American actress Amy Acker was born on December 5, 1976 in Dallas, Texas. She initially trained as a dancer, studying ballet, jazz and modern dance during her early years. She was forced to give up dancing after undergoing knee surgery; she turned to acting during her sophomore year. In 1995, she enrolled at Southern Methodist University in University Park, Texas, where she enrolled in the school’s renowned theatrical program.
She first appeared on television in 1995, when she played several characters in the children’s series Wishbone. She then had a short stint as a model, posing for the J. Crew clothing catalog. In 1999, before she graduated from Southern Methodist, she was nominated for a Leon Rabin Award for her role in the play Th?r?se Raquin. In 2001, she joined the cast of the hit series Angel, where she played Winifred Burke, the quirky, shy, but intelligent member of the group. She played the role until the series folded up in 2004.
In 2005, Acker joined the cast of the spy series Alias. She played the role of Kelly Peyton, an agent working for Prophet Five, although she later kills her bosses after allying with Arvin Sloane (Ron Rifkin) in the series finale. In 2007, she joined the cast of the short-lived series Drive, where she played the role of Kathryn Tully. Her character was kidnapped to force her husband Alex (Nathan Fillion) to join the race. Her most recent project is in the drama series Dollhouse, where she has a recurring role as doll watcher Claire Saunders.
Acker has also guest starred in shows such as Special Unit 2, Supernatural, How I Met Your Mother, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Ghost Whsiperer. She also appeared in several films, making her debut in the 2001 film The Accident. Her other films include Groom Lake, Catch Me If You Can, The Novice and Mr. Dramatic.
-Amy auditioned for the role of Kate Austen on Lost. The role eventually went to actress Evangeline Lilly.
-Amy studied dance for 13 years before she went into acting.
-Amy has stated that her favorite episodes from season three of Angel are "Fredless" and "Billy".
-Amy enjoys traveling, reading and yoga when not working.
(Amy on her favorite moments playing Illyria on Angel)
-I liked beating up Spike so much. That was a lot of fun. That was the first time I ever got really beat up one of the boys. I loved the Illyria stuff in the last episode with Wesley, switching back between Fred and Illyria.
(Amy on her firts impression of her character Fred on Angel)
-I didn't really have one. My audition scene ended up being very different than what the character actually ended up being. I was just really excited to play a different character than I'd played before, someone fun and quirky, yet still vulnerable.
(On dancing when she was younger)
-While growing up, I was pretty shy, and dance was a great way to express things without having to talk in front of people.