Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Amy Acker is the oldest of four children of Robert Acker, a lawyer, and Sandra Bruyere, a housewife, of French ancestry, and the cousin of Joel Jeffrey Acker. An acting major at Southern Methodist University, Amy acted in several college theater productions. She appeared in various roles during the fantasy segments for the popular award-winning children's TV series Wishbone, which was filmed in Texas and consisted of Dallas theater actors. Upon graduation she worked in Wisconsin and New York before winning the role of "Fred" on Angel.



She studied ballet, modern dance and jazz dance for 13 years before moving onto acting. She underwent knee surgery while in high school, ending her ballet career, and she began to study acting in her sophomore year. She enrolled at Southern Methodist University in 1995 to take advantage of that school's renowned theatrical program. While on "Angel" (1999), she and her co-star, J. August Richards, shared a trailer for quite some time. Starting with the season five episode, "S.O.S.", she was promoted from guest star to series regular on "Alias" (2001), and appeared in the opening credits until the series ended. Wore her own glasses as "Fred" on "Angel" (1999).