Amy Meredith Linker (born October 19, 1966) is an American actor. She is best known for her starring role in the television sitcom ''

Square Pegs ''Square Pegs'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS during the 1982–83 season. The series follows Patty Greene ( Sarah Jessica Parker) and Lauren Hutchinson ( Amy Linker), two awkward teenage girls desperate to fit in at Weemawee High S ...

'' (1982–1983).

Career

Born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, Linker's first major acting role was as Kelly Lewis in the television series '' Lewis & Clark'', which ran for one season from 1981 to 1982. Shortly thereafter, Linker was cast as central character Lauren Hutchinson on the teen comedy/drama ''

''. Square Pegs told the story of two

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

freshmen A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary school, post-se ...

, Hutchinson and Patty Greene (played by

Sarah Jessica Parker Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and television producer. In a career spanning over five decades, she has performed across several productions of both Sarah Jessica Parker filmography, screen and stage. List o ...

), and their at times desperate attempts to fit in and achieve popularity. Linker was forced to wear fake braces and a

fatsuit A fatsuit, also known as a fat suit or a fat-suit, is a bodysuit-like undergarment used to thicken the appearance of an actress or actor of light to medium build into an overweight or obese character, in conjunction with prosthetic makeup. Fatsui ...

in order to appear less attractive than she actually was for the character she portrayed. Even though the show was praised by critics, it was cancelled after its first season. After ''Square Pegs'', Linker voiced the character of "Robin" on the animated '' Mister T'' series in 1983. After the show ended she enrolled in

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...

, graduating in 1989 with a degree in French studies. Other notable roles for Linker were as Sherie Lee Fox in the 1985

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

film ''

D.A.R.Y.L. ''D.A.R.Y.L.'' is a 1985 science fiction adventure film directed by Simon Wincer and written by David Ambrose, Allan Scott, and Jeffrey Ellis. It stars Mary Beth Hurt, Michael McKean, Kathryn Walker, Colleen Camp, Josef Sommer, and Barret O ...

'', and as Jenny Pennoyer in the 1984 TV movie ''When We First Met''. Linker appeared as the character Esmerelda on the television series ''Don't Make Me Sick'' in 2009.

Personal life

Linker attended

Beverly Hills High School Beverly Hills High School (shortly as BHHS or Beverly) is a public high school in Beverly Hills, California. The other public high school in Beverly Hills is Moreno High School, a small alternative school located on Beverly Hills High School's c ...

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

, and Frenchwoods Festival of the Performing Arts camp. She worked in

internet marketing The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a network of networks that consists of private, publ ...

and was also an elementary school

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

. In 2012, she obtained her Master of Social Work from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

, and now works as a psychotherapist.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Amy Linker on TVLand.comTV Guide celebrity profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Linker, Amy 1966 births Living people American child actresses American television actresses Wellesley College alumni 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Brooklyn University of Southern California alumni