Amy Adams

Amy Adams (born 20.8.1974)

Amy Adams is an American actress, born in Italy. Her breakthrough role came with 2005's Junebug, for which she won an Academy Award.

Amy Adams: Childhood

Amy Adams was born to Kathryn and Richard Adams in the Vicenza area of Italy. She is the fourth of seven siblings raised as Mormons. Richard Adams was a US serviceman and the family was stationed in Italy when Amy was born. They eventually settled in Castle Rock in Colorado when Amy was around eight years old.

Whilst she attended County Douglas High School, Amy Adams sang in the school choir as well as training at a local dance company. When she graduated from high school, Amy moved to Atlanta with her mother where she pursued musical theatre, as she did not feel that she was talented enough to become a professional dancer.

Amy's first full-time job was working for the restaurant chain Hooters, something that the press mentioned often, early on in her acting career.

Amy Adams: Acting Career

Amy landed professional dancing jobs at Boulder's Dinner Theatre and Country Dinner Playhouse. She was spotted by Michael Brindisi, a dinner theatre director. Brindisi then offered her work with Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. She worked for the company in Minnesota for three years but was forced to take time off work when she pulled a muscle.

During her time off, Amy Adams auditioned for Drop Dead Gorgeous, landing her first film role. Her colleague in the film, Kirstie Alley, convinced Amy that she should move to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film.

Although Amy does not have fond memories of her first year in LA, she found work relatively quickly, in Manchester Prep, the Fox Network spin-off of the film Cruel Intentions.

Amy Adams was then cast in a number of low budget films, such as Psycho Beach Party (which also starred Six Feet Under's Lauren Ambrose) as well as landing a number of bit-parts in TV series such as Smallville, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charmed.

Amy was then cast in 2002's Catch Me If You Can. The film was directed by Steven Spielberg and starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. Catch Me If You Can told the true story of the con-artist Frank Abagnale Jr. Although the film was a success, it failed to be the springboard to success that Adams had hoped, though working with that caliber of actors gave her a great deal of confidence.

In 2004, Amy Adams was cast in The Last Run. She also voiced characters on the popular cartoon series King of The Hill. She briefly appeared in Dr. Vegas, playing Alice Doherty, but following a dispute over her contract, she was fired.

Adams was cast alongside Dermot Mulroney and Jack Davenport in The Wedding Date, though the film failed to attract attention.

Amy Adams' breakthrough role came in 2005 with the release of Junebug. Adams was cast as Ashley Johnston, a young pregnant woman and the film was shot on a small budget in North Carolina. Adams won the Special Jury Prize at that year's Sundance Festival for her performance as well as being nominated for an Academy Award.

Her performance in Junebug led to a number of roles on high profile films such as Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, the comedy vehicle for Will Ferrell, also starring Sacha Baron Cohen.

Adams also played Katy in the US version of The Office, the British comedy series masterminded by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant.

In 2007, Adams starred in Disney's Enchanted, which also starred James Marsden, Susan Sarandon and Patrick Dempsey.

Adams went on to work with Tom Hanks again in Charlie Wilson's War. The film also starred Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Adams next film was another independent, named Sunshine Clearing. It received mixed reviews at the 2008 Sundance Festival.

In 2008, Adams starred in Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day, opposite Frances McDormand. This was followed by a role in Doubt, again working with Philip Seymour Hoffman, as well as Meryl Streep.

2009 saw Adams star as Amelia Earhart in Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian. The film also starred Ben Stiller.

Amy Adams: Personal Life

Amy Adams became engaged to her partner, Darren Le Gallo in April 2008.