Biography

Melissa was born in Pensacola, Florida. The daughter of a US Naval officer, she spent her childhood moving between Northern Virginia and San Diego, California. Her father, Bill is a former aviator turned physician. Her mother Linda was a stay-at-home mom, and awesome stage mother, who never complained about having to go to yet another audition.

Melissa started performing at an early age in dance and gymnastic recitals, and quickly moved into theatre. After seeing a performance of "Cats" on Broadway, she announced to her parents that she wanted to pursue acting professionally. They have never been anything but supportive of this decision. After high school, Melissa earned a B.A. in Theatre from The University of California, San Diego.

Melissa has studied with, among others, Amy Lyndon, Elaine Clark and Navid Negahban. She has starred in several independent films including "Last Breath", "Ave Maria" and "Track to Freedom", as well as having a supporting role in a Lionsgate Feature.
- IMDb mini biography by: Monica Hewitt