Jamie Pastor Bolnick was born in Huntington, Long Island, New York. She attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City and began acting professionally while still a teenager. After the arrival of her children, Britt and Piers, she worked as a journalist and photographer.

Her work has appeared in magazines and newspapers, including Redbook, Interview Magazine, New York Newsday and The New York Daily News. She is the author of two non-fiction books and is presently working on a third.

She lives in New York City with her family.