Amy Brenneman was born in New London, Connecticut, the daughter of Frederica S., a superior court judge who served on the Connecticut State Supreme Court, and Russell L. Amy Brenneman, an environmental lawyer. Amy Brenneman was raised in Glastonbury, Connecticut, where she participated in theatre as a teenager, both in school and with a local theater group. Amy Brenneman graduated from Harvard University, where she majored in comparative religion, in 1987. While at Harvard, she co-founded Cornerstone Theatre Company, which she traveled with for several years after graduation.
