Amy Jo Johnson was born on October 6, 1970, in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She began training as a gymnast when she was 7, and after years of dedication and discipline to the sport, made it to the class one level -- the pinnacle of competitive gymnastics. Her goal, like that of many top athletes, was to make it all the way to the Olympics. She competed in several international events before an injury put a halt to her career at the age of 17.

In 1989, Johnson relocated to New York City to study acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and the American Musical and Acting Academy. She eventually left the Big Apple for Los Angeles, and thanks to her experience as a gymnast, landed the role of Kimberly Ann Hart, the Pink Ranger, on the kids' TV series Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. The show debuted in 1993 and became a huge hit. Johnson also appeared in Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: The Movie in 1995, and left the show around this time to pursue other acting roles.

Work became more sporadic after she hung up her Pink Ranger outfit in 1995. She starred as the title character in the 1996 Disney Channel TV movie Susie Q, and appeared in an episode of Saved by the Bell: The New Class that same year. In 1997, she picked up parts in the TV movies Killing Mr. Griffin and Perfect Body. She reappeared as Kimberly Hart on the big screen in 1997's Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, while the following year she portrayed a vampire named Alicia in the cult horror flick Cold Hearts.

In 1998, Johnson landed the role of Julie Emrick, best friend of the title character played by Keri Russell, on the WB drama Felicity. Despite the success of the series, the actress left the show in 2000 for personal reasons. Her mother passed away in 1998, and Johnson felt that the pace of the show's shooting schedule had not given her the opportunity to properly grieve her loss. She returned to reprise the role of Julie in 2002 for the show's final episodes.

Between the time Johnson landed her role on Felicity and the last show of the series, she starred as Nansi Nevins in the made-for-TV bio about the ‘60s rock band Sweetwater in Sweetwater: A True Rock Story (1999). She also starred in the feature films Pursuit of Happiness (2001), Liars Club (2001), Interstate 60 (2002) and Infested (2002), and she guest-starred on episodes of Night Visions, ER and Spin City.

In addition to gymnastics and acting, Johnson also found time to pursue a career as a musician and vocalist. She fronted a band called Valhalla, and released a few solo albums to her credit. The Trans-American Treatment was released in 2001, while Imperfect, an intimate performance recorded live in a Hollywood nightclub, dropped in March 2005.

Since production of Felicity ended in 2002, Johnson appeared in the 2003 TV movie Hard Ground, and as Stacy Reynolds on the Lifetime crime-drama series The Division in 2004. In 2005, she coproduced the indie feature In Memory of My Father, appeared in the indie feature Arbie, and debuted in the role of jockey Tina Sharp on the ABC family series Wildfire.

In 2006, Johnson was busier than ever costarring in the TV movies Magma: Volcanic Disaster and Fatal Trust, as well as in the independent features Veritas, Prince of Truth and The Islander. She also appeared in the pilot episode of What About Brian.