Biography

Born and raised in Manhattan Beach, California, Amanda Wyss, was discovered playing the titular character (Rhoda Penmark) in a production of "The Bad Seed" at an LA theater. She quickly found work in commercials before landing a guest starring role in television's science fiction hit Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979), followed by a recurring role on When the Whistle Blows (1980). She won a Best Young Artist award for her work in the ABC After School Special She Drinks a Little (1981), before sharing the stage with Eva Marie Saint in the stage production of "The Country Girl".

Major motion pictures came next, including hits such as Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Better Off Dead (1985), Silverado (1985) and the award-winning indie film, Powwow Highway (1989). She has worked extensively in television, with recurring roles on Cheers (1982), St. Elsewhere (1982), Cagney & Lacey (1981), Highlander (1992) and more recently, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), Dexter (2006), Murder in the First (2014) and All Rise (2019), among many other guest starring roles.

She was awarded Best Actress honors at the Santa Monica International Film Festival for the horror film Oct 23rd (2016), she starred alongside genre favorites in the Syfy Channel original movie, The Sandman (2017) produced by the legendary Stan Lee, and broke hearts in her critically acclaimed performance in the award winning drama,The Id (2015). Next, she made a return to westerns with her award winning turn in, Badland (2019).
- IMDb mini biography by: Bridget A Sheridan

Is known as Freddy Krueger's very first murder victim in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), the first of the series.

Won the Best Actress award at the 2016 Santa Monica International Film Festival for her portrayal of Karen Fernhill in the film Oct 23rd.

She has appeared in three films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and Powwow Highway (1989).

In Better Off Dead (1985) at [44:25] (a scene that takes place at a high school dance) a character walks right behind her wearing a sweater identical to Freddy Krueger's.

Her older brother Stephen died at age 8 on February 24, 1965.