Biography
Who is Amy Yasbeck?
Early life and education
Amy Marie Yasbeck was born in Blue Ash, Ohio. Her mother was a homemaker of Irish descent, and her father worked as a butcher and grocery store owner with Lebanese roots. During her childhood, she appeared on the packaging for the Betty Crocker Easy-Bake Oven.
She later attended the Summit Country Day School and Ursuline Academy for her secondary education. After completing high school, she enrolled in the theater program at the University of Detroit. She eventually left her studies to move to New York City in 1983 to pursue a professional acting career.
Television and film career
Amy Yasbeck began her career appearing in an unsold television pilot titled Rockhopper in 1985. She performed in numerous television shows, including Dallas, Magnum, P.I., and Murphy Brown. Between 1986 and 1987, she portrayed the character Olivia Reed on the daytime drama Days of Our Lives.
In 1988, she landed the starring role of the mermaid Madison in the Disney television movie Splash, Too. She is perhaps most widely recognized for playing Casey Chappel Davenport on the sitcom Wings, which ran from 1994 to 1997. Her film credits include appearances in Pretty Woman, The Mask, and Robin Hood: Men in Tights.
She also had roles in the Problem Child film series. Later in her career, she appeared on the show Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? And was cast in the 2025 short film Fireflies in the Dusk.
Marriage and personal life
Amy married actor John Ritter in 1999 at the Murphy Theatre in Wilmington, Ohio. The couple met while reading lines for the film Problem Child at the home of director Dennis Dugan. They worked together on various projects, including the film Problem Child 2 and an episode of The Cosby Show. Together, they had one child named Noah Lee Ritter.
After her husband died in 2003 due to an aortic dissection, Amy became an advocate for heart health. She founded the John Ritter Foundation of Aortic Health to help increase public awareness regarding the condition. She also authored a book titled With Love and Laughter, John Ritter, which was published in 2010. She later pursued a wrongful death lawsuit against medical professionals regarding her husband's care, which resulted in settlements from several of the involved parties.
Birthday and age
Amy Yasbeck was born on September 12, 1962, which makes Amy 64 years old today. That birthday falls under the Virgo sign. Amy shares the date with 62 other famous people.
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