Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Milano | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Alyssa Jayne Milano |
| Other names | Lyssa, Lyssie, Lyss, Ally |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, Singer, Producer |
| Years active | 1984 - present |
| Spouse | Cinjun Tate (1999) - divorced |
| Website | http://www.alyssa.com/ |
Alyssa Jayne Milano (born December 19, 1972) is an American actress and former singer. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Samantha Micelli in the sitcom Who's the Boss?, Phoebe Halliwell on the supernatural series Charmed or via her new female apparel clothing line Touch. She has a recurring role on My Name is Earl, playing Billie Cunningham. She got her start in acting by starring in the Broadway show Annie.
Early life and career
Milano was born in New York City, the daughter of Italian-American parents Lin, a former fashion designer and talent manager, and Thomas M. Milano, a film music editor and a well-known boating enthusiast.[1] She has a younger brother, Cory (born in 1982), who is also an actor, but has more recently started a band, called Chloroform Days, in which he is the lead singer. Milano was born in Brooklyn but grew up in Staten Island, New York and was raised Catholic.[2] She began her career at the age of eight when she won a part in an open audition for a national tour of Annie. She appeared in television commercials and off-Broadway productions. At the age of eleven, she earned her first major role in the TV show Who's the Boss?, alongside Tony Danza, Judith Light, Danny Pintauro and Katherine Helmond. She starred as Samantha Micelli, the daughter of Danza's character, Tony Micelli. When Milano won the role, her family relocated from Staten Island to Hollywood.
She produced a teen workout video in 1988 called Teen Steam. In 1985, Milano was in the film Commando as Jenny Matrix who was John Matrix (Arnold Schwarzenegger)'s daughter. A few years later this film was shown in Japan prompting a producer to offer Alyssa a five album record deal.
Later career
At the beginning of her career, Milano was known mainly for her role on Who's the Boss? (1984-1992). She tried to shed her "nice girl" image by appearing in several films targeted at adults, such as Casualties of Love: The Long Island Lolita Story (1992), Embrace of the Vampire (1994), Confessions of a Sorority Girl (1994), Deadly Sins (1995), and Poison Ivy II: Lily (1995), where she starred opposite Johnathon Schaech and Xander Berkeley. She gained more mainstream success in TV as Jennifer Mancini on Melrose Place (1997-1998), Meg Winston in Spin City and most notably as Phoebe Halliwell on Charmed (1998-2006). Both Milano and close friend Holly Marie Combs became producers for Charmed during the show's fifth season. She also played the role of Eva Savelot in MCI's 1-800-COLLECT commercials. In 2007, Milano filmed a pilot for ABC entitled Reinventing the Wheelers. The series was not picked up for the 2007-2008 season, but instead, Milano appeared in ten episodes of the show My Name is Earl. This reunited her with Jaime Pressly who guest starred in the Season 5 premiere of Charmed, A Witch's Tail.[3] She is set to reappear in the fourth season of the Emmy winning show, reprising her role as Billie Cunningham. Not much is known about her storylines.
On stage, she starred in Tender Offer, a one-act play written by Wendy Wasserstein, All Night Long by American playwright John O'Keefe,[4] and the first American musical adaptation of Jane Eyre. She returned to the theater in 1991, when she starred in and produced a Los Angeles production of Butterflies Are Free. Milano also appeared in the Josie music video by Blink-182, and in 2007, Milano began appearing on television again in commercials for Veet and SheerCover.
Milano was part of TBS' special coverage installment Hot Corner for the 2007 Major League Baseball playoffs.[5] She reported at Fenway Park during the ALDS between the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. She also reported at Chase Field during the NLCS between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies.
Milano starred in the 2008 film Pathology alongside Milo Ventimiglia, and was then cast in a new comedic television show, Single with Parents, for the 2008-2009 season.
Personal life
Milano suffers from dyslexia.[6] In an interview in 2004, Milano explained how she deals with the disorder:
"I've stumbled over words while reading from Teleprompters. Sir John Gielgud, whom I worked with on The Canterville Ghost years ago, gave me great advice. When I asked how he memorized his monologues, he said, 'I write them down.' I use that method to this day. It not only familiarizes me with the words, it makes them my own."
Milano has eight tattoos located variously, including one on each wrist and ankle, shoulder, neck, hip and lower back. Milano is also a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2007 she created her own signature "Touch" line of team apparel for female baseball fans, currently available on Major League Baseball's website, along with her own baseball blog.[7] She also has an interest in the Los Angeles Kings, a National Hockey League team and is involved with a related clothing line. In 2008, she expanded that to NFL football, as a New York Giants fan. Since Milano is in the same hometown as NFL Network's Rich Eisen (Staten Island), she revealed some of her family's connections with the New York Giants while she picked the winners of NFL games for week 7 of 2008. [8] Milano is a vegetarian and appears in numerous PETA advertising campaigns for vegetarianism. Outside of acting, her hobbies include photography, humanitarian work, and spending time with her three dogs and eight horses. In 2005, she was ranked #5 in the '50 Cutest Child Stars -All Grown Up'.
Philanthropy
Milano was appointed Founding Ambassador for the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases to which she donated $250,000. The Global Network is an alliance formed to advocate and mobilize resources in the fight to control neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Milano will work to raise awareness of NTDs by educating the mainstream media and general public of the plight faced by the one billion people who are afflicted by NTDs, and the importance in controlling and preventing this global health crisis.
Milano is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for the United States. She traveled to India, as well as Angola, to work with UNICEF field officers there. In the fall of 2004, she launched UNICEF's "Trick or Treat" campaign as an official spokesperson. She raised approximately $50,000 for South African women and children with AIDS by selling her own and a school's photo work. In support of PETA, she appeared in an advertisement for them, advocating vegetarianism, in a dress made entirely of vegetables.
Filmography
Films
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Old Enough | Diane | |
| 1985 | Commando | Jenny Matrix | Award Nominated performance |
| 1986 | The Canterville Ghost | Jennifer Canterville | TV movie |
| 1988 | Crash Course | Vanessa Crawford | TV movie a.k.a. Driving Academy |
| Dance 'Til Dawn | Shelley Sheridan | Award Nominated performance & TV movie | |
| 1989 | Speed Zone! | Lurleen | a.k.a. Cannonball Fever |
| 1992 | Little Sister | Diana | |
| Where the Day Takes You | Kimmy | ||
| 1993 | The Webbers | Fan | TV movie |
| Conflict of Interest | Eve | ||
| Casualties of Love: The Long Island Lolita Story | Amy Fisher | TV movie | |
| Candles in the Dark | Sylvia Velliste | TV movie | |
| 1994 | Confessions of a Sorority Girl | Rita Summers | TV movie |
| Double Dragon | Marian Delario/Power Corps Chief | ||
| 1995 | Deadly Sins | Cristina | |
| Embrace of the Vampire | Charlotte Wells | ||
| The Surrogate | Amy Winslow | TV movie | |
| 1996 | Jimmy Zip | Short Film | |
| Poison Ivy II: Lily | Lily Leonetti | ||
| Fear | Margo Masse | ||
| Glory Daze | Chelsea | ||
| To Brave Alaska | Denise Harris | TV movie | |
| Public Enemies | Amaryllis | ||
| 1997 | Below Utopia | Susanne | |
| Hugo Pool | Hugo Dugay | ||
| 1998 | Goldrush: A Real Life Alaskan Adventure | Frances Ella 'Fizzy' Fitz | TV movie |
| 2001 | Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure | Angel | Award Nominated Performance |
| Diamond Hunters | Tracey Van der Byl | TV movie | |
| 2002 | Buying the Cow | Amy | |
| Kiss the Bride | Amy Kayne | ||
| 2003 | Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star | Cyndi | |
| 2005 | Dinotopia: Quest for the Ruby Sunstone | 26 | Voice |
| 2007 | The Blue Hour | Allegra | |
| 2008 | Wisegal | Patty Montanari | Lifetime original movie |
| Pathology | Gwen Williamson |
TV series
| Year(s) | Title | Role | Seasons | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-92 | Who's the Boss? | Samantha Micelli | 1–8 | Won Six Awards for the role of Samantha in the hit TV show |
| 1997-98 | Melrose Place | Jennifer Mancini | 5 & 6 | Left after the end of Season 6 - this was an extended season that picked up in the summer of '98. She never appeared in Season 7, due to getting a lead role on the the WB hit show; Charmed. |
| 1998-06 | Charmed | Phoebe Halliwell | 1–8 | Was a producer with Holly Marie Combs from the beginning of Season Five. Also known as the longest running television show with all female leads. |
| 2007-08 | My Name is Earl | Billie Cunningham | 3-4 | Appeared in ten episodes in season 3.
Milano is set to reprise her role as Billie Cunningham in the fourth season of the series. |
TV appearances
| Title | Season | Role | Episode titles | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Outer Limits | 1 | Hannah Valesic | Caught in the Act | Ep. 16 |
| Spin City | 2 | Meg Winston | They Shoot Horses, Don't They? | Ep. 11 |
| Spin City | 5 | Meg Winston | Rain on My Charades | Ep. 17 |
| Fantasy Island | 1 | Gina Williams | Superfriends | Ep. 2 |
| The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius | 2 | April Gorlock | Win, Lose & Kaboom! | Voice |
| Family Guy | 3 | Herself | Mr. Griffin Goes to Washington | Ep. 3 |
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Information | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| JPN | ||
| 1989 | Look In My Heart
|
|
| 1989 | Alyssa
|
|
| 1991 | Locked Inside A Dream
|
|
| 1992 | Do You See Me?
|
Compilations
| Year | Information | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| JPN | ||
| 1990 | The Best In The World: Non-Stop Special Remix/Alyssa's Singles
|
|
| 1995 | The Very Best Of Alyssa Milano
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Album | Peak positions | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | U.S. AC | JPN | |||||||||
| 1989 | "What a Feeling" | Look in My Heart | - | - | - | ||||||
| "Look In My Heart" | - | - | - | ||||||||
| "Straight to the Top" | - | - | - | ||||||||
| "I Had a Dream" | Alyssa | - | - | - | |||||||
| "Happiness" | - | - | - | ||||||||
| 1990 | "The Best in the World" | The Best in the World | - | - | - | ||||||
| "I Love When We're Together"1 | Single Only | - | - | - | |||||||
| 1991 | "New Sensation" | Locked Inside a Dream | - | - | - | ||||||
| "Voices That Care" 1 | Single Only | 11 | 6 | - | |||||||
| 1992 | "Do You See Me?" | Do You See Me? | - | - | - | ||||||
| 1993 | "No Secret" 2 | Locked Inside a Dream | - | - | - | ||||||
Footnotes:
- 1 Non-album Single.
- 2 Only released in France.
Other recordings
- Teen Steam Theme song from Alyssa Milano's Teen Steam Workout Video (1988)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Title | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Young Artist Award | Won | Best Young Supporting Actress in a Television Series (Who's the Boss) |
| 1987 | Young Artist Award | Nominated | Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress Starring in a Feature Film - Comedy or Drama (Commando) |
| Young Artist Award | Won | Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress, Starring in a Television, Comedy or Drama Series (Who's the Boss) | |
| 1988 | Young Artist Award | Won | Best Young Female Superstar in Television (Who's the Boss) |
| Kids' Choice Award | Won | Favorite TV Actress (Who's the Boss) | |
| 1989 | Young Artist Award | Nominated | Best Young Actress in a Special, Pilot, Movie of the Week or Mini-Series (Dance til Dawn) |
| Kids' Choice Award | Won | Favorite TV Actress (Who's the Boss) | |
| 1990 | Blimp Award | Won | Favorite TV Actress (Who's the Boss) |
| 2001 | Annie Award | Nominated | Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Feature Production (Lady and the Tramp II) |
| 2005 | Blimp Award | Nominated | Favorite TV Actress (Charmed) |
| 2006 | Teen Choice Award | Nominated | TV - Choice Actress (Charmed) |
References
- ^ "Alyssa Milano Biography (1974-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2003-01-23.
- ^ "WITCH ON HEELS". Geocities.com. Retrieved 1999-05-14.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "Exclusive: Earl Charmed By Alyssa Milano". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
- ^ ""STAGE: 'All Night Long'" by [[Frank Rich]]". The New York Times. 1984-03-29. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
{{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help) - ^ "The Official Site of Major League Baseball: TBS Hot Corner". MLB.com. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
- ^ "Us Weekly reports Alyssa Milano was spotted sipping champagne at Mansion in Miami Beach". Abstracts.net. Retrieved 2004-03-29.
- ^ ""I Want To Be Remembered as a Ballplayer Who Gave All He Had to Give" – Roberto Clemente". Alyssa.mlblogs.com. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
- ^ Week 7 celebrity picks: Alyssa Milano
External links
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