Melissa Joan Hart facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Melissa Joan Hart
Hart in September 2017
Born	(1976-04-18) April 18, 1976 (age 49) Smithtown, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Sayville High School
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1985–present
Spouse(s)	Mark Wilkerson ​ (m. 2003)​
Children	3
Parent(s)	Paula Hart (mother)
Relatives	Emily Hart (sister)

Melissa Joan Hart (born April 18, 1976) is an American actress. She is famous for playing the main characters in popular TV shows. These include Clarissa Explains It All (1991–1994), Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996–2003), and Melissa & Joey (2010–2015). She also appeared as Liz in No Good Nick (2019). Melissa has acted in movies like Drive Me Crazy (1999), Nine Dead (2009), and God's Not Dead 2 (2016).

Early Life and Family

Melissa Joan Hart was born in Smithtown, New York. Her mother, Paula Hart, is a producer. Her father, William Hart, worked with wood and shellfish. Melissa grew up in Sayville, New York.

Melissa has four younger siblings: Trisha, Elizabeth, Brian, and Emily. All of them have also acted. Her parents divorced when she was young. She moved to New York City with her mother and siblings. Later, her mother married Leslie Gilliams. Melissa also has three half-sisters.

Melissa's first name comes from a song by the Allman Brothers called "Melissa". Her middle name, Joan, is from her grandmother.

Melissa's Acting Journey

Starting Out in Show Business

Melissa's acting career began when she was only four years old. She appeared in a TV commercial for a doll. By age five, she had been in 25 commercials! She also had small roles in TV shows like Kane & Abel (1985) and The Equalizer (1986). In 1986, she starred in the TV movie Christmas Snow.

In 1989, Melissa worked on a Broadway play called The Crucible. She also appeared in an off-Broadway play that same year.

Becoming Clarissa

Hart on the set of Clarissa Explains It All at Nickelodeon Studios in 1991

In 1991, Melissa got the main role in the Nickelodeon show Clarissa Explains It All. It was a comedy about a teenage girl's daily life. The show was very popular for four years. Melissa won three Young Artist Awards for her role. She also appeared in a video game as Clarissa.

At first, Melissa felt a bit shy about being on a kids' show as a teenager. But she loved the role and hoped it would last a long time. She even recorded two albums as Clarissa. After the show ended in 1994, Melissa filmed a pilot for a spin-off. This new show would have shown Clarissa in college.

Melissa also appeared on the Nickelodeon show Are You Afraid of the Dark? in 1993.

The Magical Years as Sabrina

After Clarissa, Melissa went to New York University. But she left when she got the main role in the 1996 TV movie Sabrina the Teenage Witch. This movie led to the very popular TV series of the same name. The show ran for seven seasons!

Hart participates in a 2011 March of Dimes event with her Melissa & Joey co-stars Joey Lawrence and Taylor Spreitler.

Melissa also helped with an animated version of Sabrina. She voiced Sabrina's aunts, Hilda and Zelda. Her younger sister Emily voiced Sabrina in the cartoon. Melissa also appeared in other TV films and shows. She even played Sabrina in an episode of Boy Meets World.

In 1999, Melissa starred in the movie Drive Me Crazy. Britney Spears released a special version of her song "(You Drive Me) Crazy" to help promote the movie. Melissa and her co-star appeared in the song's music video. Britney Spears also made a guest appearance on Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

Melissa continued to star in Sabrina, the Teenage Witch until 2003. She also started directing episodes of TV shows. She directed an episode of Disney Channel's So Weird in 1999. She also directed episodes of Taina and Sabrina.

After Sabrina: New Adventures

After Sabrina ended in 2003, Melissa directed her first short film called Mute (2005). In 2007, she starred in the ABC Family movie Holiday in Handcuffs with Mario Lopez. This movie was very popular, with 6.7 million viewers. She then starred in another ABC Family movie, My Fake Fiancé, in 2009.

In 2009, Melissa competed on Dancing with the Stars. She danced with Mark Ballas and was eliminated in week six. In 2010, she starred in the movie Nine Dead.

Starring in Melissa & Joey

In 2010, Melissa returned to weekly TV with the sitcom Melissa & Joey. She starred alongside Joey Lawrence. In the show, Melissa played a woman who hires Joey Lawrence to help care for her niece and nephew. She also directed an episode of Melissa & Joey.

Melissa also performed in a play called Love, Loss, and What I Wore in New York City. In 2010, she appeared in commercials for Gain detergent with her friend Soleil Moon Frye.

In 2013, Melissa released her memoir, Melissa Explains It All: Tales from My Abnormally Normal Life. In the book, she wrote about growing up as a child actor. She also shared about balancing her career with being a mom. Melissa & Joey finished in August 2015 after four seasons.

Recent Work and Projects

In 2016, Melissa starred in the film God's Not Dead 2. In 2018, she was cast as Liz in the Netflix comedy series No Good Nick. The show premiered in 2019. She has also directed episodes of other TV shows like The Goldbergs and Young Sheldon.

Melissa returned to Nickelodeon in 2019. She joined the voice cast of The Casagrandes, a spin-off of The Loud House. She voices Becca Chang in the show.

In January 2022, Melissa started hosting a podcast called What Women Binge with her friend Amanda Lee. In 2023, she competed on The Masked Singer as "Lamp". She was eliminated in the "Masked Singer in Space" episode.

Business Ventures

Hart at her SweetHarts Candy Shop opening day, May 30, 2009

In May 2009, Melissa opened a candy shop called SweetHarts in Sherman Oaks, California. She said it was her "childhood dream" to own a candy shop. SweetHarts closed in December 2011. It later reopened with new owners before closing for good in 2015.

In 2015, Melissa and her husband started their own fashion line called King of Harts.

Personal Life

On July 19, 2003, Melissa married musician Mark Wilkerson. They met in May 2002. Their wedding in Florence, Italy, was shown in a TV miniseries. Melissa and Mark have three sons: Mason (born 2006), Braydon (born 2008), and Tucker (born 2012). They lived in Westport, Connecticut, then Lake Tahoe, and now live in Nashville.

Melissa and her family are Presbyterians. She has said they go to church every Sunday. They also pray every night and before meals.

In March 2023, Melissa was near The Covenant School in Nashville. She helped some children get to safety during a difficult event. She later shared her experience.

On October 17, 2021, Melissa won $1 million for her charity, Youth Villages, on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune. She was the first celebrity to win the top prize.

Filmography

Television Roles

Film Roles

Dancing with the Stars Performances

Director Credits

Music Videos

Audiobooks

• 2013: Melissa Explains It All: Tales from My Abnormally Normal Life (read by the author), Macmillan Audio, ISBN: 978-1427232991

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Melissa Joan Hart para niños