Amanda Laura Bynes is an American actress and former show host on Nickelodeon. After appearing in several successful television series on Nickelodeon in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Bynes moved into a film career, starring in several films aimed at teenage audiences, including She's the Man and Hairspray. Amanda Bynes has been described by The Boston Globe as having an "Everygirl" appeal, embodying "both everything her teen fans dream of being and everything they know they really are, and they love her for it." In 2006, she was named one of Teen People's "25 Hottest Stars Under 25", and in 2007, was on the Forbes list as the 5th highest paid celebrity under 21 earning $2.5 million.

Bynes was born in Thousand Oaks, California, the daughter of Lynn, a dental assistant and office manager, and Rick Bynes, a dentist who also practiced stand-up comedy. Bynes has two older siblings, Tommy (born 1974);, a chiropractor, and Jillian (born 1983);, who has a Bachelor of Arts in History from UCLA and has also acted. Her maternal grandparents are from Toronto, Ontario. Bynes's father is Catholic and her mother is Jewish, and Bynes has referred to herself as Jewish though "not that religious".