Amy Frederica Brenneman (born June 22, 1964) is an American actress and producer. She first gained prominence as Detective Janice Licalsi in the ABC police drama series NYPD Blue (1993–1994). Brenneman later co-created and starred as Judge Amy Gray in the CBS drama series Judging Amy (1999–2005), earning multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominations for these roles.
She has also starred as Violet Turner in the medical drama Private Practice (2007–2013), and as Laurie Garvey in the HBO drama The Leftovers (2014–2017). She is also known for her recurring role as Faye Moskowitz on Frasier and has starred in various films, including Heat (1995), Fear (1996), Daylight (1996), Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (2000), Nine Lives (2005), and The Jane Austen Book Club (2007).
Early life and education Brenneman was born on June 22, 1964, in New London, Connecticut, to Frederica Joanne (née Shoenfield), a judge of the Connecticut State Superior Court, and Russell Langdon Brenneman Jr., an environmental lawyer.Amy Brenneman Biography, Yahoo! Movies; accessed December 24, 2017. Her aunt was Cold War-era journalist Beryl D. Hines. Her mother was Jewish, and joined a Congregationalist church as an adult. Her father, who was of English, Irish, and Swiss descent, was from a Protestant background.
Brenneman was raised in Glastonbury, Connecticut, where she participated in theatre as a teenager, both in school at Glastonbury High School and with a local theater group. She graduated from Harvard University, where she majored in comparative religion, in 1987. While at Harvard, she co-founded Cornerstone Theatre Company, with which she traveled for several years after graduation.Julia Collins, "Brennemans on the Bench", harvard.edu; accessed December 24, 2017. She later returned to Harvard and graduated in 2026 with a Masters of Religion and Public Life from the Harvard Divinity School.
Career
Brenneman began her career in the short-lived CBS series Middle Ages in 1992. The next year she was cast in her first major role as mob-connected uniformed officer Janice Licalsi on the ABC police drama series, NYPD Blue. Her story arc, which included a romantic relationship with David Caruso's character, ran through the show's first season (1993–1994) and the first few episodes of the second season. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1994 and for Outstanding Guest Actress the following year.
After leaving NYPD Blue, Brenneman made her way into film. In 1995, she appeared in Bye Bye Love, Casper, and the critically acclaimed crime drama Heat. In 1996, Brenneman had the female lead role opposite Sylvester Stallone in disaster thriller Daylight, and also starred in another thriller, Fear. In 1997, she played the leading role in the independent drama film Nevada. The next year she starred in Your Friends & Neighbors directed by Neil LaBute. In 1998–1999 season, she returned to television with a recurring role on the NBC comedy Frasier as Faye Moskowitz.
In 1999, Brenneman became creator and executive producer of her own television series Judging Amy, in which she played the title character. Brenneman portrayed a divorced single mother working as a Family Court Judge in Hartford, Connecticut. The show's concept was based on the real-life experiences of her mother, Frederica Brenneman, as a superior court judge in the state of Connecticut. Frederica Brenneman was one of Harvard Law School's first female graduates and became a juvenile court judge in Connecticut when Amy was three years old. Amy has said, "I play my mother's job, not my mother."Hal Erickson Judging Amy ran on CBS for six seasons and 138 episodes from September 19, 1999, to May 3, 2005, to good ratings. In 2002, she was awarded the Women in Film Lucy Award in recognition of her excellence and innovation in her creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television.
Brenneman starred in ensemble cast film Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her directed by Rodrigo García in 2000. In 2005, she starred in another Rodrigo García's independent drama, Nine Lives. In 2007, Brenneman played the role of Sylvia Avila in The Jane Austen Book Club based on 2004 novel of the same name by Karen Joy Fowler. In 2008, Brenneman co-starred in 88 Minutes alongside Al Pacino.
In March 2007, Brenneman was cast as Violet Turner in the Grey's Anatomy spin-off, Private Practice. The Shonda Rhimes series ran on ABC from September 26, 2007, to January 22, 2013. She later starred in films The Face of Love and Words and Pictures, and was cast in HBO drama series The Leftovers opposite Justin Theroux. Also in 2013, Brenneman played the role of Mary of Guise, the series' lead character's mother, in Reign.
In 2022, Brenneman returned to premium television starring opposite Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow as Zoe McDonald in the FX action-thriller series The Old Man, a role she reprised through the conclusion of its second season.
Personal life In 1995, Brenneman married director Brad Silberling in the garden at her parents' home. They had originally met on the set of NYPD Blue. Brenneman and Silberling have two children, Charlotte Tucker and Bodhi Russell, in Pasadena.The Frostig Focus frostigschool.org December 2020
Brenneman is an Episcopalian.
Brenneman signed the "We Had Abortions" petition in the October 2006 issue of Ms. Magazine, joining over 5,000 women declaring that they had an abortion and were "unashamed of the choice they made."Q&A: Amy Brenneman on Defining—and Devoting Herself to—Feminism. Ms. Magazine, 19 May 2017
In the February 28, 2007, all-star benefit reading of The Gift of Peace at UCLA's Freud Playhouse, she portrays an entrepreneur, alongside actors Ed Asner, Barbara Bain, George Coe, Wendie Malick, and James Pickens, Jr. The play was an open appeal and fundraiser for passage of U.S. House Resolution 808, which sought to establish a Cabinet-level "Department of Peace" in the United States government, funded by a two percent diversion of The Pentagon's annual budget.
In July 2008, Brenneman was nominated as a candidate on the Unite for Strength slate for a place on the national governing board of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) in elections scheduled for September 18, 2008. The bid was successful.
Brenneman is also a supporter of more restrictive gun laws. In 2009, she hosted the Target for a Safe America gala at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles for the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
Filmography +Key Denotes works that have not yet been released
Film Year Title Role Notes1995Bye Bye LoveSusanCasperAmeliaHeatEady1996FearLaura WalkerDaylightMadelyne "Maddy" Thompson1997NevadaChrystyLesser ProphetsAnnie1998City of AngelsAngelUncredited cameoYour Friends & NeighborsMary1999Grace2000Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at HerDet. Kathy FaberSegment: "Love Waits for Kathy"2003Off the MapAdult Bo Groden2005Nine LivesLorna200788 MinutesShelly BarnesSylvia2008Downloading NancyCarol2009Mother and ChildDr. Eleanor Stone2013Words and PicturesElspethAnn2016In the Shadows of the RainbowShort film2019PeelLucilleHer Mind in PiecesMotherSegment: "Here Now"Foster BoyKim Trainer2021Sweet GirlDiana Morgan
Television Year Title Role Notes1992Middle AgesBlancheEpisodes: "The Pig in the Python", "Night Moves", "Murmur of the Heart"1992Murder, She WroteAmy WainwrightEpisode: "A Christmas Secret"1993–94NYPD BlueDet. Janice LicalsiMain role, 18 episodes1997DuckmanLauren Simone (voice)Episode: "A Trophied Duck"1998–99FrasierFaye MoskowitzRecurring role, 4 episodes1999A.T.F.Agent Robin O'BrienTV film1999Mary Cassatt: An American ImpressionistMary CassattTV film1999–2005Judging AmyAmy GrayLead role, 138 episodes2004Sesame StreetHerself2007Grey's AnatomyDr. Violet TurnerEpisode: "The Other Side of This Life: Parts 1 & 2"2007–13Private PracticeDr. Violet TurnerMain role, 106 episodes2011Robot ChickenDorothy Gale / Various (voice)Episode: "The Departy Monster"2014–15ReignMarie de GuiseEpisodes: "The Consummation", "Forbidden", "The Price"2014–17Laurie GarveyMain role, 20 episodes2016No TomorrowHerselfEpisode: "No Holds Barred"2017VeepRegina PellEpisode: "Library"2017The GetEllenTelevision film2018Jane the VirginDonnaEpisode: "Chapter Eighty"2019GoliathDiana Blackwood8 episodes2021Tell Me Your SecretsMary BarlowMain cast2022Shining GirlsRachelMain cast2022–2024The Old Man ZoeMain cast
Music videos Year Artist Title Role 2014 Various "Imagine" Herself
Producer Year Title Notes1997NevadaCo-producer1999–2005Judging AmyExecutive producer, writer/creator (138 episodes)2016HeartbeatExecutive producer (10 episodes)2018Intelligent LivesExecutive producer
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result1994 Viewers for Quality Television Award Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series NYPD Blue Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series 1995 Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series 2000 Golden Globe Award Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama Judging Amy TV Guide Award Favorite Actress in a New Series Producers Guild of America Award Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Viewers for Quality Television Award Best Actress in a Quality Drama Series 2001 Golden Globe Award Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama TV Guide Award Actress of the Year in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series 2002 Golden Globe Award Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Satellite Award Best Performance by an Actress in a Series – Drama Women in Film Lucy Award Lucy Award 2003 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series Judging Amy 2005 Locarno International Film Festival Best Actress Nine Lives Gotham Award Best Ensemble Cast 2007 TV Land Award TV Moment That Became Headline News For appearing nude in the pilot episode NYPD Blue
References
External links
Official site
Frederica/Amy Brenneman article at Harvard Law School alumni site