(1974-)

Who Is Amy Adams?

Amy Adams pursued dancing as well as musical theater and auditioned for TV and film roles until she landed several that launched her into fame. Adams has since starred in such popular films as Junebug, Enchanted, Doubt, Julie & Julia and Man of Steel, among many others. She has received several Academy Award nominations and earned Golden Globes for her performances in American Hustle, Big Eyes and the miniseries Sharp Objects.

Early Life

Actress Amy Lou Adams was born on August 20, 1974, in Vicenza, Italy. She was the fourth of seven children born to Americans Kathryn and Richard Kent Adams, with her father stationed at Caserma Ederle military base at the time of her birth. The Adams family, which were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, relocated from one base to another until they settled in Castle Rock, Colorado when Adams was about eight years old.

Adams sang in the Douglas County High School choir and, aspiring to become a ballerina, trained as an apprentice at a local dance company. Later, she decided the rigidity of ballet training was ill-suited for her, and she began to pursue a career in musical theater instead.

Movies and TV Roles

In the mid-1990s, Adams worked as a dancer at a number of different theaters and playhouses in Colorado and Minnesota. By the end of the decade, she landed her first film role in the comedy Drop Dead Gorgeous. Shortly thereafter, encouraged by co-star Kirstie Alley, Adams relocated to Los Angeles and auditioned for more roles. She landed one on a television series, but it was later canceled.

Adams went on to appear in several small films and guest star on TV series. She was also chosen to appear in Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can (2002) as Brenda Strong — a role that, according to Spielberg, should have launched Adams's career. But it wasn't until she starred in the 2005 film Junebug that Adams made her breakthrough: She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress as well as a Special Jury Prize for her performance after Junebug premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.

'Enchanted' and 'Julie & Julia'

In 2007, Adams landed the lead in the fantasy musical Enchanted, portraying a Disney cartoon songstress who enters the three-dimensional world. The following year she received another Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role as a nun in 2008's Doubt, co-starring Meryl Streep. Then in 2009, she starred as a young, aspiring cook in Julie & Julia, the popular culinary comedy about famed chef Julia Child. Adams once again starred alongside Streep, with the project directed by late filmmaker Nora Ephron and receiving wide acclaim, earning nearly $130 million at the global box office.

A March 2008 MSNBC article called Adams Hollywood's new "It Girl," adding that she's still uncomfortable with all of her "It-ness." The article quoted Adams as saying, "I always equated 'It Girls' to, like, having a certain type of sexuality. So, for me, I don't think like that. I don't associate that with myself at this time. I've been working, which is so grounding and you don't sort of get a sense of the outside world when you're working."

'Doubt' and 'American Hustle'

Adams has continued to take on an array of roles to much acclaim, earning Academy Award nominations her for roles in the dramas The Fighter (2010), directed by David O. Russell, and The Master (2012), from Paul Thomas Anderson. The actress has also taken on lighter fare such as Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008), Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) and The Muppets (2011).

In 2013, she entered comic-book fandom with her portrayal of reporter Lois Lane in Man of Steel and reprised the role for the 2016 sequel Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Also in 2013 she starred opposite The Fighter co-star Christian Bale in the ensemble cast of American Hustle, once again helmed by Russell. Adams was nominated for yet another Oscar, her first for Lead Actress and this time for her role as a '70s-era con artist caught in a web of conflicting interests. She also won a Golden Globe for the performance.

'Big Eyes,' 'Sharp Objects' and 'Vice'

In 2014, Adams starred in Big Eyes, playing artist Margaret Keane and winning her second Golden Globe for her efforts. In 2016, Adams received critical acclaim and a Golden Globe nomination for her starring role in the sci-fi blockbuster Arrival, based on the short story Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang. That same year she starred in the psychological thriller Nocturnal Animals, directed by Tom Ford and co-starring Jake Gyllenhaal, and in 2017 she returned as Lois Lane for the superhero ensemble Justice League.

Adams went on to co-produce and star in the Jean-Marc Vallée-directed adaptation of Gillian Flynn's novel Sharp Objects, earning a Golden Globe for her lead performance in the dark miniseries. She also earned Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for her portrayal of Lynne Cheney, wife of former vice president Dick Cheney, in Vice (2018).

Husband and Daughter

Adams began dating fellow actor Darren Le Gallo in 2001. She gave birth to their daughter Aviana Olea Le Gallo on May 15, 2010. Adams and Le Gallo were married on May 2, 2015.

QUICK FACTS

Birth Year: 1974
Birth date: August 20, 1974
Birth City: Vicenza
Birth Country: Italy
Gender: Female
Best Known For: American actress Amy Adams is best known for starring in films such as 'Julie & Julia,' 'Enchanted,' 'American Hustle' and 'Arrival.'
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