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Melissa Joan Catherine Hart (born
April 18, 1976) is an American actress, writer, television director,
television producer, singer and businesswoman best known for her title
roles in the television series Clarissa Explains It All and the live
action version of Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996–2003).
Hart was born in Smithtown, New York, on Long Island, the daughter of
Paula, a producer and talent manager, and William Hart, a shellfish
purveyor, clam hatchery worker, and entrepreneur. Hart grew up in
Sayville, New York. Her stepfather (since 1994) is television executive
Leslie Gilliams, and her stepmother is Lisa Hart. Hart was named after the
Allman Brothers song "Melissa", while her middle name, Joan, came from her
maternal grandmother. Hart chose Catherine as her confirmation name when
she was in the eighth grade.
Hart has six sisters, and one brother, all younger than she. Sisters
Trisha, Elizabeth and Emily Anne, brother Brian, and half-sisters
Alexandra Hart-Gilliams and Samantha Hart have all acted. Her half-sister,
Mackenzie Hart, is not in show business.
Hart's career began at age three, when she made a television commercial
for a bathtub doll called 'Splashy'. From then on, she appeared regularly
in commercials, making 25 of them before the age of five. Other early
television work included a small role in the miniseries Kane & Abel in
1985, a guest-starring role in an episode of The Equalizer in 1986, and a
starring role alongside Katherine Helmond in the Emmy Award-winning TV
movie Christmas Snow, also in 1986. She also auditioned for the lead role
Jamie Lloyd in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, losing the role
to American actress Danielle Harris.
In 1989, she auditioned for a Broadway production of The Crucible starring
Martin Sheen, becoming an understudy to three of the young girls in the
play. This paved the way for her to land the title role in the TV show
Clarissa Explains It All. The Nickelodeon series, a comedy about a teen
girl in everyday situations, became a big hit during its four-year run.
The show made her a household name among American teenagers and brought
her four consecutive Young Artist Award nominations, of which she won
three. Her role in the series also led to her starring in the FMV video
game Nickelodeon's Director's Lab as a tour guide that takes the player
around a movie studio.
Hart also recorded two albums as Clarissa, This is What 'Na Na' Means and
a recording of Peter and the Wolf (Sony Classical SK 64079). The first
record, a rock/pop album in the style of a garage band, did not receive
much attention from critics or the public; and the second album won a
Parents' Choice award.
After the television series was canceled, Hart attended New York
University. She did not complete her degree, however, since she soon
resumed her acting career when she got the title role for the 1996 TV
movie Sabrina the Teenage Witch on Showtime. This was followed by the
television series of the same name which lasted seven seasons on ABC and
The WB; she later collaborated on an animated version that featured
Melissa voicing the two aunts Hilda and Zelda while sister Emily starred
in the title role. In between, she also guest-starred on the series
Touched by an Angel and starred in several TV movies.
In 1998, Hart landed a small part in the movie Can't Hardly Wait, and then
started filming Next to You, starring alongside Adrian Grenier. Hart asked
friend Britney Spears to do a remix of her song "(You Drive Me) Crazy" and
add it to the movie's soundtrack. To capitalize on the song's success as a
top-ten hit, the title of the movie was changed to Drive Me Crazy and Hart
joined Spears in the music video for that song. Around the same time
Spears also did a guest role, playing herself, on an episode of Sabrina.
Hart appeared in lingerie in a series of photographs and accompanying
article featured in the October 1999 issue of the men's magazine Maxim.
Hart continued her acting career in the 2000s. Her work included the film
Rent Control, which was produced in 2002 and later aired in 2005 on the
ABC Family cable network. Hart continued her role on Sabrina the Teenage
Witch, which finished in 2003, and also performed several voice-over roles
for animation.
In 1999, Hart made her directorial debut in an episode of Disney Channel's
So Weird called "Snapshot" which starred her sister, Emily Anne. She later
directed an episode of Nickelodeon's Taina in 2001. In 2001-2002, she
directed 6 episodes of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, including the season
finale. In 2005, Hart directed her first movie, a 15-minute live-action
short called Mute, starring her sister Emily.
Hart guest-starred on an episode of Law & Order: SVU that aired on October
9, 2007 titled "Impulsive" as a teacher accused of statutory rape. In late
2007, she directed the "Anger Cage" video for her husband Mark Wilkerson's
band Course of Nature. She also starred in the ABC Family Original Movie
Holiday in Handcuffs, opposite Mario Lopez. The movie premiered on
December 9, 2007, and was the highest rated program in the history of the
network, with 6.7 million viewers. Hart followed this with another ABC
movie with a similar premise, My Fake Fiance, in 2009.
In March 2009, Hart opened a candy shop called SweetHarts in Sherman Oaks,
California. Hart commented that it had been her "childhood dream" to own a
candy shop.
It was announced on August 17, 2009 that she would compete in season 9 of
Dancing with the Stars. She was paired up with two-time reigning champion,
Mark Ballas. On October 27, Melissa was eliminated from the competition,
finishing ninth out of sixteen. In 2010, Hart will return to sitcoms,
starring with Joey Lawrence in a new sitcom, Melissa & Joey, scheduled to
air on ABC Family in the summer. Hart will play a woman who hires Lawrence
as a nanny to help care for her incarcerated sister's kids.
On July 19, 2003, Hart married musician Mark Wilkerson. The preparations
for the ceremony, which took place in Florence, Italy, were documented in
a TV miniseries titled Tying the Knot, produced by Hart's production
company, Hartbreak Films. Hart and Wilkerson have two sons: Mason Walter
Wilkerson, who was born on January 11, 2006 weighing 9lbs; and Braydon
"Brady" Hart Wilkerson, born on March 12, 2008, weighing 7lbs, 3oz. Both
boys were born in Los Angeles, California.
Hart and Wilkerson were featured in People magazine's April 7, 2008 issue,
introducing Braydon to the world. Hart wrote a diary, including video
entries, to document potty training her son, Mason, for Pull-Ups brand
diapers. |
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Satin (2010) ... Lauren Wells
Nine Dead (2010) (.... Kelley
My Fake Fiance (2009) (TV) .... Jennifer
Whispers and Lies (2008) (TV) .... Jill Roperson
Holiday in Handcuffs (2007) (TV) .... Gertrude 'Trudie' Chandler
"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" .... Sarah Trent (1 episode,
2007)
... aka Law & Order: SVU (UK: promotional abbreviation) (USA:
promotional abbreviation)
... aka Special Victims Unit (New Zealand: English title) (UK:
informal short title)
- Impulsive (2007) TV episode .... Sarah Trent
Jesus, Mary and Joey (2006) .... Jackie
... aka Welcome Back Miss Mary (USA: cable TV title)
Dirtbags (2006) (TV) .... Kate
"Robot Chicken" .... Emily the Spy (1 episode, 2005)
- Operation Rich in Spirit (2005) TV episode (voice) .... Emily the
Spy
"Justice League" .... Dee Dee / ... (1 episode, 2005)
... aka JL (USA: promotional abbreviation)
... aka Justice League Unlimited (USA: third season title)
- The Once and Future Thing: Time, Warped: Part 2 (2005) TV episode
(voice) .... Delia Dennis / Deidre Dennis / Dee Dee
Britney Spears: Greatest Hits - My Prerogative (2004) (V) ....
Nicole Maris (segment "[You Drive Me] Crazy")
"Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" .... Sabrina Spellman (163 episodes,
1996-2003)
... aka Sabrina (USA: promotional abbreviation)
... aka Sabrina Goes to College (USA: promotional title)
- Soul Mates (2003) TV episode .... Sabrina Spellman
- What a Witch Wants (2003) TV episode .... Sabrina Spellman
- A Fish Tale (2003) TV episode .... Sabrina Spellman
- You Slay Me (2003) TV episode .... Sabrina Spellman
- Spellmanian Slip (2003) TV episode .... Sabrina Spellman
(158 more)
Hold On (2002)
Rent Control (2002) (TV) .... Holly Washburn
... aka Aunt Agatha's Apartment (Australia)
Not Another Teen Movie (2001) (uncredited) .... Slow Clapper's
Instructor
... aka Sex Academy (Europe: English title: new title)
The Voyage to Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) (TV) .... Host
Recess: School's Out (2001) (voice) .... Becky Detweiller
Backflash (2001) (V) .... C.J.
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000) (V) (voice) .... Delia
Dennis / Deidre Dennis / Dee Dee
... aka Batman of the Future: Return of the Joker (Europe: English
title: cut version)
... aka Batman of the Future: Return on the Joker (UK: TV title)
... aka Return of the Joker (USA: informal English title)
The Specials (2000) .... Sunlight Grrrll
"Just Shoot Me!" .... Krissy (1 episode, 2000)
- Fast Times at Finchmont High (2000) TV episode .... Krissy
Santa Mouse and the Ratdeer (2000) (TV) (voice) .... Molly
"Sabrina the Animated Series" .... Aunt Hilda Spellman / ... (65
episodes, 1999-2000)
... aka Sabrina (USA: short title)
- Key to My Heart (2000) TV episode (voice) .... Aunt Hilda Spellman
/ Aunt Zelda Spellman
- La Femme Sabrina (2000) TV episode (voice) .... Aunt Hilda
Spellman / Aunt Zelda Spellman
- The Bat Pack (2000) TV episode (voice) .... Aunt Hilda Spellman /
Aunt Zelda Spellman
- Wiccan of the Sea (2000) TV episode (voice) .... Aunt Hilda
Spellman / Aunt Zelda Spellman
- Strange New World (1999) TV episode (voice) .... Aunt Hilda
Spellman / Aunt Zelda Spellman
(60 more)
"That '70s Show" .... Mary (1 episode, 1999)
- Eric Gets Suspended (1999) TV episode .... Mary
Sabrina, Down Under (1999) (TV) .... Sabrina Spellman
Drive Me Crazy (1999) .... Nicole Maris
Love American Style (1999) (TV) .... Annabelle (segment "Love In The
Old South")
Time Out with Britney Spears (1999) (V) (uncredited) .... Girl
Standing ('Crazy' video)
"Superman" .... Irma Ardeen / ... (1 episode, 1998)
... aka Superman: The Animated Series (USA: informal alternative
title)
- New Kids in Town (1998) TV episode (voice) .... Irma Ardeen /
Saturn Girl
Sabrina Goes to Rome (1998) (TV) .... Sabrina / Sophie
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch: Spellbound (1998) (VG) (voice) ....
Sabrina Spellman
America's Teenagers Growing Up on Television (1998) (TV) .... Host
Can't Hardly Wait (1998) (uncredited) .... Vicki, Yearbook Girl
Silencing Mary (1998) (TV) .... Mary Stuartson
... aka Campus Justice
"Teen Angel" .... Sabrina Spellman (1 episode, 1997)
- One Dog Night (1997) TV episode .... Sabrina Spellman
"You Wish" .... Sabrina Spellman (1 episode, 1997)
- Genie Without a Cause (1997) TV episode .... Sabrina Spellman
"Boy Meets World" .... Sabrina Spellman (1 episode, 1997)
- The Witches of Pennbrook (1997) TV episode .... Sabrina Spellman
"ABC TGIF" .... Sabrina Spellman (1 episode, 1997)
- Frightful Halloween Bash (1997) TV episode .... Sabrina Spellman
Two Came Back (1997) (TV) .... Susan Clarkson
The Right Connections (1997) (TV) (as Melissa Hart) .... Melanie
Cambridge
"Clueless" .... Sabrina Spellman (1 episode, 1997)
- Mr. Wright (1997) TV episode .... Sabrina Spellman
Twisted Desire (1996) (TV) .... Jennifer Stanton
Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996) (TV) .... Sabrina Spellman
"Touched by an Angel" .... Claire Latham (1 episode, 1995)
- Angels on the Air (1995) TV episode .... Claire Latham
Clarissa (1995) (TV) .... Clarissa Darling
... aka Clarissa, Now (USA: alternative title)
Family Reunion: A Relative Nightmare (1995) (TV) .... Samantha
"Clarissa Explains It All" .... Clarissa Darling (65 episodes,
1991-1994)
... aka Clarissa (USA: short title)
- The Last Clarissa (1994) TV episode .... Clarissa Darling
- Clarissa Gets Arrested (1994) TV episode .... Clarissa Darling
- UFO (1994) TV episode .... Clarissa Darling
- Ferguson Explains It All (1994) TV episode .... Clarissa Darling
- Dear Clarissa (1994) TV episode .... Clarissa Darling
(60 more)
"Are You Afraid of the Dark?" .... Daphne (1 episode, 1993)
- The Tale of the Frozen Ghost (1993) TV episode .... Daphne
Christmas Snow (1986) (TV) (as Melissa Hart) .... Amy
"Another World" .... Roller-Skater (1 episode, 1986)
... aka Another World: Bay City
- Episode dated 22 April 1986 (1986) TV episode .... Roller-Skater
"The Equalizer" .... Laura Moore (1 episode, 1986)
- Torn (1986) TV episode (as Melissa Hart) .... Laura Moore
"Kane & Abel" (1985) TV mini-series (as Melissa Hart) ....
Florentyna Rosnovski (Age 7)
"ABC Weekend Specials" .... Cindy (1 episode, 1985)
- The Adventures of Con Sawyer and Hucklemary Finn (1985) TV episode
.... Cindy |
