Amanda Leigh Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American pop singer and actress.

Early life

Moore was born in Nashua, New Hampshire to Don Moore (a pilot for American Airlines) and Stacy (a former newspaper reporter); her maternal grandmother was English and a dancer in the theater district in the West End of London, England, while her maternal grandfather was Jewishs. Moore has two brothers, Scott and Kyle; she grew up in Seminole County, Florida, outside of Orlando, moving there shortly after her birth. Moore was raised a Catholic, and attended Bishop Moore Catholic High School, as well Lake Brantley High School in Altamonte Springs.

Moore's interest in singing grew after seeing the musical Oklahoma!. She subsequently sang the National Anthem at a few athletic events. She was spotted and signed on to a record deal with Sony Records after recording a demo at the age of 14. Throughout 1999, Moore toured with The Backstreet Boys.

Music career

So Real

Moore, fifteen years-old at the time, released her first album, So Real, on December 7, 1999. The album reached a peak of #31 on the US Billboard 200 album chart. At the time of her album's release, Moore was considered only the latest in a quickly-growing series of heavily-marketed 'pop princesses' akin to Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson. Moore was the last (and youngest) of the four to reach mainstream radio, and was initially not as successful as her peers. Still, So Real managed to be certified platinum in the US by early 2000, while her debut single, the gold-selling "Candy" managed to peak at #41. A follow-up single entitled "Walk Me Home" was later released, though it failed to achieve much success.

I Wanna Be With You

Moore released a re-worked version of her debut album entitled I Wanna Be With You on May 9, 2000, only six months after So Real's release. The album included several new songs, along with tracks from So Real, as well as a couple of remixed songs. I Wanna Be With You reached a peak of #21 on the Billboard 200 and was later certified gold in the US for selling over 500,000 copies. The title track was featured as the lead single, reaching a peak of #24 on the Hot 100 and becoming Moore's biggest hit to date. The song was also featured in the film Center Stage (2000). Between 2000 and 2001, Moore hosted a talk show, the Mandy Moore Show, on MTV.

Mandy Moore

Moore released the self-titled album Mandy Moore on June 19, 2001. Critics remarked that it was one of the more fulfilling pop albums on the market at the time. However, the album was not commercially successful, as the LP debuted at a disappointing #35 on the Billboard 200. It has since went on to be certified gold in the US. The lead single, "In My Pocket", was tinged with a Middle-Eastern sound, along with a colorful video; it failed to make a dent in the charts, however, missing the Billboard Hot 100 completely. The follow-up single, "Crush", suffered the same fate, although it received considerable airtime on MTV. The final single, "Cry", was released in early 2002 and tied-in with the film A Walk to Remember, which was Moore's debut as a lead actress. It also failed to perform well on the charts. The album sold well in Eastern Asia, however, and the songs "17" and "Saturate Me" were both released as singles overseas.

In March 2002, Moore was featured in Elton John's video for "Original Sin". She was criticized for wearing a bikini top and hot pants in the video. That year, Moore was ranked #67 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women In The World".

Coverage

On October 21, 2003, Moore released her fourth album, Coverage. The record consisted entirely of cover songs from the 1970s and '80s that Moore was influenced by as a child, as well as songs that she had recently discovered. The album peaked at #14 on the Billboard 200 (her highest ranking to date), though "Have a Little Faith in Me" (the only released single) failed to perform well on the charts. A video was made for the song "Drop the Pilot", though it was not released as a single in the US.

Greatest Hits / Candy to Present

In early 2004, after Moore was dropped from Sony's Epic Records, she signed with Warner Brothers Records. Sony released The Best of Mandy Moore on November 16, 2004, which included all of Moore's biggest hits from the past five years. However, due to little promotion, the album peaked at a noticably low #148 on the Billboard 200.

Another compilation album, Candy was released around the time Moore began working on her 2006 album. It was released with no promotion and never appeared on the charts. This was the final release of Moore's music from Epic Records.

A new studio album from Moore will be released in the spring of 2006 through her new record label, Sire Records; the title of the album is currently unknown. The album was co-written by singers Michelle Branch, Rachael Yamagata, and Lori McKenna. Moore will also collaborate with Adam Duritz, Chantal Kreviazuk, and James Renald who wrote Hey! and her single "Cry". "Instyle Magazine" UK (2/06) has reported that Moore's fourth album and first album for Sire Records may be titled Slummin' in Paradise.

Film and television career

Moore began her acting career with an appearance in the straight-to-video children's movie Magic Al and the Mind Factory, a voiceover role in Dr. Dolittle 2, and a small part in the Good Charlotte music video, "Little Things". Later in 2001, Moore appeared in a small part as the mean and popular cheerleader Lana Thomas opposite actresses Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews in the film The Princess Diaries. In the movie, Moore's character performs a song from the film's soundtrack, "Stupid Cupid".

In 2002, Moore had her first starring role in a major feature film, A Walk to Remember, opposite actor Shane West. The movie, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, revolves around the developing romance between a Protestant minister's daughter (played by Moore) and an unruly teenager. The film was considered a moderate success, bringing in $41 million and establishing Moore's status as a lead actress.

The soundtrack for the film featured four songs by Moore ("Cry", "Someday We'll Know", "It's Gonna Be Love" and "Only Hope"). Moore won an award for Breakthrough Female Performance at that summer's MTV Movie Awards, as well as Choice Female Breakout Performance and Choice Chemistry (with Shane West) at the Teen Choice Awards. That same year, she voiced Final Fantasy VII character Aerith Gainsborough in the Square Enix-Disney crossover video game Kingdom Hearts.

In 2003, Moore starred in the romantic comedy film How to Deal. The movie failed to draw in the teenage crowds in the US, and grossed a total of $14 million. Later that year, Moore appeared on the television series, Punk'd, being tricked by Ashton Kutcher for destroying someone else's home.

Moore's next film was 2004's Chasing Liberty, a romantic comedy which only grossed $12 million. Later that summer, she appeared in a supporting role in the low-budget satire on religion, Saved!, playing Hilary Faye, a popular "good girl" at a Christian school. Although the film never received a widespread release, it was critically successful and Moore received positive reviews for her role.

In 2005, Moore lent her voice to the movie Racing Stripes. Her upcoming films include Romance & Cigarettes and American Dreamz, both currently slated for a release in 2006.

Moore has also appeared on the television series, Entourage, and will guest-star in boyfriend Zach Braff's comedy Scrubs in 2006. She will also be lending her voice to The Simpsons, playing a dominatrix named "Tabitha Vixx". The airdate of the episode has yet to be confirmed.

Other work

Moore was a Neutrogena spokesperson, appearing in commercials as well as print ads for the product. She has also modelled for coach handbags in Japan and for the clothing brand, Penshoppe, in the Philippines.

Personal life

Moore dated actor Wilmer Valderrama for 18 months between 2000 and 2002. Soon after, she started dating tennis star Andy Roddick. The couple were together for 16 months, hardly spending time together due to Moore's film schedule; Roddick ended the relationship in March of 2004.

Moore has dated Scrubs actor Zach Braff (who is 9 years older) since February 2005. The two met at a fundraising event for the Democratic party around the time of the November 2004 election.

Moore's favorite musicians are Elton John, Janet Jackson, Madonna and Bette Midler; Midler is also Moore's favorite actress, and her film Beaches is Moore's favorite film. Moore is friends with the Osbourne family, and in 2003 frequently appeared in episodes of their MTV reality show, The Osbournes.

Discography

Albums

• 1999: So Real #31 US (Platinum US: 1.6 Million WW: 2.3)
• 2000: I Wanna Be With You #21 US (Platinum), #52 UK US: 1.1 Million, WW: 1.8 Million
• 2001: Mandy Moore #35 US (Platinum)US: 1.4 Million WW: 1.8
• 2003: Coverage #14 US (Gold)
• 2004: The Best of Mandy Moore #148 US
• 2005: Candy (album)
• 2006: Slummin' in Paradise

Singles

• From So Real
  • 1999: Candy; #41 US, #6 UK, #2 AU
  • 2000: So Real; #21 AU
  • 2000: Walk Me Home
• From I Wanna Be With You
  • 2000: I Wanna Be With You; #24 US, #21 UK, #13 AU
• From Mandy Moore
  • 2001: In My Pocket; #11 AU
  • 2001: Crush; #25 AU
  • 2002: Cry
• From Coverage
  • 2003: "Have A Little Faith In Me"
  • 2003: "Drop The Pilot"
• Other songs
  • 2000: "Feel Me"
  • 2001: "On The Line" from soundtrack 'On The Line'
  • 2002: "Only Hope" from soundtrack 'A Walk to Remember'
  • 2004: "God Only Knows" duet with Michael Stipe
  • 2004: "Hey!" demo written by James Randle (Sire Records)

Selected filmography