Amanda Righetti Bio
Amanda Righetti (born April 4, 1983) is an American actress known for her long-running portrayal of Grace Van Pelt on the CBS series The Mentalist and for screen roles in Friday the 13th and The O.C. Her work spans network television drama, genre film, and made-for-television features, with continued activity from the mid-1990s through the 2020s.
Early Life and Background
Amanda Righetti was born on April 4, 1983, in St. George, Utah, and grew up in Nevada outside Las Vegas. She is the youngest of eight children and the daughter of Alexander Dominic Righetti and Linda Carol Chisum. Her family background and upbringing in the American West were formative influences during her childhood.
Righetti began modeling at age 14, an early exposure to performance and camera work that preceded her move to Los Angeles at 18 to pursue acting full time. That relocation established her base for auditions and early television work and marked a transition from regional modeling into professional screen roles.
Path to Celebrity
Righetti’s first steps into television included roles in pilots and recurring appearances that built her visibility with casting directors. She secured work in the pilot No Place Like Home and then took a recurring role on the teen drama The O.C., which provided early network exposure and experience on a high-profile series.
Following The O.C., Righetti worked steadily in television, earning series regular status on the primetime soap North Shore and starring in the Fox drama Reunion in 2005. Additional television credits from that period include a recurring role on K-Ville and guest appearances on procedural series such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and the comedy-drama Entourage.
Amanda Righetti Career
Early Career (1995–2007)
Righetti’s professional activity is documented from the mid-1990s, with modeling leading to screen auditions and bookings in the early 2000s. Her television work in this period ranged from guest roles to recurring characters, and she established a presence on network programming that led to more substantial parts.
During these years she starred in projects that showcased her adaptability across genres, moving between teen drama, primetime soap, and ensemble television. She also took a lead role in the horror sequel Return to House on Haunted Hill, which was released direct-to-video in 2007, signaling her involvement in feature projects as well as television.
Breakthrough (2008–2014)
Righetti’s breakthrough on network television came with her casting as Grace Van Pelt on the CBS series The Mentalist, a procedural drama that debuted in 2008. Cast as an original series regular, she played a key member of the California Bureau of Investigation team and remained a prominent presence on the show through its early and middle seasons. Her portrayal of Van Pelt brought wider recognition and a steady prime-time credit that spanned multiple seasons.
In film, Righetti was cast as the female lead in the slasher film Friday the 13th, which entered production in 2008 and was released theatrically in February 2009. The role placed her in a major horror franchise and broadened her filmography with a high-profile genre release during the same period she was rising on television.
Her tenure on The Mentalist included a public note during 2012–2013 when Righetti was pregnant; production accommodated the pregnancy through selective camera angles and limited storylines for her character. She left the series after its sixth season, concluding a multi-year run that remains the signature screen role of her career to date.
Notable Works and Milestones
The Mentalist stands as Amanda Righetti’s signature television role and the principal milestone of her career, earning her national visibility and a steady lead-credit across network seasons. Other notable credits include a recurring part on The O.C., the lead role in the 2009 Friday the 13th, and later series work such as the role of Maddie Kenner in Colony from 2016 to 2017. Righetti also expanded into television films, starring in the Hallmark Channel feature Love at the Shore in 2017 and the holiday romance Christmas at the Ranch in 2021, and appearing in the 2024 biopic Reagan as Nelle Reagan.
Amanda Righetti Award Nominations
No major award nominations are recorded in the provided sources. The available biographical and filmography material does not list verified nominations from major industry organizations.
Amanda Righetti Awards Won
There are no verified awards won listed in the supplied sources. Completed records and public biographies provided in the inputs do not indicate industry award wins that can be confirmed from the available data.
Amanda Righetti Family
Amanda Righetti is the daughter of Alexander Dominic Righetti and Linda Carol Chisum and is the youngest of eight children. Her early family life in Utah and Nevada is cited in biographical summaries and formed the context for her move into modeling and later acting.
Personal Life
Righetti married filmmaker Jordan Alan on April 29, 2006, in Oahu, Hawaii. The couple have one son, born in 2013. Public records and biographical summaries indicate Righetti filed for divorce in 2017; sources list the marriage as having been from 2006 to 2017.
Throughout her career, Righetti has balanced series work and feature roles with family life. She has continued to act in television and film projects after her departure from The Mentalist, including television movies and supporting parts in feature films through the mid-2020s.