Phyllis Amanda Peterson (July 8, 1971–July 3, 2015) was an American actress, most known for her roles as Cindy Mancini in the 1987 film Can't Buy Me Love and Sunny Sisk on the NBC drama series A Year in the Life (1987–1988).

At age seven, Peterson made her stage debut as Gretl von Trapp in a University of Northern Colorado production of The Sound of Music.

[12] In 1986, 15-year-old Peterson was cast to play the headline role of Cindy Mancini in the Buena Vista romantic comedy, Boy Rents Girl.

The title was later changed to Can't Buy Me Love after producers secured the rights to The Beatles' 1964 song of the same name, which featured on the soundtrack.

[6] Released in August 1987, Love received mixed reviews but became the sleeper hit of the summer,[7][13] with Peterson going on to achieve teen idol status as a result.

[14] In their critique of the film, The New York Times found Peterson's portrayal of Mancini to be "appealing", while highlighting her chemistry with co-star Patrick Dempsey.

[6][17] Shortly afterward, she starred in the straight-to-video thriller Fatal Charm (1990), playing a naïve high schooler who forms a dangerous bond with a serial killer.

That fall, Peterson enrolled at Middlebury College,[16] where she appeared in a black box production of the Sarah Daniels play, Masterpieces, as well as guesting on Doogie Howser, M.D.

[18] Following a recurring spot on the ABC drama series Jack's Place in 1993, Peterson's final appearance on-screen was a supporting role in the 1994 fantasy film, WindRunner.

[3] Between October 2000 and May 2012, Peterson was arrested five times for the offenses of third-degree assault, harassment, DUI, and possession of drug paraphernalia and suspicion of distributing a Schedule 2 controlled substance.

[1] Two months after her death, in a September 2015 interview with talk show The Doctors, Peterson's family revealed that she had been raped at age 15 and had not disclosed it at the time, even to her sister.