# Schuyler Fisk
**Schuyler Fisk** (full name Schuyler Elizabeth Fisk, born 1982) is an American actress and singer-songwriter, the daughter of Academy Award-winning actress [Sissy Spacek](https://www.edgepedia.org/sissy-spacek) and production designer [Jack Fisk](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-fisk). She is known for film roles including Kristy in *The Baby-Sitters Club* (1995), Ashley in *Orange County* (2002), and Kate in *Sam & Kate* (2022), and for folk-pop songwriting that has appeared on film soundtracks such as *The Last Kiss* (2006), *Dear John*, and *Penelope*.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name / birth | Schuyler Elizabeth Fisk, born 1982 in Los Angeles, California; raised in Virginia[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004922/) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/schuyler-fisk-mn0001983895) |
| Parents | Actress Sissy Spacek and production designer Jack Fisk, who met on the set of *Badlands* (1973)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004922/) |
| Early film roles | Kristy in *The Baby-Sitters Club* (1995), her first major movie role; Lane Leonard in *Snow Day* (2000); Ashley in *Orange County* (2002)[3](https://www.stab.org/cf_news/view.cfm?newsid=2518) • [4](https://www.metacritic.com/person/schuyler-fisk/) |
| Later roles | Elizabeth Cotton in *Restless* (2011), April in *The Best of Me* (2014), Kate in *Sam & Kate* (2022), and the series *The Chicken Sisters*[4](https://www.metacritic.com/person/schuyler-fisk/) • [5](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621222585) |
| Music career | Signed to Universal Records in 2004; left in 2008; debut album *The Good Stuff* (2009), *Blue Ribbon Winner* (2011), *We Could Be Alright* (2022)[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/schuyler-fisk-mn0001983895) • [3](https://www.stab.org/cf_news/view.cfm?newsid=2518) • [5](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621222585) |
| Songwriting | Co-wrote "Paperweight" with Joshua Radin for *The Last Kiss* (2006); composer credits on *Dear John* (2010) and *Safe Haven* (2013)[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/schuyler-fisk-mn0001983895) |
| Education | St. Anne's-Belfield School, preschool through twelfth grade; bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia's College of Arts & Sciences, 2006[3](https://www.stab.org/cf_news/view.cfm?newsid=2518) |
## Family and early life
Fisk was born in Los Angeles, California, and raised in Virginia, where her parents established their home[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004922/). Her mother, Sissy Spacek, won an Academy Award, and her father, Jack Fisk, is a production designer; the two met on the set of *[Badlands](https://www.edgepedia.org/badlands-film)* (1973), which starred Spacek, with Fisk serving as the film's art director[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004922/).
She attended St. Anne's-Belfield School from preschool through twelfth grade, completing her high school credits a year early in 1999 and moving to Los Angeles to pursue full-time acting[3](https://www.stab.org/cf_news/view.cfm?newsid=2518). She later earned a bachelor's degree from the [University of Virginia](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-virginia)'s College of Arts & Sciences in 2006[3](https://www.stab.org/cf_news/view.cfm?newsid=2518). At school she focused on athletics, playing field hockey, soccer, and lacrosse, and kept her music largely private until she performed an original song at a talent show[3](https://www.stab.org/cf_news/view.cfm?newsid=2518).
## Acting career
Fisk made her film debut as Kristy Thomas in *The Baby-Sitters Club* (1995), her first major movie role[3](https://www.stab.org/cf_news/view.cfm?newsid=2518). She played Lane Leonard in *Snow Day* (2000) and Ashley in the teen comedy *Orange County* (2002), appearing alongside [Colin Hanks](https://www.edgepedia.org/colin-hanks) and [Jack Black](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-black)[4](https://www.metacritic.com/person/schuyler-fisk/).
In [Gus Van Sant](https://www.edgepedia.org/gus-van-sant)'s *Restless* (2011), which opened the Un Certain Regard program at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, she played Elizabeth Cotton, the overbearing, protective sister of [Mia Wasikowska](https://www.edgepedia.org/mia-wasikowska)'s character[6](https://www.sonyclassics.com/restless/_pdf/restless_presskit.pdf). She appeared in *The Best of Me* (2014), an adaptation of a [Nicholas Sparks](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicholas-sparks) novel, and later played the title role of Kate in *Sam & Kate* (2022)[3](https://www.stab.org/cf_news/view.cfm?newsid=2518) • [5](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621222585). Her television credits also include *Castle Rock*, *Hart of Dixie*, *Fear the Walking Dead*, and the series *The Chicken Sisters*[7](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/schuyler-fisk/credits/3000947027/) • [5](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621222585).
## Music career
She signed with Universal Records in 2004[3](https://www.stab.org/cf_news/view.cfm?newsid=2518). After four years on the Universal roster without a full-length album release, she left the label in 2008 and digitally released her debut album, *The Good Stuff*[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/schuyler-fisk-mn0001983895).
Her sophomore album, *Blue Ribbon Winner*, was released in March 2011[6](https://www.sonyclassics.com/restless/_pdf/restless_presskit.pdf). A school profile described her as an "honest and adept indie-pop singer" with a clear, vibrant, "softly smooth" voice, and noted she was preparing a third full-length album[3](https://www.stab.org/cf_news/view.cfm?newsid=2518). She is also a member of the band FM Radio[3](https://www.stab.org/cf_news/view.cfm?newsid=2518). Her later releases include the singles "Take Back Everything" (2021), "Restless Heart" with Carl Anderson, and "Life After" (2022), original music from *Sam & Kate*, and the album *We Could Be Alright* (2022)[5](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621222585).
Her songs and compositions have appeared in several film soundtracks. AllMusic credits her as composer on *Dear John* (2010), *Safe Haven* (2013), *A Merry Friggin' Christmas* (2014), and *Penelope* (2007), on which she also performed vocals[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/schuyler-fisk-mn0001983895).
## Style and reception
AllMusic characterizes her songwriting as melding contemporary folk-pop with an intimate singer/songwriter approach, within the pop/rock genre and the styles of adult alternative pop/rock, alternative/indie rock, and contemporary singer/songwriter[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/schuyler-fisk-mn0001983895). On film aggregator Metacritic, her movie career averages a Metascore of 43 across 15 films, ranging from 28 for *A Merry Friggin' Christmas* (2014)[4](https://www.metacritic.com/person/schuyler-fisk/).
## References
1. [Schuyler Fisk, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004922/)
2. [Schuyler Fisk, Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/schuyler-fisk-mn0001983895)
3. [Creative Corner: Schuyler Fisk '00, St. Anne's-Belfield School News](https://www.stab.org/cf_news/view.cfm?newsid=2518)
4. [Schuyler Fisk, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/schuyler-fisk/)
5. [Schuyler Fisk, Movies, TV Shows, and Music, Apple Snapshot](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621222585)
6. [Restless press kit, Sony Pictures Classics](https://www.sonyclassics.com/restless/_pdf/restless_presskit.pdf)
7. [Schuyler Fisk List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/schuyler-fisk/credits/3000947027/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames F*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license