Mel Harris
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Mel Harris
Biography
In an era of Mandy Patinkin and Glenn Close, one shouldn't be surprised that one of the loveliest and classiest leading ladies on TV in the 1980s was named Mel Harris. After several years on the fringes of big success, things began to click all at once for Harris in 1987, beginning with a good part in the Rutger Hauer film Wanted Dead or Alive. More importantly, 1987 was the year Harris landed the role of wife/mother/free-lance writer Hope Murdoch on the popular TV series thirtysomething. Harris' subsequent projects have not been as rewarding: there wasn't much she could do with her leading-lady stint in the Jim Belushi opus K-9 (1989), while such melodramas as Raising Caine (1992) and the made-for-TV Women of Spring Break (1995) were beneath not only her talents, but also those of everyone else involved. Hopefully, Mel Harris enjoyed working on the loopy hospital comedy Suture (1993), if for no other reason than her character name was Renee Descartes. In 1996 Harris co-starred with Jere Burns in the TV sitcom Something So Right. ~ Hal Erickson, RoviRelated Videos:
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Mel Harris
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Mel Harris
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Mel Harris
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This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. It includes attribution to IMDb, which may not be a reliable source for biographical information. Please help by adding additional, reliable sources for verification. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2011) |
| Mel Harris | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mary Ellen Harris July 12, 1956 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse | David Silbergeld (1978–79) Brian Kilcommons (1980–82) David Hume Kennerly (1983–88) Cotter Smith (1988–96) Michael Toomey (2001–06) |
Mel Harris (Mary Ellen Harris) (born July 12, 1956) is an American actress.
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Biography
Personal life
Harris was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the daughter to Mary Michael "Mike", a high school science teacher, and Warren Harris, a university football coach.[1] Harris graduated from New Brunswick High School in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1974.[2]
Harris has been married five times: to David Silbergeld (1978–79), Brian Kilcommons (1980–82), photographer David Hume Kennerly (1983–88) (with whom she had son Byron in 1984), actor Cotter Smith (1988–96) (with whom she had daughter Madeline in April 1990) and investment banker Michael Toomey. Harris and Toomey were married May 26, 2001, but he filed for divorce on October 3, 2006.
Career
Harris is perhaps best known for her role as Hope Murdoch Steadman on the popular 1980s television show thirtysomething (1987–1991). In 1989, Harper's Bazaar named her one of "America's 10 Most Beautiful Women". She also had a starring role in the 1988 horror film Cameron's Closet. From 1996 to 1998, she starred with Jere Burns on the NBC sitcom Something So Right.
In addition, Harris has appeared in a number of other television programs including The West Wing, Murder, She Wrote: South by Southwest, Dawson's Creek, Touched by an Angel, and House. She played real-life victim Madge Oberholtzer in the TV mini-series Cross of Fire (1989) and starred in the Scott Turow legal thriller The Burden of Proof in 1992. She had a recurring role on Stargate SG-1 as Oma Desala.
Before finding success as an actress, Harris had appeared as a contestant on the game show Pyramid on two separate 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 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.
Harris guest-starred on the Close to Home episode "Maternal Instinct" that aired April 6, 2007 on CBS. She played Beth Murphy, mother of Eric Murphy, who was convicted of killing his father (Beth's husband) and attempting to kill her as well. Harris played Sylvia Capshaw on the MyNetworkTV limited-run serial Saints & Sinners.
References
- ^ Mel Harris Biography (1957–)
- ^ The Ultimate New Jersey High School Year Book.
External links
- Mel Harris at the Internet Movie Database
- Mel Harris at the Notable Names Database
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Mentioned in
With Hostile Intent
(1993 Drama Film)
Broken Lullaby
(1994 Drama Film)
Family Under Siege
(2000 Thriller Film)
Paradise: The Outer Limits (TV Episode)
(1996 Science Fiction TV Episode)
My Brother's Wife
(1989 Romance Film)
» More