Amy Irving facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Amy Irving
Irving in 1989
Born	(1953-09-10) September 10, 1953 (age 71) Palo Alto, California, U.S.
Alma mater	American Conservatory Theater London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1965–present
Spouse(s)	Steven Spielberg ​ ​ (m. 1985; div. 1989)​ Bruno Barreto ​ ​ (m. 1996; div. 2005)​ Kenneth Bowser ​ (m. 2007)​
Children	3
Parents	Jules Irving (father) Priscilla Pointer (mother)
Relatives	David Irving (brother), Austin Irving (niece)

Amy Irving (born September 10, 1953) is an American actress and singer. She has worked in movies, on stage, and in TV shows. She has won an Obie Award and was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award (also known as an Oscar).

Amy was born in Palo Alto, California. Her parents, Jules Irving and Priscilla Pointer, were both actors. She grew up in San Francisco before her family moved to New York City when she was a teenager. In New York, she started acting on Broadway at just 13 years old in a play called The Country Wife (1965–1966).

She later studied acting at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Amy made her first movie appearance in Carrie (1976). She then had a main role in the movie The Fury (1978).

In 1983, Amy was in the movie Yentl, directed by Barbra Streisand. For this role, she was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. In 1988, she won an Obie Award for her acting in the play The Road to Mecca. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her role in the comedy Crossing Delancey (1988).

Amy has appeared in many other films like Deconstructing Harry (1997) and Traffic (2000). She also returned to her role as Sue Snell in The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999). On TV, she was in the show Alias and the miniseries The Far Pavilions. In 2018, she acted in the horror film Unsane.

Amy Irving's Early Life and Family

Amy Irving was born on September 10, 1953, in Palo Alto, California. Her father, Jules Irving, was a director for films and plays. Her mother, Priscilla Pointer, is an actress. Amy has a brother, David Irving, who is a writer and director. Her sister, Katie Irving, is a singer and teaches deaf children.

Amy's father had Russian-Jewish family roots. One of her mother's great-great-grandfathers was also Jewish. Amy was raised in her mother's faith, Christian Science. Her family did not follow any specific religious traditions.

She spent her early years in San Francisco, California. Her father helped start the Actor's Workshop there. Amy was very active in local theater as a child. She studied at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. She also trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. When she was a teenager, her family moved to New York City. Her father became the director of the Lincoln Center Repertory Theater. Amy finished school at the Professional Children's School in New York.

Amy Irving's Acting Career Highlights

Amy Irving's very first time on stage was when she was only nine months old! Her father brought her on stage for a play called "Rumplestiltskin." At age two, she played a small part called "Princess Primrose" in another play her father directed. When she was 12, she had a small role in the Broadway show The Country Wife (1965–66). She had to sell a hamster to another actor in a crowd scene.

After studying acting in London, Amy quickly found work in Hollywood. She got a role in a big movie and appeared in TV shows. These included guest roles in Police Woman and Happy Days. She also had a main role in the miniseries Once an Eagle. In 1975, she played Juliet in Romeo and Juliet at a theater in Los Angeles. She played Juliet again in Seattle in 1982.

Amy Irving at the opening night of a play in 1983

Amy tried out for the role of Princess Leia in Star Wars, but Carrie Fisher got the part. Instead, Amy starred in two movies directed by Brian De Palma: Carrie as Sue Snell, and The Fury as Gillian Bellaver. Her mother was also in Carrie! In 1999, Amy played Sue Snell again in The Rage: Carrie 2.

In 1980, she starred with Richard Dreyfuss in The Competition. That same year, she was in Honeysuckle Rose, where she sang on screen for the first time. Both she and Dyan Cannon sang their own songs in the movie. In 1983, she was in Yentl, which earned her an Oscar nomination. She also provided the singing voice for Jessica Rabbit in the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).

Amy has also appeared in TV shows like Alias as Emily Sloane. She played Princess Anjuli in the miniseries The Far Pavilions. More recently, she was in the films Traffic (2000) and Tuck Everlasting (2002). She also appeared in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2001.

Amy has performed in many plays on Broadway. These include Amadeus, Heartbreak House, and Broken Glass. In 1994, she helped host the 48th Tony Awards in New York.

Her most recent Broadway role was in The Coast of Utopia in 2006–07. In 2010, Amy made her opera debut in A Little Night Music. In October 2010, she was a guest star in an episode of the TV series House M.D.. In 2018, she worked with director Steven Soderbergh again in the horror film Unsane.

In April 2023, Amy Irving released her first music album, called Born In a Trunk. It features 10 cover songs that are special to her life and career.

Amy Irving's Personal Life

Amy Irving dated film director Steven Spielberg from 1976 to 1980. They later got married in 1985 and divorced in 1989. She has a son with Steven Spielberg named Max Samuel, born in 1985.

In 1989, she started a relationship with Brazilian film director Bruno Barreto. They married in 1996 and divorced in 2005. She has another son with Bruno Barreto named Gabriel Davis, born in 1990.

In 2007, Amy married Kenneth Bowser Jr., who makes documentary films. She lives in New York City.

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Stage Performances

Albums

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Amy Irving para niños