Amanda Peterson
Amanda Peterson | |
---|---|
Born | Phyllis Amanda Peterson July 8, 1971 Greeley, Colorado, U.S. |
Died | July 3, 2015 Greeley, Colorado, U.S. | (aged 43)
Other names | Mandy Peterson |
Alma mater | Middlebury College University of Northern Colorado Colorado State University |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1979–1994 |
Known for | Can't Buy Me Love |
Spouses |
|
Children | 2 |
Phyllis Amanda Peterson (July 8, 1971 – July 3, 2015) was an American actress, most known for her role as Cindy Mancini in the 1987 comedy film Can't Buy Me Love.
Early life
Peterson was born in Greeley, Colorado,[1] the youngest of three children born to James Peterson, an ear, nose, and throat specialist, and his wife Sylvia.[2] She had two older siblings: a sister, Anne Marie and a brother, James Jr.[3] Peterson began acting as a child and used the name "Amanda Peterson" in a professional capacity. At the beginning of her career, she used the name "Mandy Peterson", which was what friends and family called her.[4]
Career
At age seven, Peterson made her stage debut as Gretl in the University of Northern Colorado's stage production of The Sound of Music.[3] At 11, she won a role in the musical film Annie as a dancing extra. Peterson went on to land guest spots on Father Murphy and Silver Spoons.[5] She also appeared in more than 50 television commercials.[3] During the 1983–84 television season, she co-starred as Squirt Sawyer on the NBC drama series Boone.[6] Boone was canceled after one season.[7]
In 1985, Peterson won her first starring role in the feature film
In 1986, 15-year-old Peterson was cast in the teen comedy Boy Rents Girl, opposite Patrick Dempsey. The film was shot on location in Tucson, Arizona. The title was later changed to Can't Buy Me Love after producers secured the rights to The Beatles' 1964 song of the same name.[11] Released in the summer of 1987, Can't Buy Me Love received mixed reviews but became the sleeper hit of the summer.[6] After its release, Peterson and Dempsey achieved teen idol status. They appeared on the covers of teen magazines such as Tiger Beat and Teen Beat.
Two months after her death, in a September 2015 interview with talk show
In 1988, Peterson co-starred in a
Later years
In 1994, Peterson retired from the entertainment industry and returned to her hometown of Greeley. According to her father, she left Hollywood to "choose a new path in her life." After briefly attending Middlebury College, she enrolled at Colorado State University for a year.[2] Peterson later studied at the University of Northern Colorado.[3] In 2012, she briefly modeled for a Colorado photographer.[17]
Peterson was twice married and had two children.[18] She was first married to Joseph Robert Skutvik. After their divorce, she married David Hartley.[19] Peterson and Hartley were reportedly divorced at the time of her death.[2]
Between October 2000 and May 2012, Peterson was arrested five times for the offenses of third-degree assault, harassment,
Death
Peterson was reported missing on July 3, 2015, after her family grew concerned when she missed a planned dinner.[2][23] Two days later, on July 5, she was found dead at her home by Greeley police at the age of 43.[24] Though her apartment door was unlocked, authorities found no evidence of foul play.[1][20][22]
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight following Peterson's death, her mother stated that while her daughter had dealt with drug issues in the past, she believed her to be drug-free at the time of her death, emphasizing that it "was not in any way a drug thing."[25]
An autopsy was scheduled for July 6 by the Weld County coroner,[1][3] with results released on September 2, 2015. The examination revealed Peterson's death resulted from an accidental drug overdose.[26] She had recently undergone a hysterectomy and was prescribed Gabapentin for pain management. Additionally, she had been taking morphine, obtained from a friend a week prior.[27] The coroner attributed her death to respiratory failure triggered by a "morphine effect."[26] Peterson was later cremated.[citation needed]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1982 | Annie | Dancer/Singer | Credited as Mandy Peterson |
1982 | Father Murphy | Elizabeth | Episode: "Matthew and Elizabeth" |
1982 | Silver Spoons | Sally Frumbel | Episode: "Takin' a Chance on Love" |
1983 | Boone | Squirt Sawyer | 13 episodes |
1984 | Best Kept Secrets | Gretchen | Television film |
1985 | Explorers | Lori Swenson | |
1985 | And the Children Shall Lead | Jenny | Television film |
1986 | A Year in the Life | Sunny Sisk | Miniseries |
1986 | Carly Mills | Trisha Mills | Television film |
1987– 1988 |
A Year in the Life | Sunny Sisk | 22 episodes |
1987 | Can't Buy Me Love | Cindy Mancini | |
1988 | The Lawless Land | Diana | |
1989 | Listen to Me | Donna Lumis | |
1989 | Love and Betrayal | Stephanie | Television film Alternative title: Throw Away Wives |
1990 | Doogie Howser, M.D. | Bernadette Callen | Episode: "Vinnie's Blind Date" |
1990 | Fatal Charm | Valerie | Television film |
1991 | Hell Hath No Fury | Michelle Ferguson | Television film |
1991 | Posing: Inspired by Three Real Stories | Abigail Baywood | Television film Alternative title: I Posed for Playboy |
1994 | WindRunner | Julie Moore | Alternative title: WindRunner: A Spirited Journey |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Title of work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1984 | Young Artist Award | Best Young Actress in a New Television Series | Boone | Nominated |
1985 | Best Young Supporting Actress in a Daytime or Nighttime Drama | Boone | Nominated | |
1986 | Best Starring Performance by a Young Actress – Motion Picture | Explorers | Nominated | |
1987 | Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Drama Series[3] | A Year in the Life | Won | |
1988 | Best Young Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy | Can't Buy Me Love | Nominated |
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Greeley-born actress Amanda Peterson found dead in her apartment". The Tribune (Greeley, Colorado). July 9, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g Ostrow, Joanne (July 12, 2015). "Amanda Peterson: The life and times of a Colorado teen star". denverpost.com. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Phyllis Amanda Peterson". Allnutt Funeral Service. July 9, 2015. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
- ^ Cofas, Alleynah (July 7, 2015). "Friends of Amanda Peterson remember her down-to-earth demeanor and kindness". greeleytribune.com. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ^ a b Blank, Ed (August 19, 1987). "Amanda Peterson celebrity at age 16". The Pittsburgh Press. p. B4. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ^ a b "Top TV Teens". Toledo Blade. April 6, 1988. p. 20. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ISBN 978-0-786-48641-0.
- Nielsen ratings. The rating represents the percentage of the 87.4 million TV households tuned to a station (sets watching this show). The share represents the percentage of TV sets tuned to a television station at the time of the broadcast (sets in use)
- ^ Boone, Mike (December 17, 1986). "A Year in the Life: A television miniseries that has everything". The Montreal Gazette. Montreal, Quebec, Canada. p. E8. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ISBN 0-815-60649-4.
- ^ a b Blank, Ed (August 19, 1987). "Amanda Peterson celebrity at age 16". The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. p. B4. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ^ Vokes-Dudgeon, Sophie (September 15, 2015). "Amanda Peterson Suffered Rape at 15, Late Actress' Family Reveals Heartbreaking Secret". Us Weekly. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
- ^ a b "Another actress heads for campus". The Bryan Times. Bryan, Ohio. May 16, 1989. p. 31. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ^ "'1st and Ten' adds ex-Falcon star' Cher's take in Sands act: $150,000". Lakeland Ledger. Lakeland, Florida. April 17, 1989. p. 2A. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ^ "Money makes it harder to kill". Star-News. Wilmington, North Carolina. February 22, 1990. p. 2D. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ^ Kimble, Lindsay (July 13, 2015). "Amanda Peterson's Family Bids Farewell to Tragic Can't Buy Me Love Star with Emotional Tribute Video". people.com. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ^ Kimble, Lindsay (July 8, 2015). "Inside Amanda Peterson's Final Photo Shoot: 'She Had the Greatest Smile,' Photographer Tells People". people.com. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ^ Variety Staff (July 6, 2015). "Amanda Peterson, 'Can't Buy Me Love' Star, Dies at 43". Variety. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ Moraski, Lauren (July 8, 2015). "Patrick Dempsey remembers "Can't Buy Me Love" co-star Amanda Peterson". CBS News. Archived from the original on July 10, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
- ^ a b c Moylan, Joe (July 8, 2015). "Greeley actress Amanda Peterson had a criminal record, may have struggled with substance abuse". greeleytribune.com. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
- ^ Keating, Caitlin (July 8, 2015). "The Heartbreaking Downfall of a Hollywood Golden Girl: Amanda Peterson's Troubled Past Before Her Death at Age 43". people.com.
- ^ a b Child, Ben (July 7, 2015). "Amanda Peterson, star of Can't Buy Me Love, dies aged 43". theguardian.com. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ^ "'Can't Buy Me Love' Star Amanda Peterson Remembered by Sarah Michelle Gellar, Scott Foley, Lance Bass". TheWrap. July 7, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
- ^ Cummings, William (July 5, 2015). "'Can't Buy Me Love' star Amanda Peterson dies at 43". usatoday.com. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
- ^ Ungerman, Alex (July 7, 2015). "Amanda Peterson's Mom Remembers Their Last Day Together: She Was in 'Very Good Spirits'". etonline.com. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ^ a b Enrich Dowd, Kathy (September 2, 2015). "Can't Buy Me Love Star Amanda Peterson Died of an Accidental Drug Overdose: Report". people.com. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
- ^ Moylan, Joe (September 2, 2015). "Weld coroner: Amanda Peterson died from accidental morphine overdose". greeleytribune.com. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
External links
- Amanda Peterson at IMDb
- Amanda Peterson at the TCM Movie Database