Alyssa Milano

Alyssa Jayne Milano ( ; born December 19, 1972) is an American actress and activist. She has played Samantha Micelli in '' Who's the Boss?'' (1984–1992), Jennifer Mancini in '' Melrose Place'' (1997–1998), Phoebe Halliwell in '' Charmed'' (1998–2006), Billie Cunningham in ''My Name Is Earl'' (2007–2008), Savannah "Savi" Davis in '' Mistresses'' (2013–2014), Renata Murphy in '' Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later'' (2017), and Coralee Armstrong in '' Insatiable'' (2018–2019). As an activist, Milano is known for her role in the #MeToo movement in October 2017.

Early life

Alyssa Jayne Milano was born in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City on December 19, 1972, the daughter of fashion designer and talent manager Lin Milano and film music editor Thomas M. Milano. She and her family left Bensonhurst after a neighborhood shooting, relocating to Great Kills, Staten Island. She is of Italian descent and has a brother named Cory, who is a decade younger. She was raised Catholic, and still practices the faith.

Career

1980s and 1990s

Milano began her career at age seven, when her babysitter, without notifying her parents, took her to an audition for the national touring company of '' Annie''. She was one of four selected from more than 1,500 girls. During the course of her work in the play, Milano and her mother were on the road for 18 months. After returning to New York, Milano appeared in television commercials, and performed several roles in off-Broadway productions, including the first American musical adaptation of '' Jane Eyre''. While accompanying a friend from ''Annie'' to the office of a New York agent, the agent signed Milano. She does not feel that growing up in front of the camera harmed her childhood and has said: "I love my family very much – they've really backed my career. I consider myself to be normal: I've got to clean my room, and help in the kitchen." In August 1984, Milano made her film debut in the coming-of-age drama '' Old Enough'', which she recalled as a "great way of starting out". The film was screened at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won First Prize.

Milano auditioned as the daughter of Tony Danza's character on the sitcom '' Who's the Boss?'' After winning the part, she and her family moved to Los Angeles, where the show was produced. It premiered on ABC on September 20, 1984. Throughout ''Who's the Boss?'', Milano developed a close relationship with co-star Danza. Commenting on their early years together, Danza observed: "She was just the sweetest little girl of all time ... She became much like my daughter." The series established Milano as a teen idol, and provided her opportunities for other roles. Her education was split between school and an on-set tutor with whom Milano would work for three hours a day.

At age 12, Milano co-starred in ''Commando'' (1985) as Jenny Matrix, the daughter of John Matrix (Arnold Schwarzenegger). Subsequently, she starred in the children's film '' The Canterville Ghost'', which did not achieve much praise or attention and '' Variety'' magazine noted in its review: "Milano as the catalyzing daughter Jennifer adapts to the ghostly Sir Simon without a qualm; that, of course, is the true charm of the story, but Milano doesn't exhibit enough presence to match the droll, charming Gielgud". A few years later this film was shown in Japan, prompting a producer to offer Milano a five-album record deal. Milano's albums, which she described as " bubblegum pop", scored platinum in the country, though she later criticised their musical quality.

On stage, Milano starred in ''Tender Offer'', a one-act play written by Wendy Wasserstein, ''All Night Long'' by American playwright John O'Keefe, and the first American musical adaptation of '' Jane Eyre''. She returned to the theater in 1991, producing and starring in a Los Angeles production of '' Butterflies Are Free'' from December 26, 1991, to January 19, 1992. Milano starred in two 1988 television films, '' Crash Course'' and '' Dance 'til Dawn''. Both projects allowed her to work alongside close personal friend Brian Bloom, who worked with his brother Scott with her in episodes of ''Who's the Boss''; this working camaraderie would later expand in 1993 when Milano made a cameo appearance in Bloom's film '' The Webbers''. She produced a teen workout video, ''Teen Steam'', and achieved some fame outside the US with her music career, which lasted until the early 1990s. Even though she scored platinum in Japan, Milano had no interest to pursue a music career in the United States: "I'm not interested in crossing over. I'd much rather have it released where it's appreciated than laughed at." Simultaneously, she wrote a weekly column called "From Alyssa, with love" for the teen magazine ''Teen Machine''."Alyssa Milano: Idol Chatter" by Mark Ebner. ''Premiere Magazine'', 1995.

Milano played a teenage prostitute in the 1992 independent film '' Where the Day Takes You''. The film, which focuses on a group of young runaway and homeless teenagers, was shot on and around Hollywood Boulevard and was met with positive critical reception. It was nominated for the Critics Award at the Deauville Film Festival, and won the Golden Space Needle Award at the Seattle International Film Festival. Although Milano feared that viewers would only recognize her as "the girl from ''Who's the Boss?''", she was noticed by the media, which helped her land the role of Amy Fisher in the high-profile television film '' Casualties of Love: The "Long Island Lolita" Story'', one of three TV films based on Fisher's shooting of Mary Jo Buttafuoco.Svetkey, Benjamin (December 18, 1992)
"Amy Fisher on TV"
''Entertainment Weekly''. Milano said that her portrayal of Fisher in the film, which was based on the Buttafuoco's point of view, "was the least 'Alyssa' of anything he haddone." The film was shot from November–December 1992. She welcomed the cancellation of ''Who's the Boss?'', as she was ready to move on to other roles and enthusiastic to "showcase" what she was able to do. Looking back on eight years of playing the same role, Milano commented, "Creatively, it's been very frustrating. I gave her more of a personality. I changed her wardrobe, cut her hair, anything to give her new life."

In the early 1990s, Milano auditioned for nearly every film role in her age bracket, including B movies, and finally tried to shed her "nice girl" image by appearing nude in several erotic films targeted at adults, such as '' Embrace of the Vampire'', '' Deadly Sins'' and '' Poison Ivy II: Lily''. She said the nude appearances taught her to begin requiring a nudity clause in her contracts giving her "full control" over all her nude scenes. In a 1995 interview, she explained her motivation for some explicit scenes in ''Embrace of the Vampire'': "I'm not going to say that I was manipulated into doing things that I didn't want to do. I did it because it was a woman director and I felt protected. And I learned a lot as far as knowing where the camera is and what coverage they need so that it's not all explicit."

She starred in other roles, such as '' Candles in the Dark'', '' Confessions of a Sorority Girl'', '' The Surrogate'', '' To Brave Alaska'' and ''Fear'', which did not receive very positive reviews, although Jack Matthews of the ''Los Angeles Times'' called Milano's performance in ''Fear'' "very good". Milano starred in the lead role in '' Hugo Pool'' (1997). In late 1996, Milano was offered a role of Jennifer Mancini on the drama '' Melrose Place'' by producer Aaron Spelling: "We were looking for someone with sparkle. Alyssa was the perfect choice."''Complete Woman'', December/January 2002. She left early in season seven. In 1998, she was cast as Phoebe Halliwell, one of the three lead characters on Spelling's show '' Charmed''. She and Holly Marie Combs became producers for the show during season four. The series ran for eight seasons, concluding in 2006.
Also in 1998, she played Mark Hoppus's love interest in the music video for Blink-182's " Josie".

2000s

upright=0.6, left, Milano in 2003
In the early 2000s, Milano played Eva Savelot in MCI Inc. commercials for that company's 1-800-COLLECT campaign. In 2007, Milano's commercial work included two 2007 television ads for Veet and Sheer Cover. That year, she filmed a pilot for ABC called ''Reinventing the Wheelers'', which was not picked up for the 2007–08 season. That season she appeared in ten episodes of ''My Name Is Earl''. Milano was part of TBS's special coverage installment ''Hot Corner'' for the 2007 Major League Baseball playoffs. A fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers, in April 2007, Milano began writing a baseball blog on the Major League Baseball's website. That year she reported at Fenway Park during the ALDS between the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The same year, she launched her signature "Touch" line of team apparel for female baseball fans, selling it through her blog on Major League Baseball's website. It also became available in 2009 through a boutique store located in Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets. She 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 from the same hometown as NFL Network's Rich Eisen, she revealed some of her family's connections with the Giants. In 2013, Milano expanded "Touch" into NASCAR.

On March 20, 2009, it was announced that Milano voiced Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn in '' Ghostbusters: The Video Game''. In a 2010 interview she told the press that she had 'a blast' working on the game, although she recalled it being 'odd' having to grunt in a room alone. On March 24, 2009, her book on her baseball fandom, ''Safe At Home: Confessions of a Baseball Fanatic'', was released. Milano has signed on to star in and produce '' My Girlfriend's Boyfriend'', a romantic comedy in which she plays a woman with a relationship dilemma. Milano starred in the sitcom '' Romantically Challenged'' as Rebecca Thomas, a recently divorced single mother attorney in Pittsburgh who has not dated "since Bill Clinton was president". The series premiered on ABC on April 19, 2010. The series was cancelled after airing four episodes. Milano produced and led the cast of Lifetime's TV film '' Sundays at Tiffany's''. which was her second collaboration with Lifetime, after '' Wisegal'' (2008).

2010s and 2020s

In 2011, Milano appeared in two comedy films, '' Hall Pass'' and ''New Year's Eve''. In 2013, Milano created the comic book series ''Hacktivist'', which was written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, drawn by Marcus To, and published by Archaia Entertainment. The book, which explores the modern world of hacking and global activism, is described as "a fast-paced cyber-thriller about friendship and freedom in a time of war". The publication was released digitally in late 2013, while the first print edition issue of the four-issue miniseries was published in January 2014. A hardcover edition collecting all four issues was released in July 2014. The series received positive reviews, as it holds a score of 8.1 out of 10 at the review aggregator website Comic Book Roundup.

In June 2013, she played Savannah Davis in ABC drama series '' Mistresses'', which is about the scandalous lives of four girlfriends, but she left the show after season two, due to conflict between filming location and family issues. She signed on as host and judge '' Project Runway: All Stars'' beginning with season three. On March 2, 2015, Milano was a guest host on '' The Talk''. In September 2015, Milano began to make appearances as a brand ambassador for the preschool television channel Sprout, being billed as the network's "mom-bassador". In 2017 and 2018, Milano joined the cast of two Netflix comedy series: '' Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later'' and '' Insatiable''. In 2018 she was cast in the lead role in '' Tempting Fate'', based on the best-selling book by Jane Green.

In 2019, she released a children's book ''Hope: Project Middle School Book'' which is part of her 'Hope' book series which she co-authors with Debbie Rigaud. Also in 2019, Milano began hosting the podcast ''Alyssa Milano: Sorry Not Sorry''. The podcast deals with social and political commentary and frequently features actors, activists, and political luminaries. In 2020, Milano was a recurring star on the Quibi comedy '' The Now''. In 2021, Milano was cast to star in the Netflix film adaptation of Nora Roberts' novel ''Brazen Virtue''.

In October 2021, Milano's book ''Sorry Not Sorry'' was released. It contains 32 essays describing her activism and thoughts on current political and social issues. On October 29, 2021, she signed a first-look production deal with A&E Studios. She also signed a deal with the United Talent Agency (UTA) more recently, on December 13, 2021. Milano will perform the role of Roxie Hart in ''Chicago'' on Broadway in the fall of 2024.

Other ventures

She has appeared on the cover of numerous magazines, including '' Cosmopolitan'', ''Stuff'', '' Seventeen'', '' Cleo'', '' Woman's World'', '' Veronica'', ''Maxim'' and '' FHM''. She has appeared in television commercials for Wen, Candies, Veet, Hi-C and Atkins diet. She was a spokesmodel for Sheer Cover cosmetics.

Activism

In the late 1980s, Milano contacted Ryan White, a preteen boy ostracized for having AIDS, and a fan of hers. She attended a party for him where she sat with him for six hours making friendship bracelets. They appeared together on '' The Phil Donahue Show'', where Milano kissed White on the cheek to emphasize that people do not catch the disease through casual contact.

Since 2004, Milano has canvassed for national, state, and local candidates.

In October 2004, Milano participated in UNICEF's " Trick or Treat" campaign as the national spokesperson. She raised approximately US$50,000 for South African women and children with AIDS by selling her own and schools' photo work.Siegler, Bonnie (July 25, 2008).

In support of PETA, she appeared in a 2007 advertisement for them, advocating vegetarianism, in a dress made entirely of vegetables.

In June 2007, The Sabin Vaccine Institute named Milano a Founding Ambassador for the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, an alliance formed to advocate and mobilize resources in the fight to control neglected tropical diseases, to which Milano donated US$250,000. She is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for the United States of America. Her field work for the organization has included a 2004 trip to Angola to speak with HIV-positive women and people disfigured by land mines during the country's civil war; a trip to India to meet displaced mothers living in squalor following the 2004 tsunami; and a 2010 trip to the settlement of Kolonia in western Kosovo to witness impoverished living conditions. Milano wrote on her blog that the latter trip was "the hardest experience I've had on a field visit", and described a waste dump close to the settlement where children spent time looking for metal to sell or scavenging for food.

For her 37th birthday, December 19, 2009, Milano ran an online fundraising campaign for Charity: Water. Her original goal was to raise US$25,000, but a donation from her husband led to a total of over US$75,000 on December 18. The fundraiser ran until December 26. In September 2013, Milano released a parody of a celebrity sex tape on Funny or Die that drew attention to the Syrian civil war.

In 2014, Milano, with the South Korean rescue group,'' CARE'', and ''The Fuzzy Pet Foundation'' in Santa Monica, helped rescue a South Korean Jindo mix dog, found covered in mange, chained, and raised for dog-meat.

On October 15, 2017, Milano posted the message that re-launched what is known as the #MeToo movement, which was started in 2006 by Tarana Burke. According to Milano, a friend suggested that she post a message on her Twitter account encouraging survivors of sexual harassment and assault to post #metoo as a status update. This was to gauge the widespread problem of sexual misconduct. She was inspired to bring awareness to the commonality of sexual abuse of women in the wake of Harvey Weinstein's expulsion from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for sex crimes against women in the film industry. Milano emphasized that the basis of her hashtag was to create a platform where women had an "opportunity without having to go into detail about their stories if they did not want to".

In 2018, she was announced as a co-chair of the Health Care Voter campaign. She wrote an op-ed in ''Time'' on why health care would decide her vote in 2018. In July 2018, and again in December 2020, Milano encouraged Twitter users to seek out VoteRiders to help eliminate confusion about voter ID laws.

Milano, who spoke at the 2018 Women's March, refused to participate in 2019, citing the failure of 2019 Women's March leaders Tamika Mallory and Linda Sarsour to condemn the homophobia, antisemitism, and transphobia of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. In 2018, she was selected as one of the "Silence Breakers", who were picked as ''Time'' Person of the Year.

In May 2019, Milano advocated celibacy in the form of a sex strike in retaliation of a recently passed abortion law in the U.S. state of Georgia.

In October 2021, Milano was arrested during a voting rights demonstration outside the White House.

In November 2022, Milano announced via Twitter that she had exchanged her Tesla for a Volkswagen electric vehicle. She declared, "I gave back my Tesla, I bought the VW ev. I love it. I'm not sure how advertisers can buy space on Twitter. Publicly traded company's products being pushed in alignment with hate and white supremacy doesn't seem to be a winning business model." Critics were quick to point out Volkswagen's past relationship with the Nazi Party which founded the then state-owned company in 1937.

On May 28, 2024, Milano became an ambassador of the UNITED24 global initiative in support of Ukraine in the field of education and science.

Political views

Following the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, Milano co-founded #NoRA, a coalition of artists, activists, and survivors of gun violence in an effort to reduce the influence of the National Rifle Association of America in American government. In September 2019, Milano met with Ted Cruz and Fred Guttenberg to discuss gun violence. Guttenberg said this was "a really important day."

Milano helped raise money for Richard Dien Winfield, a Democrat in Georgia's 2018 10th congressional district race. Milano phone banked, a political campaign strategy to collect voter data and get out the vote, with Piper Perabo and drove people to the polls for the United States Senate special election in Alabama on December 12, 2017, to vote for Democratic candidate Doug Jones. Milano, with actor Christopher Gorham, drove voters to the polls during early voting and on March 27, 2017, for Georgia's 6th congressional district 2017 special election for Jon Ossoff, and she later posted photos of herself with the voters on Instagram. Milano and Gorham had been in the area for the pilot of ''Insatiable''.

In 2015, Milano endorsed Bernie Sanders for president of the United States. In 2016, after the Democratic Party presidential primaries, she expressed support for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. She was also involved in get-out-the-vote efforts for Rob Quist.

In March 2020, Milano endorsed former US vice president Joe Biden for president of the United States. She declined to withdraw her endorsement of Biden despite a sexual assault allegation against him. On April 27, Milano tweeted that she was "aware of the new developments in Tara Reade's accusation against Joe Biden. I want Tara, like every other survivor, to have the space to be heard and seen without being used as fodder. I hear and see you, Tara." This was after criticism of Milano's support for Biden where she appeared to backtrack on her previous stance for believing women. On April 28, in an op-ed for ''Deadline Hollywood'', Milano reiterated her support for Biden and considered "Believing women was never about 'Believe all women no matter what they say,' it was about changing the culture of NOT believing women by default."

In October 2023, Milano signed an open letter from several artists to Biden, calling for a ceasefire of the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.

In 2024, Alyssa Milano supported Ukraine and joined UNITED24 ambassadors in raising funds for Ukraine.

Personal life

Milano was involved with actor Corey Haim from 1987 to 1990. Milano and her parents, together with his manager at the time, unsuccessfully tried to get Haim help for his addiction. In 1993, she became engaged to actor Scott Wolf, but they broke off their engagement the following year. She had two abortions while in the relationship with Wolf.

In 1998, Milano sued pornographic websites for publishing unauthorized nude photographs of her.

On January 1, 1999, Milano married singer Cinjun Tate from alternative rock band Remy Zero. They separated on November 20, 1999, and were divorced on December 1, 1999.

In a 2004 interview, Milano explained how she deals with her dyslexia: "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."

After a year of dating, Milano became engaged to Creative Artists Agency (CAA) agent David Bugliari in December 2008. They were married at Bugliari's family home in New Jersey on August 15, 2009. They had a son on August 31, 2011, and a daughter on September 4, 2014.

In 2015, Milano sold her condominium in West Hollywood and moved to Bell Canyon, California, where she owns land and her then nine horses, eight chickens, two rabbits, and five dogs.

In 2017, Milano's $10 million lawsuit against her business manager resulted in a cross-complaint.

In 2021 she was a passenger in a car crash. The car she was in was being driven by her uncle who had a medical condition. The car veered into another lane and crashed.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Discography

* '' Look in My Heart'' (1989)
* '' Alyssa'' (1989)
* '' Locked Inside a Dream'' (1991)
* '' Do You See Me?'' (1992)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Milano, Alyssa
1972 births
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
21st-century American singers
21st-century American women singers
Catholics from New York (state)

American child actresses
American child singers
American democracy activists
American feminists
American film actresses
American human rights activists
American people of Italian descent
American television actresses
American television hosts
American voice actresses
American Roman Catholics
American women pop singers
American women television hosts
American women television producers
California Democrats
Children's rights activists
American HIV/AIDS activists
Liberalism in the United States
Living people
New York (state) Democrats
People from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
Pony Canyon artists
Actresses from Brooklyn
Actresses from Staten Island
Actors with dyslexia
American actors with disabilities
Sexual abuse victim advocates
Television producers from New York City
UNICEF goodwill ambassadors
American women human rights activists
American activists with disabilities