Amy Acker

Biography of Amy Acker

Amy Louise Acker was born on December 5, 1976 in Dallas, Texas. She is an American film and television actress.

Amy Acker is the daughter of a lawyer. She has three younger siblings. After graduating high school in 1995, she studied drama at Southern Methodist University in Dallas for three years, graduating in 1999.

Acker has been married to actor James Carpinello since 2003. They have two children together, a son (* 2005) and a daughter (* 2006).

After first guest appearances in a children's program while still at school and various theater roles, she had her breakthrough in the television series Angel in the role of Winifred "Fred" Burkle, a highly intelligent student imprisoned in a medieval demon dimension, who is led by Angel and his team is rescued and in the further course of the series first develops into an important employee and finally into the demon god Illyria.

For this role, she won the 2003 Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress, an award for which she was also nominated in 2002, when the award went to Alyson Hannigan, and in 2005. She then worked with series writer Joss Whedon on numerous other film and television projects.

In 2002, she had a supporting role in the Steven Spielberg film Catch Me If You Can. After the end of Angel,Acker worked in various other series and smaller film productions. She voiced the role of the Huntress in a few episodes of the animated series Justice League and appeared in the fifth and final season of Alias as Kelly Peyton. In 2008 she was engaged for the series Dollhouse, in which she played the role of Dr. Claire Saunders impersonated. This was followed by a starring role on the ABC drama series Happy Town, which was canceled after just eight episodes.

From 2012 to 2016 she portrayed Samantha "Root" Groves in the television series Person of Interest, in which she was cast as a co-leader since the third season.