Amber Tamblyn

Amber Tamblyn
Name	Amber Tamblyn
Caption	Tamblyn at the 2014 Peabody Awards
Birth date	14 May 1983
Birth place	Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, author, director
Spouse	David Cross (m. 2012)

Amber Tamblyn is an American actress, author, and director known for her work across film, television, and literature. She first gained widespread recognition for her role as Tibby Rollins in *The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants* film series and for portraying Joan Girardi on the CBS television series Joan of Arcadia, a role which earned her nominations for a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. Tamblyn has since evolved into a prominent voice in poetry and prose, publishing several acclaimed works and becoming an advocate for feminism and social justice. Her career has expanded to include directing, with her feature film debut Paint It Black premiering at the 2016 Los Angeles Film Festival.

Early life and education

Born in Santa Monica, California, she is the daughter of actor Russ Tamblyn and singer Bonnie Murray. Her paternal grandfather was Eddie Tamblyn, a vaudeville performer, connecting her to a long lineage in American entertainment. She began acting as a child, landing her first major role at age eleven on the soap opera General Hospital as Emily Quartermaine. Tamblyn attended Beethoven Street Elementary School and later graduated from Marlborough School in Los Angeles. She has cited early influences ranging from the poetry of Sylvia Plath to the films of David Lynch, which shaped her artistic sensibilities during her formative years in Southern California.

Career

Her breakthrough came with the television series Joan of Arcadia, which aired on CBS from 2003 to 2005 and explored philosophical themes through her character's conversations with God. This led to her starring role in the 2005 feature film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, alongside Blake Lively, America Ferrera, and Alexis Bledel, a role she reprised in the 2008 sequel. She demonstrated range in independent cinema with performances in films like Stephanie Daley, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and The Russell Girl, a Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie. Transitioning into writing, she published her first poetry collection, Free Stallion, which won the 2006 Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Prize.

She further established her literary reputation with works such as the novel Any Man and the poetry collection Dark Sparkler, which examines the lives and deaths of former child actresses. In 2017, she made her directorial debut with Paint It Black, an adaptation of Janet Fitch's novel starring Alfred Molina and Janet McTeer, which screened at the Deauville American Film Festival. On television, she had a notable arc on the series Two and a Half Men and starred in the Netflix comedy The Unicorn. Tamblyn is also a co-founder of the Time's Up organization and has been a vocal contributor to publications like The New York Times and The Guardian on issues of gender equality.

Personal life

She married comedian and actor David Cross in 2012 after several years of dating; the ceremony was officiated by fellow comedian Bob Odenkirk. They have one daughter, born in 2017. Tamblyn is an active supporter of numerous charitable causes, including Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union. She has spoken openly about her experiences with endometriosis and has been involved in political activism, campaigning for Bernie Sanders during the 2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries. Her friendship with fellow actors and writers like Megan Abbott and Janet Fitch has been influential in her literary career.

Filmography

A selected list includes the film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005), its sequel The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008), and the independent drama Stephanie Daley (2006). On television, she is known for Joan of Arcadia (2003–2005), House, Two and a Half Men, and The Unicorn (2019–2021). Her directorial work includes the feature film Paint It Black (2016) and an episode of the anthology series Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams.

Bibliography

Her published works encompass poetry and fiction, beginning with Free Stallion (2005), followed by Bang Ditto (2009) and Dark Sparkler (2015). She authored the novel Any Man (2018), which deals with themes of sexual violence and masculinity, and the essay collection Era of Ignition (2020). Her writing has appeared in literary journals such as *Poetry* and *PANK*, and she has edited anthologies including The New Misogyny.

Awards and nominations

She has received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Joan of Arcadia and a Golden Globe Award nomination in the same category. Her poetry collection Free Stallion was honored with the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Prize. For her performance in Stephanie Daley, she won the Stockholm International Film Festival Award for Best Actress and earned a Gotham Independent Film Award nomination. Her film Paint It Black was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Deauville American Film Festival.

Category:American film actresses Category:American television actresses Category:American women poets Category:American women novelists Category:American film directors