Amanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American pop singer, songwriter, actor, and fashion designer.
She was raised in Florida. Moore became famous as a teenager in the early 2000s, after the release of her teen-oriented pop albums So Real, I Wanna Be with You, and Mandy Moore. She has since branched out into a film career, starring in 2002's A Walk to Remember and later appearing in the lead roles of other movies also aimed at teenage audiences. Two of Moore's later films, American Dreamz and Saved!, were satires. Her private life, including her relationships with tennis player Andy Roddick as well as with actors Wilmer Valderrama and Zach Braff, has been much discussed in the media. Moore's fifth album, Wild Hope, was released in 2007.
Moore was born in Nashua, New Hampshire, the daughter of Stacy, a former news reporter who once worked for the Orlando Sentinel, and Don Moore, a pilot for American Airlines. Moore's father is of Irish and Cherokee descent and her mother is of English and Jewish ancestry. Moore has two brothers, Scott and Kyle; she grew up in Longwood, Florida, outside of Orlando, moving there shortly after her birth because of her father's job as an airline pilot. She was raised in the Catholic religion (although she is no longer a practicing Catholic) and attended Bishop Moore High School, a Catholic school in Orlando, as well as Lake Brantley High School in Altamonte Springs. Moore's interest in singing grew after seeing the musical Oklahoma!; she was also encouraged to perform by her maternal grandmother, who was her inspiration. Some of Moore's first public exposure occurred when she sang the national anthem at several Florida sporting events. She subsequently came to the attention of the head of A&R at Epic Records after his friend, a FedEx employee, overheard her as she sang at a recording studio. She was then signed to a record deal with the label.