Mel Harris

Mel Harris
Harris in 2016
Born	Mary Ellen Harris Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1977–present
Spouse(s)	David Silbergeld ​ ​ (m. 1978; div. 1979)​ Brian Kilcommons ​ ​ (m. 1980; div. 1982)​ David Hume Kennerly ​ ​ (m. 1983; div. 1988)​ Cotter Smith ​ ​ (m. 1988; div. 1996)​ Michael Toomey ​ ​ (m. 2001; div. 2006)​ Bob Brush ​ (m. 2009)​
Children	2

Mary Ellen "Mel" Harris is an American actress best known for her role as Hope Murdoch Steadman in the ABC drama series Thirtysomething (1987–1991), for which she received a Golden Globe nomination in 1990.

Early life[]

Harris was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the daughter to Mary Michael "Mike", a high-school science teacher, and Warren Harris, football coach at Bethlehem High School and Princeton University.^[1] Her nickname came from her younger sister mispronouncing her given name Mary Ellen as "Melon" while an infant, which evolved into "Mel".^{[citation needed]} Harris grew up in North Brunswick, New Jersey^[2] and graduated from New Brunswick High School in 1974.^[3] Before finding success as an actress, Harris had appeared as a contestant on the game show Pyramid on two occasions, in 1979 on the ABC-TV daytime version known as The $20,000 Pyramid, and in 1985 on the syndicated version known as The $100,000 Pyramid, both versions hosted by Dick Clark. She later appeared as a celebrity on the third week of The $100,000 Pyramid hosted by John Davidson in 1991, with a clip of her big win in 1985 as shown in a flashback clip.^[4]

Career[]

Harris made her film debut playing a female leading role in the 1987 action film Wanted: Dead or Alive starring Rutger Hauer. She went on to star alongside Ken Olin, Patricia Wettig, Melanie Mayron, Timothy Busfield, Peter Horton and Polly Draper in the ABC drama series Thirtysomething playing the role of Hope Murdoch Steadman. The series received critical acclaim during its run, while Harris was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama in 1990.^[5] She directed one episode during the final season. The series ended in 1991. During that time, she also starred in the horror film Cameron's Closet (1988) and action comedy K-9 alongside Jim Belushi. In 1989, she played a real-life victim Madge Oberholtzer in the TV miniseries Cross of Fire. In 1989, Harper's Bazaar named her one of "America's 10 Most Beautiful Women".^[6]

In 1990s, Harris had many leading roles in the made-for-television films and miniseries, include The Burden of Proof (1992), Ultimate Betrayal (1994) and The Women of Spring Break (1995). She co-starred in the 1992 psychological horror-thriller film Raising Cain, and the following year played the leading role in the thriller film Suture.^[7] Her other notable film credits include The Pagemaster (1994), Hangman's Curse (2003), and The Lodger (2009). From 1996 to 1998, she starred with Jere Burns in the NBC sitcom Something So Right. The series was cancelled after two seasons.

Harris has appeared in a number of television series in 2000s, including Touched by an Angel, Stargate SG-1, The West Wing, JAG, House, and Criminal Minds. In 2007, she was regular cast member in the MyNetworkTV limited-run serial Saints & Sinners. At that time, she began working as writer. She was executive producer and creator of 2012 ABC drama pilot Scruples based on the 1978 novel by Judith Krantz.^[8][9] After six-year hiatus, Harris returned to television in 2013, appearing in the two episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In 2016, Harris starred in the first season of Hulu drama series Shut Eye, and from 2017 to 2018 had a recurring role in the Bravo comedy series Imposters. In 2020, ABC ordered a sequel for Thirtysomething and Harris set to return alongside Olin, Busfield, and Wettig.^[10]

Personal life[]

Harris has been married six times.^[11] She was married to David Silbergeld from 1978 to 1979; Brian Kilcommons from 1980 to 1982; photographer David Hume Kennerly from 1983 to 1988 (with whom she had son Byron); actor Cotter Smith from 1988 to 1996 (with whom she had daughter Madeline); and investment banker Michael Toomey from 2001 to 2006. She has been married to screenwriter and producer Bob Brush since 2009.^[12][11]

Filmography[]

Film[]

Television[]

References[]

External links[]

• Mel Harris at IMDb