Kelli Giddish Bio
Kelli Marie Giddish (born April 13, 1980) is an American television, stage, and film actress. She is best known for her long-running role as NYPD Detective and later Sergeant Amanda Rollins on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a character she has portrayed since 2011. Over the course of her career, Giddish has built a reputation for emotionally layered performances across daytime soaps, prime-time dramas, and short-lived network series.
Born and raised in Cumming, Georgia, Giddish trained in theater before relocating to New York City to pursue professional acting. Her work spans Broadway productions, independent film, network television, and web series, with Law & Order: Special Victims Unit standing as the defining role of her career.
Early Life and Background
Kelli Marie Giddish was born on April 13, 1980, in Cumming, Georgia, to parents Charles and Nita Giddish. She grew up alongside a brother named Eli in a close-knit family that strongly encouraged her creative interests. Her paternal grandfather played an early role in shaping her passion for performance by taking her to the landmark Fox Theatre in Atlanta, while her maternal grandmother offered steady encouragement as well.
As a young performer, Giddish joined a local community theater run by drama teacher Yatesy Harvey, a friend of her mother. She also attended sleepover drama camps, experiences she has credited with instilling discipline and a strong work ethic. She went on to attend Forsyth Central High School, where she was a member of the championship softball team and, in 1998, earned the State Literary Champion title for Girls Dramatic Interpretation.
After high school, Giddish enrolled at the University of Evansville in Indiana, majoring in theater performance. Her parents remained actively involved in her training, driving to Indiana to attend her stage productions throughout her college years.
Path to Acting
Following her graduation from the University of Evansville, Giddish moved to New York City to launch a professional acting career. Within a year, she secured a role in a Broadway production alongside Farrah Fawcett, an early milestone that helped her establish a foothold in the city.
Her daytime television debut came in 2005 when she was cast as Di Henry on the long-running soap opera All My Children. Giddish portrayed the character until 2007, when she and the show parted ways by mutual decision. The role gave her steady on-screen exposure and prepared her for the faster pace of prime-time drama.
In 2008, she appeared in the thriller film Death in Love, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, signaling her entry into independent film. She also took on the role of Courtney in The Burg, a project credited as one of the first scripted web series, and appeared in the related series All’s Faire as Cindy.
Kelli Giddish Career
Early Career (2005-2010)
Giddish’s first major television credit came with All My Children, where she played Di Henry from 2005 to 2007. The role introduced her to daytime audiences and provided a foundation in serialized storytelling. She later described her time on the soap as an important learning experience.
In 2008, Giddish expanded into film with Death in Love, a thriller that screened at the Sundance Film Festival. She also built a presence in early digital television through The Burg and All’s Faire. These projects, while smaller in scale, demonstrated her range and willingness to experiment with new formats.
Breakthrough (2010-2011)
In 2010, Giddish was cast as Dr. Kate McGinn in Fox’s reincarnation drama Past Life, a Warner Bros.-produced series about investigators exploring past-life cases. The show premiered on February 9, 2010, but was canceled shortly thereafter on February 18, despite Giddish’s central performance.
That same year, she landed the lead role of U.S. Marshal Annie Frost in NBC’s police procedural Chase, which debuted in autumn 2010. Although the series received praise for Giddish’s performance, NBC pulled it from the schedule in early 2011 and later aired remaining episodes on Saturday nights.
Earlier, in January 2007, she had guest-starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in the episode Outsider, playing rape victim Kara Bawson. That brief appearance foreshadowed her most significant professional chapter.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2011-present)
On June 27, 2011, NBC announced that Giddish would join Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as a series regular for its thirteenth season, alongside Danny Pino. The casting coincided with the departure of longtime lead Christopher Meloni and marked a major transition for the long-running procedural.
Giddish debuted as Detective Amanda Rollins in the season 13 premiere, Scorched Earth, where Rollins was introduced working alongside Detective Olivia Benson, played by Mariska Hargitay. Over the years, Rollins evolved from a new partner to a central figure, eventually being promoted to second-grade detective in the 2020 episode Solving for the Unknowns.
During the twenty-fourth season, Giddish’s character married ADA Dominick Carisi Jr., played by Peter Scanavino, and resigned from the Special Victims Unit to accept a teaching position at Fordham University. Her final episode as a regular, And a Trauma in a Pear Tree, aired in 2022. She subsequently returned as a guest star across multiple later episodes of SVU and also appeared in the third season of Law & Order: Organized Crime.
Starting in September 2025, Giddish returned as a series regular for the twenty-seventh season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a move that followed strong audience and cast reaction to her earlier departure.
Notable Works and Milestones
Giddish’s signature work remains her portrayal of Amanda Rollins on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a role she has held in various capacities from 2011 through 2025. Her performance on Chase also drew critical praise, even as the series itself was short-lived. Her appearance in the Sundance-premiering film Death in Love added an independent-film credit to her résumé.
Other Works
In 2011, Giddish appeared in the music video for Nadine by Project Jenny, Project Jan. In May 2018, she featured in the music video for All Love Is Lost by Body Count, the band fronted by her Law & Order: Special Victims Unit co-star Ice-T. The song appeared on the 2017 album Bloodlust.
Kelli Giddish Family
Kelli Giddish was raised in Cumming, Georgia, by her parents, Charles and Nita Giddish, and has a brother, Eli. Her paternal grandfather played an influential role in her early artistic life by introducing her to theater at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre. Her maternal grandmother was similarly supportive of her interests.
The Giddish family remained deeply involved in her acting career throughout her education. Her parents routinely traveled to Indiana to attend her college theater productions, providing steady encouragement as she transitioned into professional work.
Personal Life
Giddish married Lawrence Faulborn on June 20, 2015, in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. The couple welcomed their first son, Ludo, in October 2015, and a second son, Charlie, in November 2018. Giddish and Faulborn divorced in 2018.
On November 7, 2021, Giddish eloped with Beau Richards, whom she had met on the set of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, where he worked as her driver. In June 2023, she gave birth to their first child together, a son named Oldie. Each of her pregnancies was written into her character’s storyline on the series.