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Amanda Peterson

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Not to be confused with Phyllis Peterson, the lone survivor of the Shell Lake murders.

Amanda Peterson
Born
Phyllis Amanda Peterson

(1971-07-08)July 8, 1971
Greeley, Colorado, U.S.
DiedJuly 3, 2015(2015-07-03) (aged 43)
Greeley, Colorado, U.S.
Other namesMandy Peterson
Alma materMiddlebury College
University of Northern Colorado
Colorado State University
OccupationActress
Years active1979–1994
Known forCan't Buy Me Love
Spouses
  • Joseph Robert Skutvik
  • David Hartley
Children2

Phyllis Amanda Peterson (July 8, 1971–July 3, 2015) was an American actress, most known for her roles as Cindy Mancini in the 1987 film Can't Buy Me Love and Sunny Sisk on the NBC drama series A Year in the Life (1987–1988).

Peterson died at age 43 from an accidental drug overdose.[1]

Early life

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Peterson was born in Greeley, Colorado,[2] the youngest of three children born to James Peterson, an ear, nose, and throat specialist, and his wife Sylvia.[3] She had two older siblings: a sister, Anne Marie and a brother, James Jr.[4] Peterson began acting as a child and used the name "Amanda Peterson" in a professional capacity. At the beginning of her career, she used the name "Mandy Peterson", which was what friends and family called her.[5]

Career

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At age seven, Peterson made her stage debut as Gretl von Trapp in a University of Northern Colorado production of The Sound of Music.[4] At 11, she won a role in the musical film Annie as a dancing extra. Peterson went on to land guest spots on Father Murphy and Silver Spoons,[6] while also appearing in more than 50 television commercials.[4] Between 1983 and 1984, she co-starred as Squirt Sawyer on the NBC drama series Boone,[7] which was canceled after one season.[8]

In 1985, Peterson won her first starring role in the feature film Explorers, playing Lori Swenson. Directed by Joe Dante, the film performed averagely at the box office, but went on to secure a cult following.[9] Next, she co-starred as Sunny Sisk, the granddaughter of a successful businessman, in the Emmy Award-winning miniseries A Year in the Life; the third highest-rated miniseries of the 1986–87 U.S. television season.[10] It was later adapted into a full series, airing on NBC from 1987 to 1988.[11] For her work as Sisk on the show, Peterson won a Young Artist Award.[4] Despite being well received, A Year in the Life was canceled after one season.[12]

In 1986, 15-year-old Peterson was cast in the teen comedy Boy Rents Girl, opposite Patrick Dempsey. The title was later changed to Can't Buy Me Love after producers secured the rights to The Beatles' 1964 song of the same name.[6] Released in August 1987, Love received mixed reviews but became the sleeper hit of the summer.[7] After its release, Peterson and Dempsey achieved teen idol status, appearing together on various magazine covers.

In 1988, Peterson starred in a Roger Corman production, the post-apocalyptic adventure film The Lawless Land. This was followed by a co-starring role in the 1989 teen ensemble drama Listen to Me.[13] She returned to her hometown of Greeley that same year to graduate from University High School, having been privately tutored while working in Los Angeles.[6][14] Shortly afterward, she starred in the straight-to-video thriller Fatal Charm (1990), playing a naïve high schooler who forms a dangerous bond with a serial killer. That fall, Peterson enrolled at Middlebury College,[13] where she appeared in a black box production of the Sarah Daniels play, Masterpieces. While on semester break, she appeared in a guest spot on Doogie Howser, M.D.[15] Later that year, Peterson dropped out of college.[3] She returned to acting in the 1994 fantasy film WindRunner—her final appearance on screen.[16]

Later years

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In 1994, Peterson retired from the entertainment industry and returned to her hometown of Greeley. According to her father, she left Hollywood to "choose a new path in her life." After briefly attending Middlebury College, she enrolled at Colorado State University for a year.[3] Peterson later studied at the University of Northern Colorado.[4] In 2012, she briefly modeled for a Colorado photographer.[17]

Peterson was twice married and had two children.[18] She was first married to Joseph Robert Skutvik. After their divorce, she married David Hartley.[19] Peterson and Hartley were reportedly divorced at the time of her death.[3]

Between October 2000 and May 2012, Peterson was arrested five times for the offenses of third-degree assault, harassment, DUI, and possession of drug paraphernalia and suspicion of distributing a Schedule 2 controlled substance.[20] From September to December 2005, she spent nearly three months in jail.[21] Peterson's last arrests were for a misdemeanor DUI and possession of narcotics equipment charge in April 2012, and suspicion of child abuse in May 2012, which was later dropped.[20] According to her father, she had previously struggled with drug issues, but was drug-free at the time of her death and had become "quite religious."[3] He also said that, in recent years, Peterson had had sleep apnea and bouts of pneumonia and sinusitis.[22] For the last three years of her life, Peterson was receiving disability benefits and lived alone in an apartment in Greeley, Colorado.[3]

Death

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Peterson was reported missing on July 3, 2015, after her family grew concerned when she missed a planned dinner.[3][23] Two days later, on July 5, she was found dead at her home by Greeley police at the age of 43.[24] Though her apartment door was unlocked, authorities found no evidence of foul play.[2][20][22]

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight following Peterson's death, her mother stated that while her daughter had dealt with drug issues in the past, she believed her to be drug-free at the time of her death, emphasizing that it "was not in any way a drug thing."[25]

An autopsy was scheduled for July 6 by the Weld County coroner,[2][4] with results released on September 2, 2015. The examination revealed Peterson's death resulted from an accidental drug overdose.[1] She had recently undergone a hysterectomy and was prescribed Gabapentin for pain management. Additionally, she had been taking morphine, obtained from a friend a week prior.[26] The coroner attributed her death to respiratory failure triggered by a "morphine effect."[1]

Two months after her death, in a September 2015 interview with talk show The Doctors, Peterson's family revealed that she had been raped at age 15 and had not disclosed it at the time, even to her sister.[27]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1982 Annie Dancer Credited as Mandy Peterson
1985 Explorers Lori Swenson
1987 Can't Buy Me Love Cindy Mancini
1988 The Lawless Land Diana
1989 Listen to Me Donna Lumis
1990 Fatal Charm Valerie
1994 WindRunner Julie Moore AKA: WindRunner: A Spirited Journey

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1982 Father Murphy Elizabeth Episode: "Matthew and Elizabeth"
1982 Silver Spoons Sally Frumbel Episode: "Takin' a Chance on Love"
1983–1984 Boone Squirt Sawyer 13 episodes
1984 Best Kept Secrets Gretchen Television film
1985 And the Children Shall Lead Jenny Television film
1986 A Year in the Life Sunny Sisk Miniseries; 3 episodes
1986 Carly Mills Trisha Mills Television film
1987–1988 A Year in the Life Sunny Sisk 22 episodes
1989 Love and Betrayal Stephanie Television film
AKA: Throw Away Wives
1990 Doogie Howser, M.D. Bernadette Callen Episode: "Vinnie's Blind Date"
1991 Hell Hath No Fury Michelle Ferguson Television film
1991 Posing: Inspired by Three Real Stories Abigail Baywood Television film
AKA: I Posed for Playboy
1993 Jack's Place Elodie Rayburn 4 episodes

Awards and nominations

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Awards
Year Award Category Title of work Result
1984 Young Artist Award Best Young Actress in a New Television Series Boone Nominated
1985 Best Young Supporting Actress in a Daytime or Nighttime Drama Nominated
1986 Best Starring Performance by a Young Actress – Motion Picture Explorers Nominated
1987 Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Drama Series[4] A Year in the Life Won
1988 Best Young Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy Can't Buy Me Love Nominated

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Enrich Dowd, Kathy (September 2, 2015). "Can't Buy Me Love Star Amanda Peterson Died of an Accidental Drug Overdose: Report". people.com. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "Greeley-born actress Amanda Peterson found dead in her apartment". The Tribune (Greeley, Colorado). July 9, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Ostrow, Joanne (July 12, 2015). "Amanda Peterson: The life and times of a Colorado teen star". denverpost.com. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Phyllis Amanda Peterson". Allnutt Funeral Service. July 9, 2015. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  5. ^ Cofas, Alleynah (July 7, 2015). "Friends of Amanda Peterson remember her down-to-earth demeanor and kindness". greeleytribune.com. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  6. ^ a b c Blank, Ed (August 19, 1987). "Amanda Peterson celebrity at age 16". The Pittsburgh Press. p. B4. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  7. ^ a b "Top TV Teens". Toledo Blade. April 6, 1988. p. 20. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  8. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2008). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2 ed.). McFarland. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-786-48641-0.
  9. ^ "The 1985 Cult Classic Explorers is Joe Dante's Pleasingly Prankish Take on E.T". Nathan Rabin's Happy Place. January 30, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  10. ^ (Three or more parts.) TV Guide magazine, June 27–July 3, 1987, issue #1787. All figures are based on the Nielsen ratings. The rating represents the percentage of the 87.4 million TV households tuned to a station (sets watching this show). The share represents the percentage of TV sets tuned to a television station at the time of the broadcast (sets in use)
  11. ^ Boone, Mike (December 17, 1986). "A Year in the Life: A television miniseries that has everything". The Montreal Gazette. Montreal, Quebec, Canada. p. E8. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  12. ^ Collins Swanson, Dorothy (2000). The Story of the Viewers for Quality Television: From Grassroots to Prime Time. Syracuse University Press. pp. 93–94. ISBN 0-815-60649-4.
  13. ^ a b "Another actress heads for campus". The Bryan Times. Bryan, Ohio. May 16, 1989. p. 31. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  14. ^ "'1st and Ten' adds ex-Falcon star' Cher's take in Sands act: $150,000". Lakeland Ledger. Lakeland, Florida. April 17, 1989. p. 2A. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  15. ^ "Money makes it harder to kill". Star-News. Wilmington, North Carolina. February 22, 1990. p. 2D. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  16. ^ Kimble, Lindsay (July 13, 2015). "Amanda Peterson's Family Bids Farewell to Tragic Can't Buy Me Love Star with Emotional Tribute Video". people.com. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  17. ^ Kimble, Lindsay (July 8, 2015). "Inside Amanda Peterson's Final Photo Shoot: 'She Had the Greatest Smile,' Photographer Tells People". people.com. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  18. ^ Variety Staff (July 6, 2015). "Amanda Peterson, 'Can't Buy Me Love' Star, Dies at 43". Variety. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  19. ^ Moraski, Lauren (July 8, 2015). "Patrick Dempsey remembers "Can't Buy Me Love" co-star Amanda Peterson". CBS News. Archived from the original on July 10, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  20. ^ a b c Moylan, Joe (July 8, 2015). "Greeley actress Amanda Peterson had a criminal record, may have struggled with substance abuse". greeleytribune.com. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  21. ^ Keating, Caitlin (July 8, 2015). "The Heartbreaking Downfall of a Hollywood Golden Girl: Amanda Peterson's Troubled Past Before Her Death at Age 43". people.com.
  22. ^ a b Child, Ben (July 7, 2015). "Amanda Peterson, star of Can't Buy Me Love, dies aged 43". theguardian.com. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  23. ^ "'Can't Buy Me Love' Star Amanda Peterson Remembered by Sarah Michelle Gellar, Scott Foley, Lance Bass". TheWrap. July 7, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  24. ^ Cummings, William (July 5, 2015). "'Can't Buy Me Love' star Amanda Peterson dies at 43". usatoday.com. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  25. ^ Ungerman, Alex (July 7, 2015). "Amanda Peterson's Mom Remembers Their Last Day Together: She Was in 'Very Good Spirits'". etonline.com. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  26. ^ Moylan, Joe (September 2, 2015). "Weld coroner: Amanda Peterson died from accidental morphine overdose". greeleytribune.com. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  27. ^ Vokes-Dudgeon, Sophie (September 15, 2015). "Amanda Peterson Suffered Rape at 15, Late Actress' Family Reveals Heartbreaking Secret". Us Weekly. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
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