Amanda Laura Bynes (born April 3, 1986) is an American actress and former show host on Nickelodeon and singer. After appearing in several successful television series on Nickelodeon in the mid-to late 1990s and early 2000s, Bynes transitioned to a film career, starring in several films aimed at teenage audiences, including She's the Man (2006) and Hairspray (2007).

Amanda Bynes has been described by The Boston Globe as having an "Everygirl" appeal, embodying "both everything her teen fans dream of being and everything they know they really are, and they love her for it." In 2006, she was named one of Teen People's "25 Hottest Stars Under 25", and in 2007, was on the Forbes list as the 5th highest paid celebrity under 21 earning $2.5 million.

Amanda Laura Bynes was born on April 3, 1986, in Thousand Oaks, California. The youngest of three children, she became interested in acting and performing from the age of three, when she would say her older sister Jillian's lines with her while she performed in plays. It was from then on that her family and friends knew that she would be a star someday. Her acting debut was in 1996, when she auditioned for and got the role as a newcomer on "All That" (1994). Right away, she became very popular as people enjoyed her acting in skits, especially Ask Ashley, where she played a little girl running an advice column who would get very angry every time she read a letter. In 1999, 13-year-old Amanda was given her own variety show, "Amanda Show, The" (1999), in which she starred in all of the skits except Totally Kyle. In 2001, she co-starred with Frankie Muniz in Big Fat Liar (2002) as Kaylee, Jason's friend who helps him prove that he really did write the essay "Big Fat Liar" and regain his father's trust. It was also in 2001 that she began dating Taran Killam from "Amanda Show, The" (1999) and Big Fat Liar (2002), who is four years and two days older than she is. She also won a Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award and, at age 15, "Amanda Show, The" (1999) ended its run. In 2002, she began co-starring with Jennie Garth in "What I Like About You" (2002) as Holly, a 16-year-old girl who moves in with her sister after their father decides to move to Japan. She also celebrated her Sweet 16th birthday and got her driver's license on April 3, 2002. In 2003, Amanda won two KCA Awards and starred as Daphne, a girl searching for her father, in What a Girl Wants (2003) with Colin Firth and Kelly Preston as her parents. She continued acting in "What I Like About You" (2002) and broke up with Taran. On April 3, 2004, Amanda celebrated her 18th birthday on the 17th Annual KCA Awards, where we she won an award for best actress for her role in What a Girl Wants (2003). She graduated from Thousand Oaks High School's independent study program on June 10, 2004, and filmed Lovewrecked (2005) in 2004. A prodigiously talented comedienne, she promises to have a lifelong career.