Amy Acker Biography

Amy Louise Acker (born December 5, 1976) is an American actress. She has played roles on the television series Angel as Winifred Burkle and Illyria, and on Alias as Kelly Peyton. She also portrayed Dr. Claire Saunders on Dollhouse and Samantha "Root" Groves on Person of Interest.

Early life

Acker was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, to a homemaker mother and a lawyer father. She graduated from Lake Highlands High School in Dallas. She subsequently earned a bachelor's degree in theater from Southern Methodist University.

In her junior year of college, Acker modeled for J. Crew's catalog. In 1999 she was nominated for a Leon Rabin award for "Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role" for her performance in the play Thérèse Raquin. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in the same year. She worked as a stage actress for several seasons, including a stint at American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin.

Career

Acker made her major television debut when she starred as Winifred "Fred" Burkle on the 2nd - 5th seasons of Angel, and also as the character of Illyria for part of the show's 5th and final season. She won the 2003 Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television for her portrayal.

She joined the cast of Alias in 2005 for its final season, playing the villainous character, Kelly Peyton. Acker graduated from guest star to fully credited cast member as the show entered the final episodes in April and May 2006.

Also in 2005, Acker provided voice acting for the character of Huntress on the animated series Justice League Unlimited.

Acker guest starred on fellow Buffyverse actress, Alyson Hannigan's show How I Met Your Mother, in which she was reunited with Angel co-star, Alexis Denisof (Hannigan's real-life husband), who had a recurring role on the show.

She portrayed Dr. Claire Saunders/Whiskey, a recurring character, on Joss Whedon's Dollhouse. Acker guest starred in 10 of the 13 episodes of the first season and three episodes of the second.

In 2010, she was a series regular in the ABC drama Happy Town, portraying the character Rachel Conroy. Also in 2010, she starred in the season-one finale of the Fox series Human Target, as the mysterious Katherine Walters. On May 25, 2010, she appeared on CBS's The Good Wife. She appeared in the horror movie The Cabin in the Woods, released April 13, 2012. She also portrayed Samantha "Root" Groves on CBS's Person of Interest in the season-1 finale/cliffhanger, and guest starred on multiple episodes on the subsequent season. Also in 2012, she revisited the science fiction and fantasy genres that had brought her to prominence, with guest performances in Warehouse 13, Once Upon A Time, and Grimm.

In 2012, she starred as Beatrice in Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing.

Acker appeared in the sitcom Husbandss third season as Claudia, the ex-fiancée of Brady Kelly who unexpectedly shows up.

Personal life

On April 25, 2003, Acker and actor James Carpinello were married in California. On January 22, 2005, she gave birth to a son, Jackson James Carpinello, and on September 1, 2006, to a daughter, Ava Grace.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	'	Nina
2002	Groom Lake	Kate
2002	Catch Me If You Can	Miggy
2003	Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt	Bonnie Lindsay	TV film
2005	Mr. Dramatic	Jodi	Short film
2006	'	Jill Yarrut
2008	'	Ellie Daly	TV film
2008	Fire and Ice: The Dragon Chronicles	Princess Luisa	TV film
2009	21 and a Wake-Up	Caitlin Murphy
2011	Vile	Whitney Richards
2011	Dear Santa	Crystal Carruthers	TV film
2011	Sironia	Molly
2012	'	Lin
2012	Much Ado About Nothing	Beatrice
2013	'	Claire	Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998	Wishbone	Catherine Morland	Episode: "Pup Fiction"
1999	To Serve and Protect	Melissa Jorgensen	Episode: "1.2"
1999	Wishbone	Priscilla	Episode: "A Bone of Contention"
1999	Wishbone	Venus	Episode: "A Roamin' Nose"
2001	Special Unit 2	Nancy	Episode: "The Invisible"
2001-2004	Angel	Winifred 'Fred' Burkle/Illyria	70 episodes Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television Nominated-Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated-Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television (2003, 2005)
2005	Supernatural	Andrea Barr	Episode: "Dead in the Water"
2005-2006	Justice League Unlimited	Huntress/Helena Bertinelli	4 episodes
2005-2006	Alias	Kelly Peyton	13 episodes
2006	How I Met Your Mother	Penelope	Episode: "Come On"
2007	Drive	Kathryn Tully	3 episodes
2007	Law & Order: Criminal Intent	Leslie LeZard	Episode: "Smile"
2007	Ghost Whisperer	Tessa	Episode: "Weight of What Was"
2008	October Road	Girl in Blue Uniform	Episode: "Dancing Days Are Here Again"
2008	October Road	Jenny Bristol	Episode: "Hat? No Hat?"
2008	Private Practice	Molly Madison	Episode: "A Family Thing"
2009-2010	Dollhouse	Various	14 episodes
2010	Human Target	Katherine Walters	Episode: "Christopher Chance"
2010	'	Trish Arkin	Episode: "Running"
2010	Happy Town	Rachel Conroy	8 episodes
2010	No Ordinary Family	Amanda Grayson	2 episodes
2011-2013	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Sandy Colfax	2 episodes
2012	Grimm	Lena Marcenko	Episode: "Tarantella"
2012	Once Upon a Time	Astrid/Nova	Episode: "Dreamy"
2012	Warehouse 13	Tracey	Episode: "The Ones You Love"
2012-Present	Person of Interest	Root/Samantha Groves	5 episodes, season 1-2, series regular season 3
2013	Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated	Nova	4 episodes
2013	Husbands	Claudia