Amanda Laura Bynes (born April 3, 1986) is an American actress, comedian and fashion designer. After appearing in commercials and in plays, Bynes rose to prominence as a child star in the late 1990s and early 2000s on the Nickelodeon series All That and The Amanda Show. From 2002 to 2006, she starred in the sitcom What I Like About You on The WB. She has also starred in several films, including What a Girl Wants (2003), She\'s the Man (2006), Hairspray (2007), Sydney White (2007), and Easy A (2010). Bynes announced an indefinite hiatus from acting in 2010 as she struggled with personal problems. Seven years later she announced her intention to return to television acting having sorted out her difficulties.\n', '

Bynes was born in Thousand Oaks, California, the youngest of three children of Lynn Bynes (née Organ), a dental assistant and office manager, and Rick Bynes, a dentist. Her father is Catholic, and is of Irish, Lithuanian, and Polish descent. Her mother is Jewish (from a family from Romania, Russia, and Poland). Bynes\' maternal grandparents are Canadians from Toronto, Ontario.\n', '

Bynes attended a comedy camp, and began professionally acting at the age of 7, appearing in a television advertisement for Buncha Crunch candies. During her childhood, she also appeared on stage in versions of Annie, The Secret Garden, The Music Man, and The Sound of Music. Bynes rose to prominence with her various roles in All That for seasons three through six. She later became a regular member of Nickelodeon\'s Figure It Out (1997–1999). At the age of 13, she began starring in her own sketch comedy show, The Amanda Show (1999–2002). In 2002, Amanda began to establish her fan base with her debut film role in Big Fat Liar (2002) opposite Frankie Muniz, and a co-starring role in the WB sitcom What I Like About You (2002–06) with Jennie Garth, which gained positive reviews. She also made her voice-over debut in Charlotte\'s Web 2: Wilbur\'s Great Adventure and later in the animated comedy Robots (2005).[citation needed]\n', '

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