Amy Jo Johnson is an American actress, singer-songwriter and musician best known for her role as Kimberly Hart, the first Pink Ranger of the Power Rangers franchise, in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, from 1993-1995.
Johnson was born in Dennis, Massachusetts on Cape Cod, daughter of Christine, who managed a clothing store, and Greig Johnson, a car salesman.
Johnson became interested in gymnastics during her childhood and after training for years, decided to aim for the Olympic Games. She eventually reached Class One - the highest status in gymnastics - and participated in competitions hosted both in the United States and in Europe, in all four events, uneven bars, vault, beam and floor.
She was forced to abandon her career as a professional gymnast due to a severe injury.
In an interview for the E! Entertainment Network, Johnson divulged that because of trouble she and another boy used to get into, they were barred from graduating with the rest of their High School class, but eventually were allowed to graduate in a separate ceremony only for them.
At the age of 18, after graduating from Dennis Yarmouth Regional High School, Johnson left Cape Cod and moved to New York City in order to pursue her acting career. She attended the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and the American Musical and Acting Academy.
When Johnson felt comfortable with her skills, she left for Los Angeles to audition for her first part.
Johnson's first role was also her most notable to date, as Kimberly Ann Hart, the Pink Ranger, in the 1993 series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
Her gymnastics background was a clear advantage for her in fight scenes, and the Hart character was also an accomplished gymnast like herself. Her martial arts skills were taught to her by many choreographers in the studio.
The series achieved unexpected success and Johnson had a fair share of media exposure, both as the character and as herself.
After she left the series in 1995, Johnson went on to star in the made-for-TV Disney Channel film Susie Q in 1996. That same year, she guest-starred alongside Wally Wingert in the Saved by the Bell: The New Class episode "Backstage Pass" as Linda.
In 1997, she participated in NBC's adaptation of Lois Duncan's novel Killing Mr. Griffin and also played a bulimic gymnast in the movie Perfect Body.
She also reprised her role as Kimberly Hart alongside Austin St. John as Jason Lee Scott in Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, a 1997 movie in which her character was sacrificed in a volcano to Divatox's fiancee Maligore and resurrected as evil.
In the I Love the '90s 1993 special, Johnson states that being the Pink Power Ranger is something she would never live down.
In 1998, Johnson played the part of a vampire in the cult indie movie Cold Hearts. Soon after, she was invited to play the second most notable role of her acting career: Julie Emrick, a college freshman who becomes the best friend of the lead actress of The WB series Felicity.
She was in the series for two and a half years. Her character in the series was originally cast as a dancer, but Johnson managed to convince the producers to turn the role into that of a singer and guitarist, which eventually led Johnson to being able to play a song of her own composition, entitled "Puddle of Grace."
The song was added to the show's official soundtrack.
Her talent in music also led her to star in the movie Sweetwater: A True Rock Story, a biography about the life of singer Nansi Nevins, whose band Sweetwater opened the Woodstock festival.
Johnson then took roles in a number of indie movies, namely Interstate 60, Pursuit of Happiness and Hard Ground. She also had a role in the final season of the television crime drama The Division.
She released her debut album, titled The Trans-American Treatment, and performs live in the Los Angeles area alongside "The Amy Jo Johnson Band". She later dropped the band and limited the instrumental presence in her shows to her acoustic guitar and her voice.
She released another album titled Imperfect in March 2005.
In 2006, Johnson co-starred in Magma: Volcanic Disaster, a Sci-Fi Channel original made-for-TV movie. She played a college student who begged to go on an expedition.
Johnson has also taken roles on ABC Family's original show Wildfire as famous jockey Tina Sharp, and appeared in three episodes of What About Brian as Karen, Brian's annoying girlfriend.
She also had roles in the independent films Veritas, Prince of Truth (2006) and Islander (2006).
She was not a guest at the Power Morphicon in June 2007. However, a few of her former castmates and many Power Rangers fans attending the convention frequently mentioned her, and several video clips featured her as her character, Kimberly, and as herself. |
Julie Emrick
