Her credits as a director include the short films Bent (2013) and Lines (2014), along with two feature-length films, The Space Between (2016) and Tammy's Always Dying (2019).[1][2] In music, Johnson has released three studio albums: The Trans-American Treatment (2001), Imperfect (2005), and Never Broken (2013), with her original music being featured on Felicity, Flashpoint, and in other productions.
Early life
Amy Jo Johnson was born on October 6, 1970, in Hyannis, Massachusetts, the daughter of Greig Johnson Sr., a car salesman, and Christine Johnson (d. 1998), a clothing store manager. She has two siblings, a brother and a sister.[3] Though born in Hyannis, Johnson grew up in Dennis, Massachusetts, and attended Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School.[4] As a child, she studied gymnastics.
Career
Acting
Johnson moved to New York City at 18 to pursue an acting career. She attended the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. She later moved to Los Angeles to audition for her first part.
Johnson's breakthrough role came a little over six months after she moved to Los Angeles, when she was selected to portray Kimberly Hart, the Pink Ranger, in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the first installment of the Power Rangers franchise. Her time during the series also included her first film, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie. Despite the series being a huge success and having brought Johnson international recognition as an actress, the show brought her little financial security, as she and the others were paid only $600 a week for their work on the show, which included stunt work, and public appearances; none of the cast received any royalty payments from re-runs of episodes they appeared in.[5] During Johnson's time with the franchise, whose productions were non-union and not subject to safety codes standardized in union contracts, Johnson faced multiple instances of danger of physical harm; while filming the television series, she was almost set on fire during a stunt, and during Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, she was almost electrocuted.[6][7] Johnson ultimately made the decision to leave the show in 1995, passing the role of the Pink Ranger to Australian actress Catherine Sutherland. In an appearance on I Love the '90s, Johnson jokingly stated that having been the Pink Power Ranger was something she would "never live down." In later years, Johnson stated that becoming famous from the show was at times overwhelming and had given her nightmares, but that overall, she learned many things and is grateful to the show and her fans.[8][9][10][11] In all, Johnson has appeared in 138 episodes and 3 films in the franchise. She, alongside former co-star Jason David Frank, made a cameo appearance in the 2017 film Power Rangers, though not as a Power Ranger. In January 2023, Johnson announced that she had declined to reprise the role of Kimberly Hart in the 30th anniversary Power Rangers special, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always, on Netflix but that she wished the special and her former co-stars well while also saying that she had other fun things in store for her fans that year.[12] Two months later, she denied claims that money was the sole reason why she chose not to participate in the special.[13] In the fourth quarter of 2023, it was announced Johnson would release a four--issue comic book series as her gift to the fans for the 30th anniversary Power Rangers celebration, titled Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return, distributed by Boom! Studios.[14]
In September 1998, Johnson was invited to play Julie Emrick in The WB series Felicity. She held a main role on Felicity for three seasons and was a special guest in its fourth and final season.
Beginning in 2008, Johnson became a series regular on Flashpoint as Constable Jules Callaghan, a member of the fictional Strategic Response Unit of the Toronto Police service.[15] She was nominated for a Gemini Award for her performance. The show aired new episodes through 2012.
Since 2012, Johnson has had guest roles on a few shows including a recurring role as Hayley Price in the Universal spy drama series Covert Affairs.
Directing
Johnson has directed and produced two acclaimed short films: Bent (2013) and Lines (2014).[16][17] She then went on to direct the feature film The Space Between.[18] In 2018, she began working on her next film, Tammy's Always Dying.[19] The movie received praise from critics, particularly for Huffman's and Phillips' performances.[1][20] It is available at video on demand release on May 1, 2020.[21]
She is a member of Film Fatales, a non-profit organization that advocates for women's parity in the entertainment industry. In mid-2021, she announced she would be directing an episode of Superman & Lois for the show's second season.[22][23]
Music
Johnson is a singer-songwriter and has released three albums: The Trans-American Treatment (2001), Imperfect (2005), and Never Broken (2013).[24] She has performed in the Los Angeles area with the Amy Jo Johnson Band. In December 2007, she contributed guest vocals to Koishii & Hush's cover of The Cars track "Since You're Gone", which was released as a single. The song is also part of the album Souvenirs, released in 2008.[25]
Some of Johnson's music has been featured on television shows. Johnson's character in Felicity was originally described as a dancer, but with Johnson's input, the producers rewrote the character as a singer and guitarist. As a result, Johnson was able to perform her own song, "Puddle of Grace", on the show. This song was included in the album Felicity Soundtrack (1999) successfully released by Hollywood Records. As a result of the reception of the song, another Johnson song, "Clear Blue Day", was also featured on the show. In The Division, her song "Cat in the Snow" is the theme song from one of the episodes. In Flashpoint, her songs "Dancing In-Between" and "Goodbye" were featured.[26]
In 2013, she performed the song "God" in her movie Bent.[27] In 2014, her song "Lines" had featured in her short film Lines.[28] Her 2017 song "Cracker Jacks" was the theme song from the movie The Space Between.[29]
Personal life
Johnson was married to Olivier Giner. The couple married in 2009 but filed for divorce in 2017.[30] They have one child, a daughter born in 2008.[31] Johnson resides in Toronto, Canada, and became a Canadian citizen on June 23, 2015, making her a dual citizen of the United States and Canada.[32]
^Franklin, McKinley (March 31, 2023). "Original Pink 'Power Ranger' Amy Jo Johnson Writing New Comic Book Series: 'It's My Version' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.com. Retrieved April 3, 2023. 'The whole franchise will always be very special to me. I can't wait to see it.' For now, she revels in the excitement that her fans will get to experience her new comic series. 'This is my thank you, this is my love letter to the fans,' she says. 'It's just been incredible to have these kids who are now adults support me through all of [my career] changes.'
