A native New Yorker who studied with famed acting teacher Uta Hagen, Peet launched her career in a 1995 off-Broadway revival of Awake and Sing! After a brief stint on One Life to Live she moved to Hollywood, where Peet rarely lacked for work, appearing in a succession of romantic comedies before landing her breakthrough role as a relationship-challenged twentysomething on the dramedy Jack & Jill (1999-2001). Her nude scene in the 2000 comedy The Whole Nine Yards earned her a bevy of fans, but instead of settling for being eye candy, Peet began tackling challenging supporting roles that made the most of her intelligence, including a junkie in the indie Igby Goes Down (2002) and a grieving mother in Syriana (2005). In 2006 she took time out from her jam-packed schedule to make her Broadway debut in a revival of Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park, and landed a part in Aaron Sorkin's series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Despite 60's disappointing one-season run, Peet continued a steady film career, including 2012 (2009) and Please Give (2010).