Melissa Hayden (born November 13, 1969 in

Pacific Palisades, California Pacific Palisades is a neighborhood in the Westside region of Los Angeles, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. Pacific Palisades was formally founded in 1921 by a Methodist organization, and in the years that followed be ...

) is an American actress. Prior to her acting career, she was a longtime member of the California-based song and dance troupe

The Young Americans The Young Americans is a non-profit organization and performing group based in Southern California. First founded in 1962 by Milton C. Anderson, the group was credited with being the first show choir in America, mixing choreography with choral ...

. She is best known to soap fans for playing the role of Bridget Reardon on '' Guiding Light'' from May 21, 1991 to June 18, 1997, in which she spawned some of the show's most-remembered storylines. After she left ''Guiding Light'', Hayden dropped out of the public eye for many years, but in 2009, she reprised her role as Bridget for the ending of the series.http://soaps.sheknows.com/guidinglight/news/id/4915/ Retrieved 20 December 2010. In 1994, Hayden won a

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...

for her role as "Outstanding Younger Actress" on ''GL''. She had also been nominated in the same category in 1993. She also won a

Soap Opera Digest Award ''The Soap Opera Digest Awards'', originally known as ''The Soapy Awards'' when introduced in 1977, is an awards show held by the daytime television magazine ''Soap Opera Digest''. History 1977 until 1983 The Soapy Awards were an award presen ...

and a

Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

in 1994 and 1993 respectively for her role as Bridget. Hayden also played the character of Mouse on '' General Hospital''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayden, Melissa 1969 births Living people American soap opera actresses People from Pacific Palisades, California Daytime Emmy Award winners Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series winners The Young Americans members