Amanda Peet may be best known for her roles in film and television, but she has recently added two more jobs to her resume: writer and producer. She wrote and co-executive produced the Netflix comedy-drama series “The Chair,” which dives into the lives of the staff at the fictional Pembroke College.
Peet said she came up with the idea while attempting to write a romantic comedy for Jay Duplass, one of the stars of the show.
“I loved this idea of having young idealists, then people whose idealism had softened, then older folks who once thought of themselves as progressive but are now just seen as part of the system, part of the white patriarchy. I thought that could be rich territory for a workplace comedy,” she told The Guardian last year.
Peet, who was born in New York City, graduated from Columbia University with a degree in American History. She decided to become an actress after taking a class with teacher and American Theater Hall of Fame star Uta Hagen.
Peet’s first performances were in commercials and small parts on television shows, including “The Larry Sanders Show” and “Law and Order.” She maintained a career in the late 1990s starring opposite much larger stars at the time, including George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer in “One Fine Day” and Jennifer Aniston and Cameron Diaz in “She’s the One.”
Her first major role came as Jaqueline Barret in the short-lived, mildly successful WB series “Jack and Jill.” In 2000, Peet’s role as Jill St. Claire in the mafia comedy film “The Whole Nine Yards” landed her in the limelight. The film was a commercial success and she received a Blockbuster Entertainment Award nomination for Favorite Supporting Actress: Comedy, and a Teen Choice Award nomination for Choice Film Liar.
Peet has also starred in recognizable films and television shows including “Saving Silverman,” “Something’s Gotta Give,” “Syriana,” and “Brockmire,” and as the murderous Betty Broderick on the second season of Netflix's “Dirty John.”
Peet has also volunteered as a Spokeswoman for Every Child By Two, a non-profit organization that advocates for childhood vaccination.