Amy Brenneman

American actress, writer, and producer, best known for portraying strong, unpredictable women. She rose to prominence after her performance as Detective Janice Licalsi in the ABC police drama series NYPD Blue (1993–1994). The tall, raven-haired beauty drew much attention for a groundbreaking nude scene that resulted in two back-to-back Primetime Emmy nominations. Brenneman created and starred as Judge Amy Gray in the CBS drama series Judging Amy (1999–2005). For her performance, she was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. Her father is an environmental lawyer and her mother, a superior court judge, was one of the first women to graduate from Harvard. Brenneman followed in her mother’s footsteps by enrolling at Harvard where she majored in comparative religion and spent one semester in Nepal, studying sacred dances. She has two brothers; Matthew, her older brother, is a lawyer, while her younger brother Andrew is in the software business. During her college years, Brenneman formed the Cornerstone Theater Company, a touring company dedicated to taking the classics into small town venues where locals are encouraged to participate. She toured with the company for five years before moving to New York and taking a teaching position. In 1992, Brenneman landed her first television role when she was cast on the comedy-drama, Middle Ages, which was highly acclaimed but short-lived. After NYPD Blue, she appeared in various films before returning to television in 1999 in the Judging Amy. She appeared in a Sundance film, Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her, in 2000. Brenneman married Brad Silberling in 1995, and their daughter, Charlotte Tucker, was born on 20 March 2001. For the fall 2001 season of Judging Amy, she asked for a reduction in her role in order to spend more time with her daughter. Brenneman and Silberling had their second child, a boy named Bodhi Russell, on 8 June 2005 in Los Angeles, California. Link to Wikipedia biography Read less