Amanda Seyfried

Amanda Seyfried (born December 3, 1985, Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S.) is an American actress known for her roles in films such as Mean Girls (2004), Mamma Mia! (2008), and Les Misérables (2012). Seyfried has won Emmy and Golden Globe awards for her role as Elizabeth Holmes in the miniseries The Dropout (2022) and was nominated for an Academy Award for portraying actress Marion Davies in the film Mank (2020).

Early life and family

Seyfried was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Her mother, Ann (née Sander), is an occupational therapist, and her father, Jack, is a pharmacist. She started modeling while still at school. She trained as a classical vocalist, took ballet and piano lessons, and attended art school.

Seyfried married actor Thomas Sadoski in 2017. They had two children before separating in 2026.

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Early acting career

Seyfried’s first roles were on television soap operas, starting as an extra in the long-running series Guiding Light (1952–2009). She appeared in 16 episodes of As the World Turns (1956–2010) as a teenager. In 2003 she appeared in All My Children (1970–2011). Unsure about pursuing an acting career, she enrolled at Fordham University but never attended after landing a role in the 2004 film Mean Girls.

Mean Girls was a success at the box office; Seyfried played the role of Karen Smith, a clueless but good-natured member of the Plastics, the high-school clique at the center of the film’s drama, starring alongside Lindsay Lohan, Lacey Chabert, and Rachel McAdams. The four of them won the best on-screen team award at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards. The film’s success led to overnight fame.

In 2005 Seyfried starred in one of the nine segments of the film Nine Lives, in a role written specifically for her. She made guest appearances in several popular TV series, including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999– ), House (2004–12), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000–15), and Justice (2006–07), from 2004 to 2006. In 2006 she appeared in five episodes of the TV series Wildfire (2005–08). Seyfried also appeared in 11 episodes of the TV series Veronica Mars (2004–19), playing Lilly Kane, the murdered best friend of the titular character, appearing in flashback scenes in the series.

Seyfried’s next significant role was on the award-winning TV series Big Love (2006–11), in which she played Sarah Henrickson, the daughter of the series lead Bill (played by Bill Paxton). In the series, Bill is a Mormon polygamist trying to juggle relationships with three wives while running a chain of retail stores. Seyfried appeared in 44 episodes from 2006 to 2011.

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Rising popularity and awards

Seyfried’s first leading role was in the 2008 jukebox musical Mamma Mia!, in which she shared the screen with Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgård. Seyfried sang on the film’s soundtrack, based on songs by the band ABBA. The film was commercially successful.

Seyfried’s next few movies were not as successful and included Jennifer’s Body (2009) alongside Megan Fox, Chloe (2009) with Julianne Moore and Liam Neeson, Dear John (2010) with Channing Tatum, and In Time (2011) opposite Justin Timberlake.

In 2012 Seyfried was part of an ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Eddie Redmayne, and Anne Hathaway in the film adaptation of the musical Les Misérables, based on Victor Hugo’s novel. Seyfried played the role of Cosette, providing the singing voice for the character as well. The film won three Academy Awards. Seyfried was part of the film’s nomination for best acting ensemble at the 2013 Critics Choice Awards.

Seyfried starred in the 2014 film A Million Ways to Die in the West and the 2015 film Ted 2, both directed by Seth MacFarlane. In 2017 she appeared as Rebecca (Becky) Burnett in four episodes of Twin Peaks (1990–91, 2017), in the long-awaited third season codirected by David Lynch. In 2018 Seyfried appeared in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, reprising her role in a sequel to the 2008 film.

Seyfried portrayed actress Marion Davies in the 2020 David Fincher film Mank, based on screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz and his development of the screenplay for the iconic 1941 film Citizen Kane. Seyfried’s role, alongside Gary Oldman as the titular character, was critically acclaimed, and she received Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for best supporting actress.

In 2022 Seyfried appeared as disgraced entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes in the miniseries The Dropout. Her portrayal was critically acclaimed, and she won the Emmy and Golden Globe awards for best lead actress in a limited or anthology series or film. In 2025 Seyfried again used her vocal skills to take the lead role in The Testament of Ann Lee, a critically acclaimed musical telling the story of the founder of the Shakers. The New York Times called Seyfried “spectacular” in the role of Mother Ann. That same year she also played opposite Sydney Sweeney in The Housemaid, the film adaptation of the novel by Freida McFadden.

In 2026 Seyfried appeared in the genre-defying documentary You Can See Everything, which featured extensive interviews with Holmes shortly before she went to prison in 2023. In the film, Seyfried reflected on her portrayal of Holmes in The Dropout and also played the entrepreneur again, in several scenes that reenact dialogues between Holmes and the film’s codirector Nathan Fielder. Also that year Seyfried starred in The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd, as a teacher who develops a relationship with an incarcerated man while working in a prison.