Melissa Pam Gaston ( Ordway; born March 31, 1983) is an American actress and model. She is best known for portraying
Abby Newman
Abby Newman is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera ''The Young and the Restless''. The character was introduced on November 13, 2000, as the daughter of Ashley Abbott (Eileen Davidson) and Victor Newman (Eric Braeden). The rol ...
on the
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
soap opera ''
The Young and the Restless
''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City (named after the real-life Genoa City, Wiscon ...
''.
In May 2022, she was nominated for an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Daytime Drama for her portrayal of Abby Newman on The Young and the Restless. Gaston has been featured in campaigns by a number of major brands including
Skechers
Skechers USA, Inc. is an American multinational footwear and apparel company. Headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California, it was founded in 1992 and is the third largest footwear brand in the world.
History
Skechers was founded in 1992 by R ...
,
Old Navy
Old Navy is an American clothing and accessories retailing company owned by multinational corporation Gap Inc. It has corporate operations in the Mission Bay, San Francisco, Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco, California. The largest of t ...
,
David's Bridal
David's Bridal is a clothier in the United States that specializes in wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, prom and homecoming dresses, ''quinceaƱera'' dresses, flower girl dresses, other formal wear, and alterations. Until filing for bankruptc ...
,
Anchor Blue and
Tillys
Tillys (originally known as World of Jeans and Tops and Tilly's) is an American retail clothing company that sells an assortment of branded apparel, accessories, shoes, and more. Tillys is headquartered and operated from Irvine, California
...
.
Early life
Ordway was born in
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, an only child, to John and Christine Ordway. She began doing community theatre in Atlanta and also acting in theatre productions at her high school in
Snellville, Georgia
Snellville is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, Gwinnett County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, east of Atlanta. Its population was 20,573 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a developed suburb of Atlanta and ...
. She starred in the stage performances of ''Beauty and the Beast'', ''
The Women'', ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream
''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...
'', and many other shows. After graduating from high school, Ordway attended
Georgia State University
Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a Public university, public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is al ...
and is a member of the
Delta Zeta
Delta Zeta (, also known as DZ) is an international college Fraternities and sororities in North America, sorority founded on October 24, 1902, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Delta Zeta has 163 collegiate chapters in the United States and C ...
sorority. While at Georgia State, Ordway was chosen to participate in a reality show on
MTV
MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
called ''
The Assistant''.
She won the show and moved to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
to pursue a career in acting and modeling.
Career
Modeling
She is signed with Nous Model Management in Los Angeles and Front Management in
Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
.
She has been featured in campaigns for several brands including
Skechers
Skechers USA, Inc. is an American multinational footwear and apparel company. Headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California, it was founded in 1992 and is the third largest footwear brand in the world.
History
Skechers was founded in 1992 by R ...
,
Old Navy
Old Navy is an American clothing and accessories retailing company owned by multinational corporation Gap Inc. It has corporate operations in the Mission Bay, San Francisco, Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco, California. The largest of t ...
,
David's Bridal
David's Bridal is a clothier in the United States that specializes in wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, prom and homecoming dresses, ''quinceaƱera'' dresses, flower girl dresses, other formal wear, and alterations. Until filing for bankruptc ...
,
Anchor Blue.
Tillys
Tillys (originally known as World of Jeans and Tops and Tilly's) is an American retail clothing company that sells an assortment of branded apparel, accessories, shoes, and more. Tillys is headquartered and operated from Irvine, California
...
, Kirstie Kelly and Fabrizio Gianni. She has appeared in television commercials for
Axe
An axe (; sometimes spelled ax in American English; American and British English spelling differences#Miscellaneous spelling differences, see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for thousands of years to shape, split, a ...
,
Geico Cavemen,
Pontiac Vibe
The Pontiac Vibe is a compact car that was sold by Pontiac (automobile), Pontiac from 2002 to 2010. It was jointly developed by General Motors along with Toyota, which manufactured the mechanically similar Toyota Matrix. Manufactured by the Toyot ...
,
Carl's Jr.
Carl's Jr. Restaurants LLC is an American fast-food restaurant chain store, chain owned by CKE Restaurants, CKE Restaurant Holdings, Inc., who also owns Hardee's, with franchisees in North and South America, Asia, Oceania, Europe, and Africa.
...
and
Payless.
She has also appeared on the cover ''Los Angeles Weddings Magazine'', ''Grand Sierra Magazine'' and ''Hona Hou Magazine''.
She is featured as a frequent guest model on the game show ''
The Price is Right
''The Price Is Right'' is an American television game show where contestants compete by guessing the prices of merchandise to win cash and prizes. A 1972 revival by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman of their The Price Is Right (1956 American game ...
'' including the week of October 7, 2015.
Acting
Melissa Ordway's first major acting part was the recurring roles of Jordanna on
The CW
The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
television series ''
Privileged''. Ordway's feature film debut was in ''
17 Again''. She has guest starred on such television shows as ''
Entourage
An entourage () is an informal group or band of people who are closely associated with a (usually) famous, notorious, or otherwise notable individual. The word can also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* L'entourage, French hip hop / rap collecti ...
'' and ''
How I Met Your Mother
''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom created by Craig Thomas (screenwriter), Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014, follows main char ...
'', as well as starring in several independent films including ''Callers'', ''
Tales of an Ancient Empire'' and ''I Heart Veronica Martin''. In 2010, Ordway appeared in the film ''
The Last Song'' as Ashley and guest starred on ''
Melrose Place
''Melrose Place'' is an American prime-time television soap opera that aired on Fox from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999, for seven seasons. The show follows the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex in West Hollywood, ...
'' as Morgan McKellan. She starred in the fantasy thriller film ''Tales of an Ancient Empire''. In 2011, she co-starred in ''Escapee'' and appeared in ''
Ted'' directed by
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, comedian, and singer. He is best known as the creator and star of the television series ''Family Guy'' (since 1999) and ''The Orvill ...
.
She was cast in the main role of Chloe Carter on the
TeenNick series ''
Hollywood Heights'' in 2012. In March 2013, Ordway was cast in the role of
Abby Newman
Abby Newman is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera ''The Young and the Restless''. The character was introduced on November 13, 2000, as the daughter of Ashley Abbott (Eileen Davidson) and Victor Newman (Eric Braeden). The rol ...
on the
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
soap opera ''
The Young and the Restless
''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City (named after the real-life Genoa City, Wiscon ...
'', replacing previous actress
Marcy Rylan. She also appeared in the 2013 supernatural thriller film ''
Odd Thomas'' as Lysette.
Personal life
On September 22, 2012, she married actor
Justin Gaston
Justin Michael Gaston (born August 12, 1988) is an American singer-songwriter, model, and actor who was also a contestant on ''Nashville Star'' on season 6. He finished 10th overall out of 12 contestants. He portrayed the role of Ben Rogers on ...
, whom she met during the filming of ''Escapee''. In 2016, Justin and Melissa adopted their first child, a daughter named Olivia Christine, born April 2016. Melissa gave birth to a daughter, their second child, Sophie Jolie, on December 9, 2017.
Filmography
References
External links
*
*
Fashion Model DirectoryNous Models
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ordway, Melissa
1983 births
Living people
Actresses from Atlanta
American female models
American film actresses
American television actresses
Georgia State University alumni
21st-century American actresses
People from Snellville, Georgia
American soap opera actresses