Amy Pietz stars as Franny Tolchuck, the micro-managing mom in a Wisconsin family whose lives are turned upside down by the arrival of a Pakistani Muslim exchange student, in The CW's new comedy Aliens In America. Pietz is well-known to television audience for her portrayal of Annie, the wild neighbor on the hit comedy Caroline In the City. Her endearing performance in the role earned her a 1998 nomination from the Screen Actor's Guild for Best Actress in a Comedy. A favorite leading lady in telefilms, Pietz starred in Call for Help and All Lies End in Murder, and has guest starred on such shows as Law & Order: SVU, ER, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and The Drew Carey Show. On the big screen, her credits include Rudy, Jingle All The Way, Dysenchanted, Jell-Ohh Lady, which she also produced, and The Whole Ten Yards. Pietz has amassed an impressive resume of theater credits as well, including originating the role of Martha Boswell in the musical The Boswell Sisters at The Old Globe Theatre. She has continued singing classic Boswell Sisters arrangements with the women from that show in their jazz trio, Shout Sister, which has recorded two albums of 1930's New Orleans style jazz. Pietz's work for charities is extensive, including a passion for the Winter Special Olympics. She shared executive producer credit along with Brad Pitt on the film The Tehuacan Project, which recently garnered director Andy Lauer a Humanitarian Award from the White House. Pietz is a founding member of the Eclipse Theatre Company in Chicago and a graduate of the former Goodman School of Drama, which honored her with an Excellence in the Arts award for her work in radio, television and theatre. When not acting or singing, she spends her time in service as a doula, coaching women with the births of their babies. She considers this work a true calling.