Amy Carlson Facts: Celebrities Who Started on Soaps

Amy Carlson has been conquering the world of television for many years, as she’s best known for her work as Linda Reagen in Blue Bloods and Alex Taylor on Third Watch. But, she got her start on a soap.

Along with her work in television, Carlson has appeared in movies such as The Green Lantern, Anamorph, and Natural Selection. From where she was born and raised to her decision to leave a popular show, here are five fast facts about the actress.

Who Is Amy Carlson?

Carlson was born on July 7 in Glen Ellyn, Illinois with her three siblings. When she was 13, her family moved to Amman, Jordan for a year, since her parents were hired to teach at the American Community School. Carlson then attended Knox College, which is when she got involved in theater.

Soap Beginnings
Carlson was cast as Josie Watts on Another World and was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. She was on the show for five years before deciding to leave to pursue other acting opportunities.

Actor BFF
Carlson has met a lot of people through working in Hollywood, but she is best friends with actress Jorja Fox, who is best known for her roles on TV shows such as ER, The West Wing, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Carlson and Fox met while on the show Missing Persons together and have been super close ever since.

A Stunning Change

Another big break for Carlson came when she was cast as Linda Reagan in the CBS drama Blue Bloods. She was on the show for seven seasons but decided to leave the show to pursue other endeavors. In the eighth season of Blue Bloods, we learned her character died in a helicopter crash.

Getting Personal With Amy Carlson
Carlson met her husband, Syd Butler, at a Saturday Night Live after-party. Butler is currently the bass guitar player for Seth Myers’s band on his talk show. The couple has two children together, daughter Lyla who was born in October 2006 and son Nigel who was born in August 2009.