American film and TV actress Amanda Seyfried (pronounced "Cy-Fred") is most known for playing the dead bestfriend of Kristen Bell's character on the UPN drama, Veronica Mars.She got her big break with her feature film debut appearance in the teen comedy Mean Girls, where she played the dumb but lovable Karen Smith.

A native of Allentown, Pennsylvania, Amanda began her career at age 11, as a model for Wilhelmina Models. Amanda and her mother, Ann Seyfried, juggled school and work schedules to make many trips to New York for casting calls, photo and commercial shoots. While in New York, Amanda performed in various theatre productions including Grease, Wind in the Willows, and A Christmas Carol. She has also done commercial ads for the Lifetime Channel and Sony. Her print modeling ads range from Limited Too to Mizz Magazine.

On television, she made her debut as Lucy Montgomery in the soap opera As the World Turns before moving onto the ABC daytime drama All My Children as goody-goody teen Joni Stafford. Her other television credits include Guiding Light and Law & Order: SVU. In 2004, she was cast as Lilly Kane on Veronica Mars and Sarah Henrickson on the HBO drama Big Love after the UPN show was canceled.

In film, Amanda landed roles in American Gun (2005), Nine Lives (2005), and Alpha Dog (2007). In 2008, she won the lead role in the movie musical Mamma Mia! opposite veteran actress Meryl Streep.