Alyssa Milano facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alyssa Milano
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Milano in 2024
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Alyssa Jayne Milano
December 19, 1972 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
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| Years active | 1984–present |
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| Children | 2 |
Alyssa Jayne Milano (born December 19, 1972) is an American actress and activist. She is well-known for her roles in popular TV shows. These include Samantha Micelli in Who's the Boss? and Phoebe Halliwell in Charmed. She has also starred in Melrose Place and Mistresses. Besides acting, Alyssa Milano is also a strong voice for important causes.
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Growing Up
Alyssa Jayne Milano was born in Brooklyn, New York City, on December 19, 1972. Her mother, Lin Milano, was a fashion designer. Her father, Thomas M. Milano, worked as a film music editor. Alyssa has Italian family roots. She also has a younger brother named Cory. She grew up following the Catholic faith.
Starting Her Acting Journey
Alyssa Milano began acting when she was just seven years old. Her babysitter took her to an audition for the musical Annie. Out of over 1,500 girls, Alyssa was one of only four chosen! She and her mom traveled for 18 months with the play.
After Annie, Alyssa appeared in TV commercials. She also acted in plays that were not on Broadway. She felt that growing up on camera did not harm her childhood. She said her family supported her career. She also felt like a normal kid who had to clean her room.
In 1984, Alyssa made her first movie, Old Enough. This film won an award at the Sundance Film Festival.
Becoming a Teen Star
Alyssa then auditioned for the TV show Who's the Boss?. She got the part as the daughter of Tony Danza's character. Her family moved to Los Angeles for the show. It started airing on September 20, 1984. Alyssa and Tony Danza became very close. He said she was "the sweetest little girl."
Who's the Boss? made Alyssa a teen idol. This opened doors for her to take on other roles. She balanced her schoolwork with a tutor on set. She worked with the tutor for three hours each day.
At age 12, Alyssa starred in the movie Commando (1985). She played Jenny Matrix, the daughter of John Matrix (Arnold Schwarzenegger). She also appeared in the children's film The Canterville Ghost. This movie was later shown in Japan. A producer there offered Alyssa a five-album music deal. Her albums were very popular in Japan. She later called her music "bubblegum pop".
Alyssa returned to theater in 1991. She produced and starred in a play called Butterflies Are Free. She also made a teen workout video called Teen Steam. She wrote a weekly column for Teen Machine magazine. It was called "From Alyssa, with love."
When Who's the Boss? ended, Alyssa was ready for new challenges. She wanted to show what else she could do as an actress.
New Roles and Charmed
Alyssa Milano starred in several films in the 1990s. These included Fear and Hugo Pool. In 1996, she joined the TV show Melrose Place as Jennifer Mancini. She then got a lead role in another show by producer Aaron Spelling. In 1998, she was cast as Phoebe Halliwell in Charmed.
On Charmed, Alyssa and her co-star Holly Marie Combs became producers for the show's later seasons. The series was very popular and ran for eight years, ending in 2006.
From the 2000s to Today
In the early 2000s, Alyssa Milano appeared in commercials. She also started writing a baseball blog for Major League Baseball's website. She is a big fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2007, she launched her "Touch" clothing line for female sports fans. This line includes gear for baseball, hockey, and football.
In 2009, Alyssa voiced Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn in the Ghostbusters: The Video Game. She also released a book about her love for baseball called Safe At Home: Confessions of a Baseball Fanatic. She continued acting in movies like Hall Pass and New Year's Eve.
In 2013, Alyssa created a comic book series called Hacktivist. It's a thrilling story about hacking and global activism. The series received good reviews. She also starred in the ABC drama Mistresses. She later became a host and judge for Project Runway: All Stars.
More recently, Alyssa Milano has appeared in Netflix shows like Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later and Insatiable. In 2019, she released a children's book series called Hope. She also started hosting a podcast called Alyssa Milano: Sorry Not Sorry. This podcast discusses social and political topics. In 2021, her book Sorry Not Sorry was released. It shares her thoughts on activism and current issues. Alyssa Milano is set to perform on Broadway in the musical Chicago in 2024.
Other Work
Alyssa Milano has been featured on the covers of many magazines. She has also appeared in television commercials for various products. She was a spokesperson for Sheer Cover cosmetics.
Standing Up for What's Right
Since 2004, Alyssa Milano has been very active in supporting different causes.
In 2004, she was a spokesperson for UNICEF's "Trick or Treat" campaign. She raised money to help women and children with AIDS in South Africa. She did this by selling her own photos.
She has also supported PETA. In 2007, she appeared in an advertisement for them. She encouraged people to try vegetarianism.
Alyssa is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for the United States. She has traveled to places like Angola and India to see how people live. She met women with HIV-positive and people affected by war. She also visited a settlement in Kosovo to see poor living conditions. She described this trip as "the hardest experience."
For her 37th birthday, Alyssa raised money online for Charity: Water. Her goal was to raise $25,000, but she ended up raising over $75,000!
In 2018, she became a co-chair for the Health Care Voter campaign. She wrote an article explaining why health care was important for her vote. She also encouraged people to use VoteRiders to understand voter ID laws.
Alyssa Milano spoke at the 2018 Women's March. However, she chose not to participate in the 2019 march. She felt some leaders had not spoken out against hate. In 2018, she was recognized as one of Time magazine's "Silence Breakers."
In October 2021, Alyssa Milano was arrested during a protest for voting rights outside the White House.
In 2024, Alyssa Milano became an ambassador for the UNITED24 global initiative. This initiative supports Ukraine in education and science.
Her Views on Issues
Alyssa Milano helped start #NoRA. This group works to reduce the influence of the National Rifle Association of America (NRA) on government. In 2019, she met with Senator Ted Cruz to talk about gun violence.
She has also helped raise money for political candidates. She has encouraged people to vote in different elections. For example, she helped people vote for Doug Jones in Alabama. She also helped for Jon Ossoff in Georgia.
In 2015, she supported Bernie Sanders for president. In 2016, she supported Hillary Clinton. In 2020, she endorsed Joe Biden for president.
In October 2023, Alyssa Milano signed a letter with other artists. They asked for a ceasefire in the conflict in Gaza.
Her Life Outside Work
Alyssa Milano dated actor Corey Haim from 1987 to 1990. She was engaged to actor Scott Wolf in 1993, but they later broke up.
On January 1, 1999, Alyssa married singer Cinjun Tate. They divorced later that year.
Alyssa has dyslexia, which means she sometimes struggles with reading. She shared a tip from actor Sir John Gielgud. He told her to write down her lines to help memorize them. She still uses this method today.
In December 2008, Alyssa got engaged to David Bugliari, an agent. They married on August 15, 2009. They have two children: a son born in 2011 and a daughter born in 2014.
In 2015, Alyssa moved to Bell Canyon, California. She owns land there and has many animals. These include horses, chickens, rabbits, and dogs.
See also
In Spanish: Alyssa Milano para niños
