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Mel Harris(I)

  • Actress
  • Director
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Mel Harris
Trailer 1
Play trailer2:24
Queen of Knives (2024)
15 Videos
64 Photos
Mel Harris is an American actress, writer and director, best known for her portrayal of Hope Steadman on the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning series Thirtysomething (1987), for which she received a Golden Globe nomination as best Actress in a Drama Series. She starred in the NBC comedy Something So Right (1996) and the My Network drama series Saints and Sinners (2014). Her most recent role has been as Nadine Davies on Hulu's new series Shut Eye (2016)

Mary Ellen Harris was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and raised in New Jersey. Her mother was a high school science teacher and her father a football coach at Princeton University. She spent 12 years in the modeling world living in New York and Europe before stumbling into the acting business. She starred in numerous miniseries and telefilms including Cross Fire (1989), The Burden of Proof (1992) and Grass Roots (1992), as well as appearances on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999), and as Senator Rafferty on The West Wing (1999). Among her feature film credits are Brian De Palma's Raising Cain (1992) , K-9 (1989) (opposite Jim Belushi), Suture (1993), The Pagemaster (1994), and Wanted: Dead or Alive (1986).

She made her New York stage debut at the Circle Repertory Company in the world premiere of John Bishop's Empty Hearts, for which she received a 1992 Theater World Award. In addition to her acting, in the last few years, she has focused on writing with her partner and husband, Emmy Award winning writer/producer, Bob Brush, under their shingle Topanga Moon Productions.
BornJuly 12, 1956
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornJuly 12, 1956
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations total

    Photos64

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    Known for

    K-9 (1989)
    K-9
    6.1
    • Tracy
    • 1989
    Thirtysomething (1987)
    Thirtysomething
    7.5
    TV Series
    • Hope Murdoch Steadman
    Whoopi Goldberg, Macaulay Culkin, Christopher Lloyd, Leonard Nimoy, Patrick Stewart, Jim Cummings, Phil Hartman, and Frank Welker in The Pagemaster (1994)
    The Pagemaster
    6.2
    • Claire Tyler
    • 1994
    Lolita Davidovich and John Lithgow in Raising Cain (1992)
    Raising Cain
    6.1
    • Sarah
    • 1992

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Actress



    • Raising Caines
      • Julie Caine
      • Released
      • TV Series
      • 1995



    • Mel Harris, Jon Delgado, Tara Westwood, Lindsay Joy, Carmen LoBue, Emily Bennett, Gene Pope, Alexandra Renzo, Justin Sams, and Roxi Pope in Queen of Knives (2024)
      Queen of Knives
      7.6
      • Kathy
      • 2024
    • King of Knives (2020)
      King of Knives
      5.0
      • Kathy
      • 2020
    • Inbar Lavi, Parker Young, Rob Heaps, and Marianne Rendón in Imposters (2017)
      Imposters
      7.8
      TV Series
      • Margaret Jonson
      • 2017–2018
    • Shut Eye (2016)
      Shut Eye
      7.2
      TV Series
      • Nadine Davies
      • 2016
    • Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015)
      Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
      7.9
      TV Series
      • Shawna
      • 2015
    • Debra Messing, Billie Joe Armstrong, Leighton Meester, and Julian Shatkin in Like Sunday, Like Rain (2014)
      Like Sunday, Like Rain
      6.9
      • Sally (uncredited)
      • 2014
    • Mariska Hargitay in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999)
      Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
      8.1
      TV Series
      • Eileen Switzer
      • 2013–2014
    • Eddie Murphy and Yara Shahidi in Imagine That (2009)
      Imagine That
      5.6
      • Maggie Johnson (uncredited)
      • 2009
    • Alfred Molina, Simon Baker, Hope Davis, and Shane West in The Lodger (2009)
      The Lodger
      5.7
      • Margaret
      • 2009
    • Saints & Sinners (2007)
      Saints & Sinners
      6.5
      TV Series
      • Sylvia Capshaw
      • 2007
    • Cane (2007)
      Cane
      7.1
      TV Series
      • Constance Hughes
      • 2007
    • Kimberly Elise and Jennifer Finnigan in Close to Home (2005)
      Close to Home
      6.6
      TV Series
      • Beth Murphy
      • 2007
    • Criminal Minds (2005)
      Criminal Minds
      8.1
      TV Series
      • Congressman Steyer
      • 2006
    • Gary Sinise and Sela Ward in CSI: NY (2004)
      CSI: NY
      7.0
      TV Series
      • Julie Rollins
      • 2006
    • Arc (2006)
      Arc
      5.8
      • Charlie
      • 2006

    Director



    • Thirtysomething (1987)
      Thirtysomething
      7.5
      TV Series
      • Director
      • 1991

    Writer



    • Scruples (2012)
      Scruples
      7.7
      TV Movie
      • teleplay
      • 2012

    Verified affiliations

    Learn more at IMDbPro
    SAG-AFTRA

    Videos15

    Imagine That
    Clip 0:49
    Imagine That
    Imagine That
    Clip 1:01
    Imagine That
    Imagine That
    Clip 1:01
    Imagine That
    Imagine That
    Clip 0:54
    Imagine That
    Imagine That
    Clip 0:37
    Imagine That
    Trailer
    Trailer 2:06
    Trailer
    Trailer
    Trailer 1:20
    Trailer

    Personal details

    Edit
    • Height
      • 5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
    • Born
      • July 12, 1956
      • Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
    • Spouses
        Bob Brush2009 - present
    • Children
        Byron Kennerly
    • Parents
        Mary Michael Harris
    • Other works
      Appeared in Inside 'thirtysomething' (2001) on Bravo (2001).
    • Publicity listings
      • 1 Interview
      • 2 Articles
      • 1 Pictorial
      • 10 Magazine Cover Photos

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      'Mel' is actually short for 'Melon,' which was how her baby sister pronounced 'Mary Ellen' when she was very young, and the nickname stuck.

    FAQ

    Powered by Alexa
    • How old is Mel Harris?
      68 years old
    • When was Mel Harris born?
      July 12, 1956
    • Where was Mel Harris born?
      Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
    • What is Mel Harris's birth name?
      Mary Ellen Harris
    • How tall is Mel Harris?
      5 feet 8 inches, or 1.73 meters

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