Bio
Shawnee Smith is an American actress best known for her starring role as Linda, an air-headed nurse's aide, on the television sitcom Becker, from 1998-2004.
She currently stars as Jennifer Goodson in the sitcom Anger Management, since 2012.
She is also known for her role as Amanda Young in the Saw films. At first a minor character in the original film, her role expanded in the sequels until she became one of the most important characters in the series, being the only character besides Jigsaw himself to have been featured in every Saw film.
Smith once fronted the metal band Fydolla Ho, with which she toured the United States and the United Kingdom, and is half of Smith & Pyle, a desert country-rock band, with actress Missi Pyle.
A native of South Carolina, Shawnee's achievements began early in her career when she appeared in the movie Annie, in 1982.
As a young actress, she was awarded the Youth in Film Award for Best Actress in a television film for her role in the made-for-TV movie Crime of Innocence (1985).
She was honoured with the Dramalogue Critics Award for her performance in the theatrical production To Gillian on her 37th Birthday and in the same year received rave reviews for her co-starring role with Richard Dreyfuss at the Huntington Hartford Theatre in The Hands of its Enemy.
Shawnee then starred in The Blob for Columbia Pictures, in the hit comedy Summer School for Paramount Pictures and in Who's Harry Crumb?, also for Columbia Pictures.
Those roles would be followed by appearances in such highly-acclaimed films as Leaving Las Vegas (1995), Desperate Hours (1990), Armageddon (1998) and Breakfast of Champions (1999).
Shawnee's television credits are equally as impressive, with a list that includes a regular role on the hit comedy Becker as well as series regular roles on The Tom Show and Arsenio.
She appeared in the television movies Something Borrowed, Something Blue, I Saw What You Did and Face of Evil, as well as the miniseries The Stand and The Shining.
Smith has three children: a daughter named Verve, born in 1999, from her marriage to photographer Jason Reposar (1998–2003); a son named Jakson, born in 2005, from her brief marriage to musician Kai Mattoon (2005–2006); and a second son born in March 2010.