Amy Jo Johnson, born October 6, 1970 in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is an American actress and entertainer, most notable for her roles of Kimberly Hart on the popular children's telvision series, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and angsty college student Julie Emrick on the teen drama series Felicity.

In her early life, Johnson discovered the sport of gymnastics, and her earliest desire was to compete in the Olympics. In interviews, she described herself in her childhood as a "kamikaze," doing things that scared her in order to overcome her fear of them. She eventually reached Class One status, competing both in the United States and Europe, but an injury ended her Olympic hopes.

Always one for attention, Johnson then decided to get into acting. At the age of 18 (some reports put her age at 19 at the time), she left her Massachusetts home for the bright lights of New York City, where she attended the famed Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, and The American Musical and Acting Academy. Soon after, she left for Los Angeles to try and start an acting career.

Her gymnastics background helped her win her first acting gig, and the one she is most associated with: Kimberly Hart, a teenager from the fictional city of Angel Grove who along with her friends is chosen to become one of five superheroes known as the Power Rangers. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers debuted on the Fox television network in 1993 and became an overnight success, making untold fortunes for Fox, and for Saban Entertainment, the show's producer. But of all the actors who've appeared on the show and its neverending spin-offs, only Johnson, with her Julia Roberts-like beauty, bubbly personality, and soft, expressive voice, has managed to break into the mainstream and make a career for herself. In 1995, the show was made into a theatrical film (featuring veteran character actor Paul Freeman as the film's villain), and was shot in Australia, giving Johnson her first film credit.

After three years on the show, Johnson decided to leave the show to persue for more mainstream roles. In 1996, she played the title character in the indie film "Susie Q," and in 1997, she also won lead roles in two made-for-TV movies which first aired on the NBC television network: high school student Susan McConnell in the adaptation of Lois Duncan's novel "Killing Mr. Griffin," and, returning to her athletic roots, bulemic gymnast Andie Bradley in the melodrama "Perfect Body." That same year, the actress briefly reprised her role as Kimberly Hart in the second theatrical Power Rangers film, "Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie." Her character even briefly turns evil in this second film, giving Johnson her first taste of villiany.

But in 1998, Johnson won her first adult role: a supporting turn as anorexic vampire Alicia in the cult indie horror flick "Cold Hearts." Fans of the actress count this role amongst her very best performances. That same year, Johnson was cast in the other of her most famous roles: Julie Emrick, a young college freshman who meets the title character of the WB drama series "Felicity," becoming her sidekick. In the two-and-a-half years that Johnson was part of the show, the Emrick character dealt with a number of issues, such as date rape and trying to find her birth mother. But Johnson very nearly turned down the role as she dealt with a life-changing tragedy: her mother Christine, long an inspiration in the young performer's life, lost her battle with cancer, dying not long before the series went into production. But with characteristic inner strength, Johnson carried on, and won raves for her performance on the show.

While part of the "Felicity" cast, Johnson fully revealed a talent previously only hinted at during her time on "Power Rangers:" her musical ability. Intially written as a dancer, Johnson convinced the producers of "Felicity" to re-write the Julie Emrick character to become a singer and guitarist, and allowed her to perform one of her own original songs, "Puddle of Grace," a song inspired by her mother, on the show. "Puddle of Grace" was even added to the show's soundtrack, performed by Johnson with full musical accompaniment (as opposed to solo acoustic guitar performance she gave on the show in her role as Julie Emrick). During this time, Johnson also performed in a folk-rock band known as "Valhalla," but the band soon broke up. Johnson's musical talent also won her a lead role in VH1's initial original film offering, "Sweetwater: A True Rock Story," a biopic about the life of 1960's singer Nansi Nevins, who as the lead singer of eccentric rock group Sweetwater was the opening act of the legendary rock festival Woodstock. For her role, Johnson performed many of the groups songs and had her voice digitally added to the original musical tracks laid down by the group in the 1960's, replacing those of Nevins herself. Many proclaimed Johnson's vocals to be eerily indistinguishhable (and to some, even superior) to those of Nevins.

After her leaving "Felicity," Johnson took roles in a number of indie films, such as sex-crazed hitchhiker Laura in "Interstate 60," bouncy art dealer Tracy Jennings in "Pursuit of Happiness," and Wild West-era stagecoach robbery victim Liz Kennedy in the made-for-TV movie "Hard Ground." She also briefly returned to series television as San Francisco police aide Stacy Newland during the fourth and final season of the cable television crime drama "The Division."

However, most of Johnson's time and energy have been devoted to film roles (and to producing; she recieved her first producing credit for the indie film "In Memory of My Father") and to her music. In 2001, she released her first CD of original music, "The Trans-American Treatment," and began performing live concerts in and around the Los Angeles area, alongside "The Amy Jo Johnson Band." Johnson later dropped the band, but continued to perform live with only her acoustic guitar and only minimal accompaniment. Those who attend these concerts are treated to a shocking blast of vocal firepower; in normal conversation, Johnson is fairly soft-spoken, but on stage, her voice reaches explosive levels, in the process dazzling her audiences with her heartfelt lyrics, taken from her journals, and reflecting her life, which heretofore has reached not only the dizzying heights of success but also the painful depths of despair and loss. At press time, the performer has been preparing a second CD of music, recorded at one of these concerts, which she has entitled "Imperfect." Her first CD is available at her Website (http://www.amyjojohnson.com), as will her second upon its completion and release.

In the twelve years since her acting debut, Amy Jo Johnson has, in terms of her physical appearance, changed suprisingly little: she is as vibrant, beautiful and wholesomely sexy as the first time she appeared as Kimberly Hart, leading some to believe that she may yet become the next Raquel Welch or Sophia Loren (although that may yet be an exaggeration). But it is clear that she has matured as a person, and in the future, this young Renaissance woman of entertainment will surely continue to dazzle, delight and entertain the world for years to come.