Amy Pietz : Franny Tolchuck
Date Of Birth: March 6th, 1969 Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Amy Pietz stars as Franny Tolchuck, the micro-managing mom in a Wisconsin family whose lives are turned upside down by the arrival of a Pakistani Muslim exchange student, in The CW's new comedy "Aliens In America."
Pietz is well-known to television audience for her portrayal of Annie, the wild neighbor on the hit comedy "Caroline In the City." Her endearing performance in the role earned her a 1998 nomination from the Screen Actor's Guild for Best Actress in a Comedy. Other television credits include regular roles on "Rodney," "The Weber Show" and "Muscle," as well as a recurring role on "Ally McBeal." A favorite leading lady in telefilms, Pietz starred "Call for Help" and "All Lies End in Murder," and has guest starred on such shows as "Law & Order: SVU," "ER," CSI: Crime Scene Investigation", "The Drew Carey Show," "I'm With Her," "Conrad Bloom" and "the Division."
On the big screen, her credits include "Rudy," "Jingle All The Way," "Dysenchanted," "Jell-Ohh Lady," which she also produced, and "The Whole Ten Yards."
Pietz has amassed an impressive resume of theater credits as well, including originating the role of Martha Boswell in the musical "The Boswell Sisters" at The Old Globe Theatre. She has continued singing classic Boswell Sisters arrangements with the women from that show in their jazz trio, "Shout Sister," which has recorded two albums of 1930's New Orleans style jazz. Other theater credits include "Christmas In Naples" at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Reprise LA musicals "Fiorello" and "Company," for which she was nominated for a 2004 Ovation Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She also appeared in "Lobby Hero" at the Odyssey Theatre, "A View From The Bridge" and "You Can't Take It With You," both at the famed Steppenwolf Theatre, "In The Flesh" at the Organic Theatre in Chicago, "The Love Of The Nightingale" at Chicago's Next Theatre, "A Dead Man's Apartment" at the Met Theatre and "Waiting for Lefty" at the Artistic Home. At the Gascon Center Theatre, she produced the musical "Xanadu Live," which has now opened on Broadway. Her love of radio plays has led her to do 15 plays with L.A. Theatre Works and "The Play's The Thing" on NPR. Some of her favorites are "A View from the Bridge," "The South Paw," "After the Fall," "Voir Dire," "Dinosaur Dreams," "The Cherry Orchard," "Middle of the Night" and "Falsettos."
Pietz's work for charities is extensive, including a passion for the Winter Special Olympics. She shared executive producer credit along with Brad Pitt on the film "The Tehuacan Project," which recently garnered director Andy Lauer a Humanitarian Award from the White House.
Pietz is a founding member of the Eclipse Theatre Company in Chicago and a graduate of the former Goodman School of Drama, which honored her with an "Excellence in the Arts" award for her work in radio, television and theatre. When not acting or singing, she spends her time in service as a doula, coaching women with the births of their babies. She considers this work a true calling.
