Amanda Seyfried's Real Name: Amanda Michelle Seyfried

Quick answer: Amanda Seyfried's real name is Amanda Michelle Seyfried. She was born on December 3, 1985, in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Real name and early life

The Library of Congress name authority records her as Amanda Michelle Seyfried, born December 3, 1985, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Biography.com confirms the date and birthplace. Seyfried is her family surname, so she has never used a stage name. The name is pronounced "SY-fred."

She started acting at 15 with recurring roles on the soap operas As the World Turns and All My Children.

Quick facts

• Real name: Amanda Michelle Seyfried
• Known as: Amanda Seyfried
• Born: December 3, 1985, in Allentown, Pennsylvania
• Known for: Actor
• Notable work: Mean Girls, Big Love, Mamma Mia!, Jennifer's Body
• Sources checked: Library of Congress Name Authority, Biography.com, Television Academy

Career highlights

Seyfried made her film debut as Karen Smith in Mean Girls (2004) and played Sarah Henrickson in HBO's Big Love (2006–2011). Leading roles followed in Mamma Mia! (2008), Jennifer's Body (2009), Dear John (2010), and In Time (2011). She won praise as Cosette in Les Misérables (2012), in Lovelace (2013), and in First Reformed (2017).

Playing Marion Davies in David Fincher's Mank (2020) earned her an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress. Playing Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in Hulu's The Dropout (2022) won her the Primetime Emmy, as the Television Academy notes, along with the Golden Globe. Later credits include The Crowded Room, Long Bright River, The Housemaid, and The Testament of Ann Lee (2025).

Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022, and her films as a leading actress have grossed more than $2.4 billion worldwide. Musicals have been a steady thread in her career: she sang on screen in both Mamma Mia! films and Les Misérables.

Name notes

Amanda Seyfried is her birth name without the middle name. Searchers often misspell it "Seyfreid" or "Seifried." Fan sites often copy names from one another, so we checked this page against Library of Congress Name Authority and Biography.com. Where sources disagree, we say so rather than guess. We also leave out middle names, nicknames, and origin stories that we couldn't confirm in a reliable source. A popular claim isn't enough to earn a place on this page if no encyclopedia, official record, or major news outlet backs it up.