Erika Amato

Erika Amato (born December 7, 1969) is an American singer and actor and a founding member of the band Velvet Chain.

Erika Amato
Born (1969-12-07) December 7, 1969
Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S.
EducationVassar College (BA)
Occupation(s)Actress, singer
Years active1992–present

Early life and education

Amato was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, and grew up in nearby Mountainside.[1] She started playing and performing music at the age of three. Amato attended the all-girls Kent Place School (receiving the Drama Award upon graduation) and then Vassar College, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama.[2] While at Vassar, she performed in the Music Department's a cappella group, the Madrigals, and in the student-managed coeducational a cappella group, Matthew's Minstrels.

Career

After Vassar, Amato moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career and was cast as a guest star on popular TV series Quantum Leap, garnering her a SAG card. In the mid-1990s, she founded Velvet Chain with her now-deceased husband, Jeff Stacy. The indie band was most famous for appearances on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the subsequent soundtrack album on TVT Records. The band has also self-released several albums on its own label, Freak Productions, and members continue to write and record material.[3]

The entertainer continues to perform and has relocated to New York City, where she has been in numerous productions, including the Off-Broadway musicals The Sphinx Winx and Signs of Life.[4] She has also appeared in several films over the years, including the lead in indie film A Couple of Days and Nights[5] and in musicals throughout North America, including the First National Tour of Flashdance the Musical,[6] Into the Woods (Ocean State Theatre Company - Broadway World Award Nomination for Best Actress in a Musical),[7] Sleeping Beauty Wakes (Center Theatre Group - Ovation Award Nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical),[8] Paint Your Wagon (Geffen Playhouse), Nine (Chance Theater - OC Weekly Award Nomination for Best Actress in a Musical),[9] 42nd Street (Welk Resort Theatre), and Anything Goes (Candlelight Pavilion - Inland Theatre League Awards Nomination for Best Actress in a Musical).

She also does voice work for TV shows and films, most recently for the PBS animated series Danger Rangers and Disney feature film Enchanted.

Amato appeared on the TV competition Win Ben Stein's Money, and won.[10] She was also a contestant on Jeopardy!, but did not win.

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2001 Smack Mr. Snooper
2005 A Couple of Days and Nights Jula Diva
2020 The Half of It Arguing Woman in Restaurant Uncredited
2021 The God Committee Research Scientist

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1992 Quantum Leap Lt. Anna Guri 2 episodes
1995 Bringing up Jack Sandy Episode: "The Contest"
1997 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Band Member Episode: "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date"
2005 Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's Momoko Takamachi Episode: "Hajimari wa totsuzen ni nano"
2009 The Message Board Dita Malone Episode: "What Makes a Legend Least?"
2018 You Costumed Dickens Festival-Goer Episode: "The Captain"
2020 The Homemade Sketch Show Musical Guest Episode: "Host-Matt O'Brien, Musical Guest-Erika Amato of Velvet Chain"
2021 Power Book III: Raising Kanan White Sales Lady Episode: "Stay in Your Lane"

References
  1. Erika Amato - Biography Archived 2019-02-02 at the Wayback Machine, Velvet Chain. Accessed September 12, 2013. "Erika was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, and grew up in the small, rather upscale town of Summit (she actually lived in Mountainside, one of the smaller, adjoining towns), about 25 minutes from Manhattan."
  2. "Erika Amato '87". Kent Place School. 2018-12-16. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
  3. "Maestro Arts and Reviews - Interview - Erika Amato". www.maestrocompany.com. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
  4. "New Musical Signs of Life, with Amato, Bridges, Collins, Zagnit, Open…". archive.ph. 2013-04-19. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
  5. - IMDB - A Couple Of Days And Nights
  6. Review: Flashdance the Musical, Feeline Media. Accessed April 10, 2016. "DeQuina Moore, as Alex’s smart-mouthed friend Kiki, and Erika Amato, as the prim and stuffy head of the dance academy Miss Wilde, who isn’t above a little financial persuasion for an audition, are glorious scene-stealers."
  7. Coverage, BWW Special. "2015 BroadwayWorld Rhode Island Awards - Last Week to Vote!". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
  8. Playbill - Can-Can, Kaye, Felder, Lewis and Jersey Boys Win 2007 L.A. Ovation Awards Archived 2010-05-16 at the Wayback Machine
  9. - The Chance Theater - Awards and Honors Archived 2012-01-26 at the Wayback Machine
  10. "Erika Amato". IMDb. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
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