Mädchen Elaina Amick was born in Sparks, Nevada,[1] a city that borders Reno, the daughter of Judy (née Ross), a medical office manager, and Bill Amick, a musician.[2] Amick's parents are of partial German descent;[3] the name Mädchen (German for girl) was chosen by her parents because they wanted an unusual name.[4] She is also of Norwegian, Swedish, English and Irish descent.[citation needed][5] As a young girl, Amick was encouraged by her parents to follow her creative instincts. She learned to play the piano, bass, violin and guitar and took lessons in tap, ballet, jazz and modern dance. In 1987, at the age of 16, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting.[citation needed]
Career
After moving to Los Angeles, Amick began her career with guest roles on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1989) and Baywatch (1989). Amick got her first break when director David Lynch chose her to play waitress Shelly Johnson on the television series Twin Peaks (1990–1991). Amick's character endured physical abuse at the hands of her criminal husband, Leo, and was one of the most popular characters. Amick went on to work twice more with Lynch—reprising her role as Shelly in the prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) and in seven episodes of the 2017 Twin Peaks revival series.[6]
In 1993, Amick was cast as Lena Mathers in the feature film Dream Lover, a thriller in which she co-starred with James Spader.[9] In 1995, she and Spader were reunited in the TV movie The Courtyard. That same year, Amick appeared in the romantic comedy French Exit. In 1996, Amick was cast in the science fiction thriller Bombshell. Amick's return to network television came in the fall of 1995 with the much-publicized CBS primetime soap opera Central Park West. In 1997, she appeared in the film Wounded.[10] In 1998, Amick costarred for one season in the reboot of Fantasy Island on ABC alongside Malcolm McDowell.[11]
After a decade of roles that failed to ignite the publicity Twin Peaks had, Amick gradually became a noticeable face in television with recurring roles on Gilmore Girls, ER, Jake in Progress, and Joey. In 2006, Amick was a regular in the sitcomFreddie, which was subsequently canceled.[12]
Amick guest-starred in a number of episodes of the serial thriller Kidnapped on NBC, playing a strange and deadly assassin. She also had a recurring role in the second season of Dawson's Creek as the lead character's substitute film studies teacher. In 2007, she had a lead role in the short-lived CBS musical series Viva Laughlin.[13]
Amick married her boyfriend of 8 years David Alexis on December 16, 1995.[23][24] Together they have two children: son Sylvester Time Amick-Alexis and daughter Mina Tobias Amick-Alexis (known professionally as Mina Tobias).[25] Tobias, a musician, released her single "Freedom" in 2018, the music video for which pays homage to Twin Peaks.[26]
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