| Mädchen Amick | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 12, 1970 Sparks, Nevada, U.S. |
| Other names | Madchen Amick |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Spouse | David Alexis (m. 1992–present) |
Mädchen Amick (born December 12, 1970) is an American actress best known for playing Shelly Johnson on the cult television series Twin Peaks and its 1992 prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.
Contents |
Amick was born in Reno, Nevada, the daughter of Judy, a medical office manager, and Bill Amick, a musician.[1] Amick's parents are German;[2] the name Mädchen (pronounced [ˈmɛːtçən] ( listen)), which means "girl" or "maiden" in German, was chosen by her parents because they wanted an unusual name.[3] As a young girl, Amick was encouraged by her parents to follow her creative instincts. She learned to play the piano, bass, violin and guitar and took lessons in tap, ballet, jazz and modern dance. In 1987, at the age of 16, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting.
After moving to L.A., Amick appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation as well as in The Borrower (1991). Amick got her first break when director David Lynch chose her to play waitress Shelly Johnson on the TV series Twin Peaks. Amick's character endured terrible abuse at the hands of her husband, Leo, and was one of the most popular characters, ensuring her return in the feature film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. In 1992, Amick appeared in the Stephen King horror movie Sleepwalkers. She has also appeared in TV movies such as Love, Cheat and Steal (1993). A highlight of Amick's film career is the 1994 feature film Dream Lover, a thriller in which she co-starred with James Spader. Amick also appeared in the romantic comedy French Exit (1995) and the science fiction thriller Bombshell (1996).
Amick's return to network TV came in the fall of 1995 with the much-publicized CBS dramatic series Central Park West. In 1998, Amick starred in the updated edition of Fantasy Island. Both shows only lasted one season.
After a decade of roles that failed to ignite the publicity Twin Peaks had, Amick gradually became a noticeable face in television with recurring roles on Gilmore Girls, ER, Jake in Progress, and Joey. In 2006, Amick was a regular in the sitcom Freddie which was subsequently cancelled. Amick guest starred in a number of episodes of the serial thriller Kidnapped on NBC, playing a strange and deadly assassin. She also had a recurring role in the second season of Dawson's Creek as the lead character's substitute film studies teacher. In 2007, she had a lead role in the short-lived CBS musical series Viva Laughlin.
She had a recurring role in season 2 of Gossip Girl as Nate Archibald's "cougar" love interest, and she also appears in the second season of the Showtime series Californication. In 2008, Amick appeared as Christian Slater's wife on the NBC series My Own Worst Enemy. In 2010, Amick played Danielle Marchetti on the FX series Damages.
Amick has been married to songwriter David Alexis since 1992. The couple have two children.[1]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Anya | Episode: "The Dauphin" |
| 1989 | Baywatch | Laurie Harris | Episode: "Panic at Malibu Pier" |
| 1990 | The Great American Sex Scandal | Miss Doddsworth | TV movie |
| 1990 | I'm Dangerous Tonight | Amy | TV movie |
| 1990 | Don't Tell Her It's Me | Mandy | |
| 1990–1991 | Twin Peaks | Shelly Johnson | 30 episodes |
| 1991 | For the Very First Time | Rhonda | TV movie |
| 1991 | The Borrower | Megan | |
| 1992 | Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me | Shelly Johnson | |
| 1992 | Sleepwalkers | Tanya Robertson | |
| 1993 | Dream Lover | Lena Mathers | |
| 1993 | Love, Cheat & Steal | Lauren Harrington | |
| 1994 | Trapped in Paradise | Sarah Collins | |
| 1995 | French Exit | Zina | |
| 1995 | The Courtyard | Lauren | TV movie |
| 1995 | Fallen Angels | Mrs. Cordell | Episode: "Love and Blood" |
| 1995–1996 | Central Park West | Carrie Fairchild | 21 episodes |
| 1996 | Bombshell | Angeline | |
| 1997 | Wounded | Julie Clayton | |
| 1997 | Heartless | Ann 'Annie' O'Keefe | TV movie |
| 1998 | Twist of Fate | Rachel Dwyer | |
| 1998 | The Hunted | Samantha Clark | TV movie |
| 1998–1999 | Fantasy Island | Ariel | 13 episodes |
| 1999 | Dawson's Creek | Nicole Kennedy | 3 episodes |
| 1999 | Mr. Rock 'n' Roll: The Alan Freed Story | Jackie McCoy | TV movie |
| 2000 | The List | Grace Mitchell | |
| 2001 | Hangman | Grace Mitchell | TV movie |
| 2001 | Italian Ties | Jamie | |
| 2001 | Scenes of the Crime | Carmen | |
| 2002 | The Rats | Susan Costello | TV movie |
| 2002 | Global Effect | Dr. Sera Levitt | |
| 2002–2003 | Gilmore Girls | Sherry Tinsdale | 3 episodes |
| 2003 | Queens Supreme | Lisa Salinger | Episode: "The House Next Door" |
| 2003 | Wild Card | Crystal Stevenson | Episode: "Black Sheep" |
| 2003 | Ed | Celeste 'CeCe' Royce | Episode: "Home for Christmas" |
| 2004–2005 | ER | Wendall Meade | 10 episodes |
| 2005 | Lies and Deception | Jean Brooks | TV movie |
| 2005 | Jake in Progress | Kylie | Episode: "Pilot" Episode: "Check Please" |
| 2005 | Joey | Sara | 5 episodes |
| 2005 | Four Corners of Suburbia | Rachel Samson | |
| 2005–2006 | Freddie | Allison | 22 episodes |
| 2006 | Law & Order | Alissa Goodwyn | Episode: "Home Sweet" |
| 2006–2007 | Kidnapped | Yvonne Guttman | 3 episodes |
| 2007 | Viva Laughlin | Natalie Holden | 3 episodes |
| 2008 | Shark | Gina Romero | Episode: "One Hit Wonder" |
| 2008 | The Verdict | Christine | TV movie |
| 2008 | Gossip Girl | Duchess Catherine Beaton | 4 episodes |
| 2008 | Californication | Janie Jones | 5 episodes |
| 2008 | My Own Worst Enemy | Angelica 'Angie' Spivey | 9 episodes |
| 2009 | The Law | Liz | TV movie |
| 2010 | Pleading Guilty | Brushy | TV movie |
| 2010 | Damages | Danielle Marchetti | 5 episodes |
| 2010 | CSI: NY | Aubrey Hunter | 3 episodes |
| 2010 | Unanswered Prayers | Ava Andersson | |
| 2011 | Priest | Shannon | |
| 2011 | White Collar | Selena | Episode: "Veiled Threats" |
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Film or series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Soap Opera Digest Awards | Nominated | Outstanding Supporting Actress: Prime Time | Twin Peaks |
| 1995 | Saturn Award | Best Actress | Dream Lover |