Melanie Mayron

Melanie Joy MayronRiggs, Thomas, ed. (2002).
Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Volume 40
'. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale. p. 149. . (born October 20, 1952) is an American actress and director of film and television. Mayron is best known for her role as photographer Melissa Steadman on the ABC drama '' thirtysomething'' for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1989, and was nominated for same award in 1990 and 1991. In 2018, the Santa Fe Film Festival honored Mayron for her outstanding contributions to film and television.

Early life and career

Mayron was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Norma (née Goodman), a real estate agent, and David Mayron, a pharmaceutical chemist. Her family is Jewish; her father is from a Sephardic background (the original surname was "Mizrahi"), while her mother is of Russian Jewish descent.‘Slap’ Happy Actor-director Melanie Mayron is breaking stereotypes in front of and behind the camera
By Naomi Pfefferman of the ''Jewish Journal'', August 22, 2002 She graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1972 and subsequently attended the Actors Studio, studying initially with Lee Strasberg, and later with John Lehne and Sandra Seacat.

In her first starring role, Mayron appeared opposite Josh Mostel and Art Carney in the 1974 film '' Harry and Tonto.'' She worked steadily during the 1970s, with roles in the 1976 movies '' Gable and Lombard'' and '' Car Wash'', and the 1977 films '' The Great Smokey Roadblock'' and '' You Light Up My Life'', and starred in 1978's '' Girlfriends,'' directed by Claudia Weill''.'' In the mid-1970s, she played Brenda Morgenstern's best friend, Sandy Franks, on three episodes of the Mary Tyler Moore show spin-off, '' Rhoda''. In 1982, she played Terry Simon, the photographer, in director Costa-Gavras' political drama '' Missing,'' alongside Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek''.''

In 1988, she co-wrote and co-produced the comedy film '' Sticky Fingers'' starring Helen Slater. In 1995, Mayron directed '' The Baby-Sitters Club'', a film based upon the book series of the same name. She also directed the television movie '' Toothless'' (1997) starring Kirstie Alley and the movie '' Slap Her... She's French'' (2002), starring Piper Perabo (which appeared on television as ''She Gets What She Wants''). In 2006, she appeared as a judge in the reality show ''Looking for Stars'' on the Starz! channel.

In addition to her role as Melissa Steadman, one of the primary cast members on '' thirtysomething,'' she directed episodes of the show as well. The character of Melissa, like Mayron, is single, hails from Philadelphia and has supported herself as a photographer.

The ''New York Times'' noted in a 1991 article about Mayron:
"If most actresses make a point of distinguishing their real selves from the characters they play, Ms. Mayron is a curiosity in her insistence that, in fact, she is Melissa, or vice versa. Or maybe a more confident version of her television persona."

She directed episodes of numerous TV series, including '' In Treatment'', '' The Fosters'', '' Providence'', ''Dawson's Creek'', '' Ed'', '' State of Grace'', '' Nash Bridges'', '' Wasteland'', '' Tell Me You Love Me,'' ''Pretty Little Liars'' and '' The Naked Brothers Band''; the latter series was created and showran by Mayron's former ''thirtysomething'' co-star Polly Draper. In 2015, she directed and released on YouTube ''The Living Room Sessions'', a collection of videos of up-and-coming musical artists performing acoustic sets in her living room.

She's continued to direct TV, including episodes of the Netflix original series '' GLOW'', '' SEAL Team'', '' The Enemy Within'', the 2018 '' Charmed'' reboot, '' Jane the Virgin,'' and '' Julia''. In addition to directing ''Jane the Virgin'', she also appears in a number of episodes as a feminist literature advisor. She and Gina Rodriguez first worked together when Rodriguez appeared in an episode of '' Army Wives'' that Mayron directed.

In December 2023, she appeared off Broadway in Sandra Tsing Loh's play, ''Madwomen of the West'', alongside Caroline Aaron, Brooke Adams and Marilu Henner.

Personal life

Mayron was in a long-term relationship with screenwriter and producer Cynthia Mort, with whom she shared co-parenting of their two children.

Filmography

Film

Television

Director

Awards and nominations

See also

* List of female film and television directors
* List of lesbian filmmakers
* List of LGBT-related films directed by women

References

Further reading

* Ileane Rudolph. "Catching Up With Melanie Mayron," ''TV Guide''. Issue 2701. January 2, 2005.

External links

*

Melanie Mayron
at Fandango

Mayron's Goods
(formerly Mayron's Good Baby), Melanie Mayron's Company for Natural Skin Products and Diaper Cream

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayron, Melanie
Living people
1952 births
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
American film actresses
Film directors from Pennsylvania
American television actresses
American television directors
American women film directors
American LGBTQ film directors
LGBTQ television directors
American LGBTQ actresses
American women television directors
American health care businesspeople
American people of Russian-Jewish descent
Jewish American actresses
Actresses from Philadelphia
American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni
Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
21st-century American Jews
Jewish LGBTQ women