Tamblyn was born in Santa Monica, California, the daughter of actor Russ Tamblyn and musician/writer Bonnie Murray. At the age of 10, she played Pippi Longstocking at the Santa Monica Alternative School House; her father's agent, Sharon Debord, was attending as a family friend and ended up convincing her father to allow Tamblyn to go on auditions.
Acting career
Tamblyn was cast as Emily Bowen (later known as Emily Quartermaine) on the soap opera General Hospital, a role which she played for six years (from 1995 to 2001). She also appeared in the films Rebellious and Johnny Mysto: Boy Wizard (both co-starring her father), as well as in Live Nude Girls (1995) and in the opening scene of the 2002 horror film The Ring. Tamblyn also made a number of guest appearances on several television shows, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in which she played Janice Penshaw, the best friend of Dawn Summers, as well as Boston Public, CSI: Miami, and Punk'd (after being tricked by Ashton Kutcher or his crew members for losing someone else's dog).
She also starred in the pilot episode of the revived Twilight zone series on UPN in 2002. The episode "Evergreen", which aired on Semtember 18, saw Amber playing rebellious teenager Jenna Winslow.
Tamblyn became well known for playing Joan Girardi, a teenage girl who receives frequent visits from God on the CBS drama series Joan of Arcadia. That role earned her both a Golden Globe and Emmy nomination in 2004. Tamblyn's father made several appearances as God in the form of a dog walker on the show, which ran from 2003 to 2005.
Tamblyn's first major film role was in 2005's well-reviewed The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, alongside Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera, and Blake Lively. She portrayed Tabitha "Tibby" Tomko-Rollins, a girl who intended to make a documentary, rather a "suckumentary," while the rest of her friends -- played by Bledel, Ferrera, and Lively -- leave for the summer. When Tibby befriends a young girl played by Jenna Boyd, her perspective on life -- and her documentary -- greatly changes.
In August, 2006, Tamblyn won the Bronze Leapord at the Locarno International Film Festival for her performance in the title role of Stephanie Daley. The film, which also won an award at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, features Tamblyn as a sixteen-year-old who kills her baby moments after giving birth in the bathroom of a ski resort. The film also stars Tilda Swinton and Timothy Hutton.
Tamblyn's also appeared in the Japan-set The Grudge 2, a sequel to The Grudge. The film, which also stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, was released on October 13, 2006, and debuted in the #1 spot at the North American box office. Tamblyn, who learned about Japanese culture while filming the role, agreed to star in the film because she had wanted to play the lead in a horror film.
Tamblyn will next appear in Spring Breakdown, a Spring break-themed comedy also featuring Amy Poehler and Rachel Dratch, and Blackout, a thriller by Italian writer Gianluca Morozzi, in which her character will be trapped in an elevator for nearly 24 hours.
The actress is also returning to television network CBS, in the pilot Babylon Fields, an apocalyptic comedic drama about the undead trying to resume their former lives. Tamblyn will play a young woman,Janine Wunch, who, after being abused by her father, teamed with her mom to kill him only to see him come back.
Poetry
Tamblyn has self-published two chapbooks of poetry, Of the Dawn and Plenty of Ships, and has participated in poetry readings at various venues, particularly in California. The Loneliest, a poem book inspired by Thelonius Monk and his music, was published in 2005 and contains Haiku poetry written by Tamblyn and coupled with collages by George Herms. Only 300 copies of the book were published.
In 2005, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing published a book of poems that she wrote over the span of seven years entitled Free Stallion. The School Library Journal's review states that, "Free Stallion is a compilation of poetry that amounts to a portrait of the artist as a teenager.... Many of the selections are appropriately self-absorbed but move beyond journalistic catharsis to real insight and stunning language for one so young."
In October 2006, Tamblyn did several poetry readings in California, including a couple with poet Derrick Brown.
Personal life
Tamblyn is a political liberal and attended the 2004 Democratic National Convention. She has been a vegetarian since 2005 (stating that what keeps her from becoming a vegan is her taste for cheese.)She is rumored to have been dating artist Chuck Nitron for several months. When she found out her character's pet on General Hospital was going to be a tarantula, she requested that the spider be killed off, due to Tamblyn's arachnophobia. She suggested that the spider could be replaced by a rat, the type of pet Tamblyn had at home.[citations needed]
In February 2005, Tamblyn received vicious threats from a stalker. He pledged to "torture her for a million years" and "drill things into her kneecaps," among other acts of violence. Frightened, Tamblyn phoned the police. A restraining order was issued forbidding the man from coming within 100 yards of her.
Tamblyn is an agnostic.[6] She has also stated that she celebrates Hanukkah, although she is not Jewish.[7] She is the goddaughter of actors Dean Stockwell and Dennis Hopper and musician Neil Young. Stockwell and her father, Russ Tamblyn, appeared together in the film "The Boy with Green Hair" and in the Quantum Leap episode 'Thou Shalt Not...'
She is said to have convinced a homeless man to pose as her father so she could get her navel pierced. It soon became infected, however, and she had to confess to her parents. The story inspired an episode of "Joan of Arcadia."
She is likely to have internet at her place due constant interaction with some of her fans through her online forum. When asked about technical details about the distribution of DVDs or places in which her films are portrayed she mostly uses one of her recurring catch phrases: "I don't know".
