Amanda Pays (born 6 June 1959) is an English interior designer, actress, and television presenter. She is known for her television series roles as

Theora Jones ''Max Headroom'' is an American satirical cyberpunk science fiction television series by Chrysalis Visual Programming and Lakeside Productions for Lorimar-Telepictures that aired in the United States on ABC from March 31, 1987, to May 5, 1988 ...

in ''

Max Headroom Max Headroom is a fictional character played by actor Matt Frewer. Advertised as "the first computer-generated TV presenter", Max was known for his biting commentary on a variety of topical issues, arrogant wit, stuttering, and pitch-shifting ...

'' and as Tina McGee in ''

The Flash The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...

'' and the 2014 series of the same name. As an interior designer, Pays hosts the show ''Breathing Room'' on Fine Living Network.

Early life

Pays was born on 6 June 1959 in London, the daughter of actors Jan Miller and Howard Pays. Her aunt is the former child actress

Mandy Miller Mandy Miller (born Carmen Isabella Miller on 23 July 1944) is an English former child actress who made a number of films in the 1950s. She is also remembered for her recording of the 1956 song " Nellie the Elephant". Early life Carmen Isabella M ...

Career

Pays made her film debut in ''

Oxford Blues ''Oxford Blues'' is a 1984 British comedy-drama sports film written and directed by Robert Boris and starring Rob Lowe, Ally Sheedy and Amanda Pays. It is a remake of the 1938 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film ''A Yank at Oxford'' and was Lowe's fir ...

'' (1984) and she played a French nun, Sister Nicole, in '' Off Limits'' (1988 film) with

Willem Dafoe William James "Willem" Dafoe ( ; born July 22, 1955) is an American actor. Known for his prolific career portraying diverse roles in both mainstream and arthouse films, he is the recipient of various accolades including a Volpi Cup Award for ...

Gregory Hines Gregory Oliver Hines (February 14, 1946 – August 9, 2003) was an American dancer, actor, choreographer, and singer. He is one of the most celebrated tap dancers of all time. As an actor, he is best known for '' Wolfen'' (1981), '' The Cotton C ...

and

Fred Ward Freddie Joe Ward (December 30, 1942 – May 8, 2022) was an American character actor. Starting with a role in an Italian television movie in 1973, he appeared in such diverse films as '' Escape from Alcatraz'', '' The Right Stuff'', '' Remo Wil ...

. Pays also had a guest role as Phoebe Green in the episode "

Fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...

" (1993) of ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to Ma ...

'', in the episode "Cindy Plumb" (2006) of ''

Nip/Tuck ''Nip/Tuck'' is an American medical drama television series created by Ryan Murphy that aired on FX in the United States for six seasons from 2003 to 2010. The series, which also incorporates elements of crime, black comedy, family drama, sati ...

'', and in the episode " Black and Tan: A Crime of Fashion" (2008) of ''

Psych ''Psych'' is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks for USA Network. The series stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened o ...

'', opposite her husband

Corbin Bernsen Corbin Dean Bernsen (born September 7, 1954) is an American actor and film director. He appeared as divorce attorney Arnold Becker on the NBC drama series ''L.A. Law'',

. She also appeared in early 1980s music videos, including those for "Love Shadow" by

Fashion Fashion is a term used interchangeably to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, Fashion accessory, accessories, cosmetics, and jewellery of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into Clothing, outfits that depict distinct ...

and " Smooth Operator" by Sade. Pays is an interior designer and hosts Fine Living Network's ''Breathing Room''. She made her television debut in the dual role of Carla Martin and Christa Bruckner in the 1984 cable film '' The Cold Room'', portrayed Sarah in the 1985 miniseries '' AD'' (known as ''Anno Domini'' in some releases), and narrated the 1988 documentary '' Computer Dreams''. She also appeared in the low-budget 1987 horror film '' The Kindred'' and 1989's ''

Leviathan Leviathan ( ; ; ) is a sea serpent demon noted in theology and mythology. It is referenced in several books of the Hebrew Bible, including Psalms, the Book of Job, the Book of Isaiah, and the pseudepigraphical Book of Enoch. Leviathan is of ...

''.

Corbin Bernsen and Amanda Pays Emmy Awards Ball 1990

In 1985 she played Nikki South in the television film '' Minder on the Orient Express'', alongside

Dennis Waterman Dennis Waterman (24 February 1948 – 8 May 2022) was an English actor and singer. He was best known for his tough-guy leading roles in television series including ''The Sweeney'', ''Minder (TV series), Minder'' and ''New Tricks'', singing the ...

and George Cole. Pays was cast in the 2014 ''

'' series to play a reimagined version of the character she played in the first series.

Personal life

From 1984 until her 1987 divorce, Pays was married to Peter Kohn, the son of producer John Kohn and the grandson of producer

Sam Jaffe Shalom "Sam" Jaffe (March 10, 1891 – March 24, 1984) was an American actor, teacher, musician, and engineer. In 1951, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in '' The Asphalt Jungle'' (1950). He al ...

. On 19 November 1988, Pays married American actor

Corbin Bernsen Corbin Dean Bernsen (born September 7, 1954) is an American actor and film director. He appeared as divorce attorney Arnold Becker on the NBC drama series ''L.A. Law'',

, with whom she has four sons. Her mother-in-law was ''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City (named after the real-life Genoa City, Wiscon ...

'' actress Jeanne Cooper.

Filmography

References

External links

*
FINE LIVING's ''Breathing Room''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pays, Amanda 1959 births Living people English film actresses English television actresses Actresses from London 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Jaffe family