Amanda Peterson

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title: "Amanda Peterson" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1971-births", "2015-deaths", "2010s-missing-person-cases", "20th-century-american-actresses", "21st-century-american-women", "accidental-deaths-in-colorado", "actresses-from-colorado", "american-child-actresses", "american-film-actresses", "american-musical-theatre-actresses", "american-stage-actresses", "american-television-actresses", "colorado-state-university-alumni", "drug-related-deaths-in-colorado", "formerly-missing-american-people", "middlebury-college-alumni", "missing-person-cases-in-colorado", "people-from-greeley,-colorado", "university-of-northern-colorado-alumni"] description: "American actress (1971–2015)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Peterson" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American actress (1971–2015) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
name	Amanda Peterson
image	Amanda Peterson.jpg
birth_name	Phyllis Amanda Peterson
birth_date
birth_place	Greeley, Colorado, U.S.
death_date
death_place	Greeley, Colorado, U.S.
other_names	Mandy Peterson
alma_mater	Middlebury College
University of Northern Colorado
Colorado State University
occupation	Actress
years_active	1979–1994
known_for	Can't Buy Me Love
children	2
spouse	{{plainlist
::

| name = Amanda Peterson | image = Amanda Peterson.jpg | caption = | image_size = | alt = | birth_name = Phyllis Amanda Peterson | birth_date = | birth_place = Greeley, Colorado, U.S. | death_date =
| death_place = Greeley, Colorado, U.S. | other_names = Mandy Peterson | alma_mater = Middlebury College University of Northern Colorado Colorado State University | occupation = Actress | years_active = 1979–1994 | known_for = Can't Buy Me Love | children = 2 | spouse = {{plainlist|

• Joseph Robert Skutvik
• David Hartley Phyllis Amanda Peterson (July 8, 1971 – July 3, 2015) was an American actress, most known for her roles as Cindy Mancini in the 1987 film Can't Buy Me Love and Sunny Sisk on the NBC drama series A Year in the Life (1987–1988).

Peterson died at age 43 from an accidental drug overdose when she mixed a prescription drug with illegally obtained morphine following surgery.

Early life

Peterson was born in Greeley, Colorado, the youngest of three children born to James Peterson—an ear, nose, and throat specialist—and his wife, Sylvia. She had two older siblings: a sister, Anne Marie, and a brother, James Jr. She was credited as Mandy Peterson at the beginning of her career; "Mandy" was how she was known to her friends and relatives. She later assumed "Amanda Peterson" as her professional name.

Career

At age seven, Peterson made her stage debut as Gretl von Trapp in a University of Northern Colorado production of The Sound of Music. At 11, she won a role in the musical film Annie as a dancing extra. Peterson went on to land guest spots on Father Murphy and Silver Spoons, while also appearing in more than 50 television commercials. Between 1983 and 1984, she co-starred as Squirt Sawyer on the NBC drama series Boone, which was canceled after one season.

In 1985, Peterson won her first major film role, playing Lori Swenson in the sci-fi fantasy Explorers. Despite performing averagely at the box office, the Joe Dante-directed feature went on to secure a cult following. Next, she co-starred as Sunny Sisk, the granddaughter of a successful businessman, in the Emmy Award-winning miniseries A Year in the Life; the third highest-rated miniseries of the 1986–87 U.S. television season. It was later adapted into a full series, airing on NBC from 1987 to 1988. For her work as Sisk on the show, Peterson won a Young Artist Award. Though initially well received, Life was canceled after one season.

In 1986, 15-year-old Peterson was cast to play the headline role of Cindy Mancini in the Buena Vista romantic comedy, Boy Rents Girl. The title was later changed to Can't Buy Me Love after producers secured the rights to The Beatles' 1964 song of the same title, which featured on the soundtrack. Released in August 1987, Love received mixed reviews but became the sleeper hit of the summer, with Peterson going on to achieve teen idol status as a result. In their critique of the film, The New York Times found Peterson's portrayal of Mancini to be "appealing", while highlighting her chemistry with co-star Patrick Dempsey.

In 1988, Peterson starred in a Roger Corman production, the post-apocalyptic adventure film The Lawless Land. This was followed by a co-starring role in the 1989 ensemble drama Listen to Me. She returned to her hometown of Greeley that same year to graduate from University High School, having been privately tutored while working in Los Angeles. Shortly afterward, she starred in the straight-to-video thriller Fatal Charm (1990), playing a naïve high schooler who forms a dangerous bond with a serial killer. That fall, Peterson enrolled at Middlebury College, where she appeared in a black box production of the Sarah Daniels play, Masterpieces, as well as guesting on Doogie Howser, M.D. while on semester break.

Following a recurring spot on the ABC drama series Jack's Place in 1993, Peterson's final appearance on-screen was a supporting role in the 1994 fantasy film, WindRunner, filmed when she was 22-years-old.

Later years

In 1994, Peterson retired from the entertainment industry and returned to her hometown of Greeley. According to her father, she left Hollywood to "choose a new path in her life." After briefly attending Middlebury College, she enrolled at Colorado State University for a year. Peterson later studied at the University of Northern Colorado. In May 2012, she appeared in her last-ever photoshoot.

Peterson was twice married and had two children. She was first married to Joseph Robert Skutvik. After their divorce, she married David Hartley. Peterson and Hartley were reportedly divorced at the time of her death.

Between October 2000 and May 2012, Peterson was arrested five times for the offenses of third-degree assault, harassment, DUI, and possession of drug paraphernalia and suspicion of distributing a Schedule 2 controlled substance. From September to December 2005, she spent nearly three months in jail. Peterson's last arrests were for a misdemeanor DUI and possession of narcotics equipment in April 2012, and suspicion of child abuse in May 2012, which was later dropped. According to her father, she had previously struggled with drug issues, but was drug-free at the time of her death and had become "quite religious." He added that, in recent years, Peterson had suffered from sleep apnea as well as bouts of pneumonia and sinusitis. For the last three years of her life, Peterson was receiving disability benefits and lived alone in an apartment in Greeley.

Death

Peterson was reported missing on July 3, 2015, after her family grew concerned when she failed to attend a planned dinner. Two days later, on July 5, she was found dead at her home by Greeley police, three days short of her 44th birthday. Though her apartment door was unlocked, authorities found no evidence of foul play.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight following Peterson's death, her mother stated that while her daughter had dealt with drug issues in the past, she believed her to be drug-free at the time of her death, emphasizing that it "was not in any way a drug thing."

An autopsy was scheduled for July 6 by the Weld County coroner, with results released on September 2, 2015. The examination revealed Peterson's death resulted from an accidental drug overdose. She had recently undergone a hysterectomy and was prescribed Gabapentin for pain management. Additionally, she had been taking morphine obtained from a friend a week prior. The coroner attributed her death to respiratory failure triggered by a "morphine effect."

Two months after her death, in a September 2015 interview with talk show The Doctors, Peterson's family revealed that she had been raped at age 15 and had not disclosed it at the time, even to her sister. This incident changed her attitude and led to trust issues. Some family members stated that the incident led to her drug use.

Filmography

Film

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1982	Annie	Dancer	Credited as Mandy Peterson
1985	Explorers	Lori Swenson
1987	Can't Buy Me Love	Cindy Mancini
1988	The Lawless Land	Diana
1989	Listen to Me	Donna Lumis
1990	Fatal Charm	Valerie
1994	WindRunner	Julie Moore	WindRunner: A Spirited Journey
::

Television

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1982	Father Murphy	Elizabeth	Episode: "Matthew and Elizabeth"
1982	Silver Spoons	Sally Frumbel	Episode: "Takin' a Chance on Love"
1983–1984	Boone	Squirt Sawyer	Main cast
1984	Best Kept Secrets	Gretchen	Television film
1985	And the Children Shall Lead	Jenny	Television film
1986	**	Sunny Sisk	Miniseries, main cast
1986	Carly Mills	Trisha Mills	Television film
1987–1988	**	Sunny Sisk	Main cast
1989	Love and Betrayal	Stephanie	Television film
Throw Away Wives
1990	Doogie Howser, M.D.	Bernadette Callen	Episode: "Vinnie's Blind Date"
1991	Hell Hath No Fury	Michelle Ferguson	Television film
1991	Posing: Inspired by Three Real Stories	Abigail Baywood	Television film
I Posed for Playboy
1993	Jack's Place	Elodie Rayburn	4 episodes
::

Awards and nominations

::data[format=table title="Awards"]

Year	Award	Category	Title of work	Result
1984	Young Artist Award	Best Young Actress in a New Television Series	Boone
1985	Best Young Supporting Actress in a Daytime or Nighttime Drama
1986	Best Starring Performance by a Young Actress – Motion Picture	Explorers
1987	Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Drama Series	A Year in the Life
1988	Best Young Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy	Can't Buy Me Love
::

References

References

1. (July 9, 2015). "Greeley-born actress Amanda Peterson found dead in her apartment". The Tribune (Greeley, Colorado).
2. Ostrow, Joanne. (July 12, 2015). "Amanda Peterson: The life and times of a Colorado teen star". denverpost.com.
3. (July 9, 2015). "Phyllis Amanda Peterson". Allnutt Funeral Service.
4. Cofas, Alleynah. (July 7, 2015). "Friends of Amanda Peterson remember her down-to-earth demeanor and kindness". greeleytribune.com.
5. Blank, Ed. (August 19, 1987). "Amanda Peterson celebrity at age 16". The Pittsburgh Press.
6. (April 6, 1988). "Top TV Teens". Toledo Blade.
7. Terrace, Vincent. (2008). "Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010". McFarland.
8. (January 30, 2023). "The 1985 Cult Classic Explorers is Joe Dante's Pleasingly Prankish Take on E.T".
9. (Three or more parts.) ''[[TV Guide]]'' magazine, June 27–July 3, 1987, issue #1787. All figures are based on the [[Nielsen ratings]]. The rating represents the percentage of the 87.4 million TV households tuned to a station (sets watching this show). The share represents the percentage of TV sets tuned to a television station at the time of the broadcast (sets in use)
10. Boone, Mike. (December 17, 1986). "A Year in the Life: A television miniseries that has everything". The Montreal Gazette.
11. Collins Swanson, Dorothy. (2000). "The Story of the Viewers for Quality Television: From Grassroots to Prime Time". Syracuse University Press.
12. "Can't Buy Me Love (1987)". [[The Numbers (website).
13. (July 9, 2015). "Patrick Dempsey's crushing tribute to Amanda Peterson, his 'Can't Buy Me Love' co-star". [[HelloGiggles]].
14. James, Caryn. (August 14, 1987). "Film:'Can't Buy Me Love'". [[The New York Times]].
15. (May 16, 1989). "Another actress heads for campus". The Bryan Times.
16. (April 17, 1989). "'1st and Ten' adds ex-Falcon star' Cher's take in Sands act: $150,000". Lakeland Ledger.
17. (February 22, 1990). "Money makes it harder to kill". Star-News.
18. Kimble, Lindsay. (July 13, 2015). "Amanda Peterson's Family Bids Farewell to Tragic Can't Buy Me Love Star with Emotional Tribute Video". people.com.
19. Kimble, Lindsay. (July 8, 2015). "Inside Amanda Peterson's Final Photo Shoot: 'She Had the Greatest Smile,' Photographer Tells People". people.com.
20. Variety Staff. (July 6, 2015). "Amanda Peterson, 'Can't Buy Me Love' Star, Dies at 43". Variety.
21. Moraski, Lauren. (July 8, 2015). "Patrick Dempsey remembers "Can't Buy Me Love" co-star Amanda Peterson".
22. Moylan, Joe. (July 8, 2015). "Greeley actress Amanda Peterson had a criminal record, may have struggled with substance abuse". greeleytribune.com.
23. (July 8, 2015). "The Heartbreaking Downfall of a Hollywood Golden Girl: Amanda Peterson's Troubled Past Before Her Death at Age 43". people.com.
24. Child, Ben. (July 7, 2015). "Amanda Peterson, star of Can't Buy Me Love, dies aged 43". theguardian.com.
25. (2015-07-07). "'Can't Buy Me Love' Star Amanda Peterson Remembered by Sarah Michelle Gellar, Scott Foley, Lance Bass".
26. Cummings, William. (July 5, 2015). "'Can't Buy Me Love' star Amanda Peterson dies at 43". usatoday.com.
27. Ungerman, Alex. (July 7, 2015). "Amanda Peterson's Mom Remembers Their Last Day Together: She Was in 'Very Good Spirits'". etonline.com.
28. Enrich Dowd, Kathy. (September 2, 2015). "Can't Buy Me Love Star Amanda Peterson Died of an Accidental Drug Overdose: Report".
29. Moylan, Joe. (September 2, 2015). "Weld coroner: Amanda Peterson died from accidental morphine overdose". greeleytribune.com.
30. Vokes-Dudgeon, Sophie. (September 15, 2015). "Amanda Peterson Suffered Rape at 15, Late Actress' Family Reveals Heartbreaking Secret". Us Weekly.
31. (September 15, 2015). "Amanda Peterson's Family Says She Was Raped at 15".

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