American actress Amanda Seyfried

Amanda Seyfried is an American actress born December 3, 1985, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. She broke into acting via soap operas, went on to a supporting role in HBO’s Big Love, and then broke through in the film Mean Girls. Her first major lead film role was in Mamma Mia!, co-starring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan. Seyfried has appeared on many “up and coming in Hollywood” lists.

Amanda Seyfried is an American actress born on December 3, 1985, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Seyfried’s father, Jack, worked as a pharmacist, and her mother, Ann, as an occupational therapist. Amanda grew up in a close-knit family: "My older sister, Jenn, is like my best friend," she has said. "My parents are still together. They were amazing parents."

From an early age, Seyfried suffered from anxiety attacks. She claimed these were assets: "…that kind of anxiety in me, that obsession, was helpful. I use it in my acting. It's something I don't want to give up feeling, because it gives me an edge."

Seyfried’s hobby of taxidermy also sets her apart from other Hollywood starlets. Seyfried revealed, “When taxidermy is done well it’s an amazing piece of art. I love animals and they’re very easy to look after when they’re dead. I have a horse, a miniature horse, it’s a baby.”

Regarding her love life, Seyfried has dated a string of actors, including Jesse Marchant, Dominic Cooper, Ryan Phillippe, Josh Hartnett, Alexander Skarsgard and Desmond Harrington.

Seyfried’s big break came playing Karen Smith, a ditzy popular blonde, in the hit film Mean Girls (2004), written by Saturday Night Live alum Tina Fey. After appearing with co-stars Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams, Seyfried later said, "Oh, thank God for Mean Girls! That put me on the map!"

Seyfried acted in several supporting TV and film roles over the next two years, such as in Nine Lives (2005), American Guns (2005), Alpha Dog (2006) andVeronica Mars (2004-2006). Her next prominent role was in the HBO drama series Big Love (2006), where she played one of the daughters in a polygamous Mormon family and co-starred with Bill Paxton, Chloe Sevigny and Jeanne Tripplehorn. Seyfried stayed on the show for four seasons before leaving to focus on her film career.

A lead role in the ABBA-based musical film Mamma Mia! (2008) lifted Seyfried to A-list status. Co-starring with Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth, Seyfried played Sophie, a girl looking to find out the identity of her father before getting married. The actress also sang one of the lead songs, "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)," on the film’s album. Since its release, the film has grossed over $609 million dollars.

Seyfried appeared in several more films over the next year, includingJennifer’s Body (2008), Boogie Woogie (2009) and Chloe (2009). She was set in 2009 to play the lead role in Sucker Punch, but withdrew due to scheduling conflicts with Big Love.

2010 and 2011 were busy years for the actress. She took lead roles in films that did not garner critical acclaim, but did produce decent box-office results, such as Dear John (2010), Letters to Juliet (2010), Red Riding Hood (2011) and In Time (2011).

In early 2012, Seyfried appeared in the film Gone. Other 2012 films yet to be released include the comedy The Wedding, the drama The End of Love, the musical Les Misérables and the biopic Lovelace.

Planned 2013 projects are the animated movie Epic, the dramedy Pete and Goat and the drama The Girl Who Conned the Ivy League.

Fans have noticed Seyfried not only for her acting, but also for her beauty. Moviefone ranked her in its “25 Under 25: Hollywood's Hottest Young Stars” list each year from 2008 to 2010. Glamour magazine voted Seyfried “Most Down-to-Earth” (2010) and ranked her No. 3 on its “50 Most Glamorous Women of 2010” list. People magazine showered her with love with appearances in its special issues: “Most Beautiful 2009 – Beautiful at Every Age” (ranked No. 4), “Most Beautiful 2010” (appeared sans makeup), “25 Beauties (and Hotties) at 25” (ranked No. 1) and “2012 Most Beautiful at Every Age.”