Melissa Joan Hart

Melissa Joan Hart (born April 18, 1976) is an American actress who is best known for playing the title roles in two successful television series, Clarissa Explains It All and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.

Career

Hart's career began early on. When she was still a baby, she made her first TV commercial for a bathtub toy called Splashy. From then on, she appeared regularly in commercials, making 25 of them before the age of five. Other early TV work included a small role in the miniseries Kane & Abel in 1985, a guest-starring role in an episode of The Equalizer in 1986, and a starring role alongside Katherine Helmond in the Emmy Award-winning TV movie Christmas Snow, also in 1986.

Related Topics:
TV commercial - Splashy - Miniseries - Kane & Abel - Guest-star - The Equalizer - 1986 - Katherine Helmond - Emmy Award - Christmas Snow

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In 1989, she auditioned for a Broadway production of The Crucible starring Martin Sheen, becoming an understudy to three of the young girls in the play. This paved the way for her to land the title role in the TV show Clarissa Explains It All. The Nickelodeon series, a comedy about a teen girl in everyday situations, became a big hit and aired for five seasons. The show brought her four consecutive Young Artist Award nominations, of which she won three, and made her a household name among American teenagers.

Related Topics:
1989 - Broadway - The Crucible - Martin Sheen - Understudy - Clarissa Explains It All - Nickelodeon - Seasons - Young Artist Award

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During her time on "Clarissa" Hart recorded an album (under the guise of that character) entitled This is What Na Na Means. It was mostly a novelty product and did not sell well, receive critical attention or place in any charts.

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After the series was canceled, she attended New York University. She did not complete her degree as she resumed her acting career in 1994 when she got the lead role for the TV movie Sabrina the Teenage Witch, which eventually led to her also starring as Sabrina in a television series which lasted seven seasons. In between, she also worked on the series Touched by an Angel and starred in several TV movies.

Related Topics:
New York University - 1994 - Sabrina the Teenage Witch - Television series - Touched by an Angel

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In 1999, Melissa landed a small part in a movie named Can't Hardly Wait, and then starred in ', a movie that includes "(You Drive Me) Crazy", a number-one hit by Britney Spears, on its soundtrack. Hart also appeared in the music video for this song. She has appeared in other movies since Drive Me Crazy, but none has brought her as much recognition.

Related Topics:
1999 - Can't Hardly Wait - (You Drive Me) Crazy - Britney Spears - Soundtrack - Music video

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Hart appeared in lingerie in a series of photos featured in the October 1999 issue of the men's magazine Maxim, as well as in similarly revealing pictorials in Bikini and Movieline magazines around the same time. This caused problems for both Hart and ABC (the network broadcasting Sabrina the Teenage Witch) since the copyright holder of the series, Archie Comics, regarded the series as a show for children and pre-teens, and believed that the Maxim photos and the accompanying article hurt the show's wholesome image (Hart also discussed her sex life and Sabrina drinking games that could be played when watching the series at home). Michael Silberkleit, the chairman and co-publisher of Archie Comics demanded that Hart either apologize or be fired from the series. She neither apologized nor was fired.

Related Topics:
Lingerie - October 1999 - Maxim - ABC - Archie Comics - Michael Silberkleit

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In 2003, Hart and her production company, Hartbreak Films, produced a miniseries entitled Tying the Knot, documenting her wedding to musician Mark Wilkerson, a member of the band Course of Nature.

Related Topics:
2003 - Production company - Hartbreak Films - Tying the Knot - Wedding - Mark Wilkerson - Course of Nature

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In June 2005, Hart announced that she and her husband are expecting their first child in January 2006.

Related Topics:
June 2005 - January 2006

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