Amanda Michelle Seyfried ( ; born December 3, 1985) is an American actress. Born and raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania, she began modeling at age 11 and ventured into acting at 15, with recurring roles as Lucy Montgomery on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns (1999–2001) and Joni Stafford on the ABC soap opera All My Children (2003). She came to prominence for her feature film debut in the teen comedy Mean Girls (2004), and her recurring roles as Lilly Kane on the CW/Hulu television series Veronica Mars (2004–2006) and Sarah Henrickson on the HBO drama series Big Love (2006–2011). Seyfried has appeared in a number of films, including Mamma Mia! (2008) and its sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018), Jennifer's Body (2009), Dear John (2010), Letters to Juliet (2010), Red Riding Hood (2011), In Time (2011), Les Misérables (2012), A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014), Ted 2 (2015), and First Reformed (2017). She received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Marion Davies in David Fincher's biopic Mank (2020), earning nominations for the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. For her starring role as Elizabeth Holmes in the drama miniseries The Dropout (2022), she won a Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress. Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022. Early life and education Amanda Michelle Seyfried was born on December 3, 1985, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Her mother, Ann Seyfried (née Sander) is an occupational therapist, and her father, Jack Seyfried, is a pharmacist. She is of mostly German descent with smaller amounts of English, Scots-Irish, and Welsh ancestry. She has an older sister, Jennifer Seyfried, who is a musician in the Philadelphia rock band Love City. Seyfried attended William Allen High School in Allentown, graduating in 2003. She subsequently enrolled at Fordham University in New York City in the fall of 2003, but chose not to attend after being offered a role in the 2004 film Mean Girls. Career 1996–2005: Early work While attending William Allen High School in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Seyfried began modeling. She appeared in several print ads for clothing companies, including Limited Too with Leighton Meester, and was featured on three covers of the Sweet Valley High novel series. At age 17 she stopped modeling and started a job as a waitress in a retirement