Erika Amato (born December 7, 1969) is an American singer and actress and a founding member of the band

Velvet Chain Velvet Chain is a bi-coastal alternative rock band whose sound features a mixture of trip hop, rock, and pop, with a jazz/funk flavor. (The band has sometimes been known to refer to their work as "space-jazz" or "moody groove music" - which is al ...

Early life and education

Amato was born in

Plainfield, New Jersey Plainfield is a city in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, known by its nickname as "The Queen City."

, and grew up in nearby Mountainside. She started playing and performing music at the age of three. Amato attended the all-girls

Kent Place School The Kent Place School is a girls independent college-preparatory day school (with a coeducational nursery and pre-kindergarten) serving students in preschool through twelfth grade in Summit, Union County, New Jersey, United States. Kent Pl ...

(receiving the Drama Award upon graduation) and then

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...

, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama. While at Vassar, she performed in the Music Department's ''a cappella'' group, the Madrigals, and in the student-managed coeducational ''a cappella'' group, Matthew's Minstrels.

Career

After Vassar, Amato moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

to pursue an acting career and was cast as a guest star on popular TV series ''

Quantum Leap ''Quantum Leap'' is an American science fiction television series, created by Donald P. Bellisario, that premiered on NBC and aired for five seasons, from March 26, 1989, to May 5, 1993. The series stars Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a physi ...

'', garnering her a SAG card. In the mid-1990s, she founded

with her now-deceased husband, Jeff Stacy. The indie band was most famous for appearances on the TV series ''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film of the same name, also written by W ...

'' and the subsequent soundtrack album on

TVT Records TVT Records (Tee-Vee Tunes) was an American record label founded by Steve Gottlieb. Over the course of its 24-year history, the label released 25 Gold, Platinum and Multi-Platinum releases. Its roster included Nine Inch Nails, Ja Rule, Lil Jon, ...

. The band has also self-released several albums on its own label, Freak Productions, and members continue to write and record material. The aging songstress is still acting and has relocated to New York City, where she has been in numerous productions, including the Off-Broadway musicals ''The Sphinx Winx'' and ''Signs of Life''. She has also appeared in several films over the years, including the lead in indie film ''A Couple of Days and Nights'' and in musicals throughout North America, including the First National Tour of ''

Flashdance the Musical ''Flashdance'' is a stage musical based on the 1983 film of the same name with a book by Tom Hedley and Robert Cary, music by Robbie Roth and lyrics by Roth and Cary. The show had its world premiere in 2008 at the Theatre Royal in Plymouth, as pa ...

'', ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story ...

'' (Ocean State Theatre Company - Broadway World Award Nomination for Best Actress in a Musical), ''

Sleeping Beauty Wakes ''Sleeping Beauty Wakes'' is a musical with book by Rachel Sheinkin, who won a Tony Award for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and a pop score by composer Brendan Milburn and lyricist Valerie Vigoda, two members of the indie music trio ...

'' (

Center Theatre Group Center Theatre Group is a non-profit arts organization located in Los Angeles, California. It is one of the largest theatre companies in the nation, programming subscription seasons year-round at the Mark Taper Forum, the Ahmanson Theatre and th ...

Ovation Award The Ovation Awards are a Southern California award for excellence in theatre, established in 1989. They are given out by the non-profit arts service organization LA Stage Alliance and are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles. Winne ...

Nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical), '' Paint Your Wagon'' (

Geffen Playhouse The Geffen Playhouse (or the Geffen) is a not-for-profit theater company founded by Gilbert Cates in 1995. It produces plays in two theaters in Geffen Playhouse, which is owned by University of California Los Angeles. The Playhouse is located i ...

), ''

Nine 9 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 9 or nine may also refer to: Dates * AD 9, the ninth year of the AD era * 9 BC, the ninth year before the AD era * 9, numerical symbol for the month of September Places * Nine, Portugal, a parish in the ...

'' (Chance Theater - OC Weekly Award Nomination for Best Actress in a Musical), '' 42nd Street'' (Welk Resort Theatre), and ''

Anything Goes ''Anything Goes'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap ant ...

'' (Candlelight Pavilion - Inland Theatre League Awards Nomination for Best Actress in a Musical). She also does voice work for TV shows and films, most recently for the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

animated series ''

Danger Rangers ''Danger Rangers'' is an American animated television series that aired on PBS Kids and Cookie Jar TV from September 5, 2005 to December 26, 2006. Plot The Danger Rangers are a team of anthropomorphic heroes who teach children about safety thro ...

'' and

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

feature film '' Enchanted''. Amato appeared on the TV competition ''

Win Ben Stein's Money ''Win Ben Stein's Money'' is an American television game show created by Al Burton and Donnie Brainard that aired first-run episodes from July 28, 1997, to January 31, 2003, on Comedy Central. The show featured three contestants who competed to an ...

'', and won.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Amato, Erika 1969 births American film actresses American women singers American stage actresses American television actresses Actresses from New Jersey Kent Place School alumni Vassar College alumni Living people People from Mountainside, New Jersey Musicians from Plainfield, New Jersey 21st-century American women