995. In 1996, she appeared in She’s the One and One Fine Day. The following year, she had guest roles on Spin City and Seinfeld.
In 1999, Peet received her first regular television role as Jacqueline “Jack” Barrett on Jack & Jill. Her film breakthrough came in 2000 with The Whole Nine Yards, in which she played Jill St. Claire and received the Teen Choice Award for “Choice Film Liar.” She continued to work steadily in film during the 2000s, appearing in Something’s Gotta Give, A Lot Like Love, Syriana, The X-Files: I Want to Believe, The Way Way Back, and 2012. Her performance in 2012 was part of a film that grossed more than $769 million worldwide.
Peet also built a significant career in television. In 2006, she played Jordan McDeere on Aaron Sorkin’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. That same year, she made her Broadway debut in Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park. From 2012 to 2013, she had a recurring role on The Good Wife, and from 2015 to 2016, she starred as Tina Morris on HBO’s Togetherness. In 2020, she portrayed Betty Broderick in Dirty John. Later work included the 2023 Paramount+ adaptation of Fatal Attraction and the Apple TV+ series Your Friends & Neighbors.
Alongside acting, Peet developed a career as a writer and producer. She made her playwriting debut in 2013 with The Commons of Pensacola, an Off-Broadway dramedy. She also wrote Our Very Own Carlin McCullough and the children’s book Dear Santa, Love, Rachel Rosenstein. In 2021, she co-created the Netflix series The Chair with Annie Julia Wyman and co-wrote its first three episodes. Peet said the series, set at a fictional East Coast university, led her to reflect on her own Columbia years.
Peet has also been involved in public advocacy, including work as a spokeswoman for Every Child By Two, an organization promoting childhood vaccination. In 2009, she received recognition from the Independent Investigative Group for promoting science in popular media.
Peet is married to writer and producer David Benioff, co-creator of Game of Thrones, and they have three children. In 2026, she discussed her Jewish identity in an interview with Terry Gross, describing her family’s observance of Shabbat and noting that her children had bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies. She characterized her Jewish affiliation as cultural rather than strictly religious, saying that her family “loves the rituals.” She also said that being Jewish shaped how she responded to a breast cancer diagnosis, explaining that she did not dwell on “why me,” but instead focused on moving forward.
Sources: “Amanda Peet,” AAE Speakers.
Scott Meslow, “Twice the Talent,” Columbia College Today.
“Amanda Peet,” Television Academy.
Amanda Peet, “My Season of Ativan,” The New Yorker, (March 21, 2026).
Lior Zaltsman, “Amanda Peet on How Being Jewish Helped Her Deal with Her Cancer Diagnosis,” Kveller, (April 17, 2026).
Photo: Mingle Media TV, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.