Amanda Peet (born January 11, 1972) is an American film and television actress. Peet was born in New York City, the daughter of Penny (ne Levy), a social worker, and Charles Peet, a corporate lawyer.The two are now divorced. Her father is a Quaker and her mother is Jewish.She has one older sister, who is a doctor. Peet attended Friends Seminary, then studied history at and graduated from Columbia University,where she auditioned for acting teacher Uta Hagen and decided to become an actress after taking Hagen's class. During her four-year period of study with Hagen, Peet appeared in the off-Broadway revival of Clifford Odets's Awake and Sing.