Amy Adams is an American award-winning actress best known for her starring roles on Junebug and Enchanted.
The daughter of Kathryn and Richard Adams, Amy Adams was born on August 20, 1974 in Vicenza, Italy, where her father was assigned as a US serviceman. Her parents divorced when she was 11. She attended Douglas County High School, where she was an active member of the school choir. Also during her high school, Amy Adams trained as an apprentice at a local dance company with ambitions of becoming a ballerina. But she eventually gave up ballet after graduating and shifted her interest on musical theater. Amy Adams was discovered by Minneapolis dinner theater director Michael Brindisi. She had her debut appearance in the big screen when she was cast on the 1999 comedy Drop Dead Gorgeous, alongside Kirstie Alley.
Amy Adams played the role of Ashley Johnsten on the independent film Junebug. Ashley Johnsten is the loud yet sweet pregnant wife of Johnny Johnsten. The film was first released at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, where Adams won the Special Jury Prize for her performance. After Junebug was released in theaters, Adams further received critical accolades and awards including the National Society of Film Critics award for Best Supporting Actress and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female. She was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture at the 12th Screen Actors Guild Awards and Best Supporting Actress at the 78th Academy Awards. She was even invited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to become its member in 2006.
In 2007, Adams played Giselle in Disney’s animated/live-action feature film, Enchanted, alongside Patrick Dempsey, Idina Menzel, Susan Sarandon and James Marsden. The film follows the story of the fairy tale princess Giselle, who was thrown away from her 2D-animated magical world to real-life New York by the evil queen, where she meets the handsome lawyer Robert Philip (Patrick Demsey). The role earned Adams Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and a Critics' Choice Award nomination for Best Actress.