Amy Louise Acker (born December 5, 1976) is an American actress. She is best known for starring as

Winifred Burkle Winifred "Fred" Burkle is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and introduced by Shawn Ryan and Mere Smith on the television series '' Angel''. The character is portrayed by Amy Acker. Biography Character history Fred was born in S ...

and

Illyria In classical and late antiquity, Illyria (; , ''Illyría'' or , ''Illyrís''; , ''Illyricum'') was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyrians. The Ancient Gree ...

on the supernatural drama series ''

Angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

'' (2001–2004), as Kelly Peyton on the action drama series '' Alias'' (2005–2006), and as Root on the science-fiction drama series ''

Person of Interest "Person of interest" is a term used by law enforcement in the United States, Canada, and other countries when identifying someone possibly involved in a criminal investigation who has not been arrested or formally accused of a crime. It has no leg ...

'' (2012–2016). From 2017 to 2019, she starred as Caitlin Strucker on the superhero drama series '' The Gifted'', based on

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...

Early life

Amy Louise Acker was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. Her mother is a homemaker and her father is a lawyer. She studied

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

and

modern dance Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert dance, concert or theatrical dance which includes dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th ...

for fourteen years, but ended her lessons while in high school after an operation on one of her knees. She graduated from

Lake Highlands High School Lake Highlands High School (LHHS) is a secondary school serving grades 9–12 in the Lake Highlands area of northeastern Dallas, Texas, United States, primarily serving the Lake Highlands community. The school is part of the Richardson Independe ...

in Dallas in 1995, and subsequently earned a bachelor's degree in theater from

Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...

in 1999. In her junior year of college, Acker modeled for the J. Crew catalog. She worked as a stage actress for several seasons, including a stint at

American Players Theatre American Players Theatre is an American classical theatrical troupe and theater complex located near Spring Green, Wisconsin. It has been called the best classical theater company in the United States by the late ''Wall Street Journal'' drama ...

Spring Green, Wisconsin Spring Green is a village in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,566 at the 2020 census. The village is located within the Town of Spring Green. It is perhaps best known for the architect Frank Lloyd Wright's estate ...

Career

Acker made her major television debut when she starred as Winifred "Fred" Burkle in ''

'' (seasons 2–5), and also as the character of

for part of the show's fifth and final season. She won the 2003

Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television The Saturn Awards, Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television is presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, honoring the work of actresses in science fiction, fantasy, and horror fiction on televis ...

for her portrayal. Acker joined the cast of '' Alias'' in 2005 for its final season, playing villainess Kelly Peyton. Acker graduated from guest star to cast member as the show entered the final episodes in April and May 2006. Also in 2005, Acker provided voice acting for the character of Huntress (Helena Rosa Bertinelli) on the animated series ''

Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is an American superhero animated series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with DC Comics in season 3 and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Universe, and ...

''. She went on to make a guest appearance on ''

How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom created by Craig Thomas (screenwriter), Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014, follows main char ...

'', in which she was reunited with ''Angel'' co-star Alexis Denisof (the real-life husband of ''HIMYM'' star

Alyson Hannigan Allison Lee Hannigan (born March 24, 1974), known professionally as Alyson Hannigan, is an American actress and television presenter. She began her film career with supporting roles in the comedy films '' Impure Thoughts'' (1986) and '' My Step ...

), who had a recurring role on the show. Acker portrayed Dr. Claire Saunders/Whiskey, a recurring character, on

Joss Whedon Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon ( ; born June 23, 1964) is an American screenwriter, director, producer, comic book writer, and composer. He is best known as the creator of several television series: the supernatural drama ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer' ...

's '' Dollhouse''. She guest-starred in 10 of the 13 episodes of the first season and three episodes of the second. In 2010, Acker was a series regular in the ABC drama '' Happy Town'', portraying the character Rachel Conroy. That same year, she starred in the season-one finale of the Fox series '' Human Target'' as the mysterious Katherine Walters. On May 25, 2010, she appeared on CBS's ''

The Good Wife ''The Good Wife'' is an American legal political drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. It focuses on Alicia Florrick, the wife of the Cook County State's Attorney, who returns to her career in law ...

''. She appeared in the horror movie ''

The Cabin in the Woods ''The Cabin in the Woods'' is a 2011 science fiction comedy horror film directed by Drew Goddard in his directorial debut, produced by Joss Whedon, and written by Whedon and Goddard. It stars Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchis ...

'', released April 13, 2012. In 2012, she made guest performances in ''

Warehouse 13 ''Warehouse 13'' is an American science fiction television series that originally ran from July 7, 2009, to May 19, 2014, on the Syfy network, and was executively produced by Jack Kenny and David Simkins for Universal Cable Productions. Des ...

'', ''

Once Upon a Time "Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 in storytelling in the English language and has started many narrative ...

'', and ''

Grimm Grimm may refer to: People * Grimm (surname) * Brothers Grimm, German linguists ** Jacob Grimm (1785–1863), German philologist, jurist and mythologist ** Wilhelm Grimm (1786–1859), German author, the younger of the Brothers Grimm * Christia ...

''. Also in 2012, she starred as Beatrice in Joss Whedon's film ''

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. ...

''. Acker appeared in season three of the sitcom '' Husbands'' as Claudia, Brad Kelt's ex-fiancée of who unexpectedly shows up. In March 2014, Acker was cast as Audrey Nathan, a former lover to

Phil Coulson Agent Phillip J. "Phil" Coulson ( ) is a fictional character portrayed and voiced by Clark Gregg in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise. Coulson is depicted as a high-ranking member of the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. and longt ...

in an episode of '' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' Between 2012 and 2016, Acker portrayed Samantha "Root" Groves on the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

drama ''

''; Groves became a regular character starting in the series' third season. Starting with the series' 100th episode, Acker took on the voice role of the Machine. In the series finale, she also appeared as the visual manifestation of the Machine. In March 2017, Acker was cast as Caitlin Strucker in the pilot for the prospective Fox television series '' The Gifted'', which was picked up to series in May 2017. ''The Gifted'' began airing on October 2, 2017, and Fox canceled the series after two seasons on April 17, 2019. In 2019, Acker appeared in '' What Just Happened??! with Fred Savage'', a parody of

aftershow An aftershow or after-show is a genre of television talk show whose topic is another television program. An aftershow is typically broadcast immediately after a new episode of its corresponding program, to help retain the audience, and to provide a ...

s. She plays Dr. Rachel Layne in the "show-within-a-show", a fictional drama series called ''The Flare''.

Personal life

Acker married actor James Carpinello. They have a son, born in 2005, and a daughter, born in 2006.

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Acker, Amy Living people 1976 births 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Dallas Female models from Texas American film actresses American television actresses American voice actresses Southern Methodist University alumni Lake Highlands High School alumni