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Amy Brenneman
Birth name	Amy Frederica Brenneman
Born	June 22, 1964 New London, Connecticut
Spouse(s)	Brad Silberling
Notable roles	Judge Amy Gray in Judging Amy

Amy Frederica Brenneman (born June 22, 1964) is an American actress best known for her roles in the television series NYPD Blue and Judging Amy.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Television work 3 Political activity 4 Family life 5 External links 6 Footnotes

She was born in New London, Connecticut) to Russell Brenneman, an attorney, and Frederica Brenneman, a state court judge. Brenneman was raised in Glastonbury, Connecticut, where she participated in theater as a teenager, both in 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 Theater Company, which she traveled with for several years after graduation.^[1]

In her first major television role, Brenneman played mob-connected uniform officer Janice Licalsi on the police drama 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 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1994 and for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series the following year.

After leaving NYPD Blue, Brenneman appeared in a number of films, including Casper (1995), Heat (1995), Fear (1996) and Nevada (1997). She had a brief recurring role on Frasier in its 1998-1999 season. In 1999, Brenneman became creator and executive producer of the television series Judging Amy, in which she also starred. 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. Judging Amy ran on CBS for six seasons and 138 episodes from September 19, 1999 to May 3, 2005 to good ratings. Frederica Brenneman was one of Harvard Law School's first female graduates and became a juvenile court judge in Connecticut when Amy was 3 years old. Amy has said, "I play my mother's job, not my mother."

As of 13th March 2007, Brenneman has been cast in the potential Grey's Anatomy spinoff. ^[2]

Brenneman signed the "We Had Abortions" petition which appears in the October 2006 issue of Ms. Magazine. The petition contains signatures of over 5,000 women declaring they had an abortion and were "unashamed of the choice they made." [1]

In the February 28, 2007 all-star benefit reading of "The Gift of Peace" at UCLA's Freud Playhouse, she portrays an entrepreneur, and plays alongside actors Ed Asner, Barbara Bain, George Coe, Wendie Malick, and James Pickens, Jr.. The play is an open appeal and fundraiser for passage of U.S. House Resolution 808, which seeks to establish a Cabinet-level "Department of Peace" in the U.S. government, to be funded by a two percent diversion of the Pentagon's annual budget.^[3]

In 1995, Brenneman married director Brad Silberling in the garden at the home of her parents. The couple are founding members of the Cornerstone Theater Company Inc. in Los Angeles. ^[4] Silberling and Brenneman have two children, Charlotte Tucker (b. March 20, 2001) and Bodhi Russell (b. June 5, 2005).

• Amy Brenneman at the Internet Movie Database
• Frederica/Amy Brenneman article at Harvard Law School alumni site

1. ^ Julia Collins, "Brennemans on the Bench," Harvard Law School Alumni Bulletin.
2. ^ Applegate, Smart, Brenneman cast in pilots
3. ^ Martino, Stacey (2007-02-28). The Peace Alliance. The Gift of Peace. Retrieved on 2007-03-01.
4. ^ Weddings: Amy Brenneman, Bradley Silberling