Amanda Wyss was born and raised in Manhattan Beach, California, a cool coastal enclave south of Los Angeles. She was one of the five children of a contractor father and homemaker mother. Discovered by an agent as a teen while starring in the play, "The Bad Seed" at a local LA theatre, she went on to work in commercials and landed her first television role, recurring on Universal's When the Whistle Blows (1980) as Dolph Sweet's daughter. Some of her most memorable film performances were in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Better Off Dead... (1985), Silverado (1985), and the award-winning, Powwow Highway (1989). She's also worked extensively in television, with recurring roles on St. Elsewhere (1982), Cagney & Lacey (1981) and Highlander (1992). Amanda currently enjoys living in Los Angeles and working as an actress in film and television.