Rachel Melvin (born February 9, 1985) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as

Chelsea Brady Chelsea Brady is a fictional character on the NBC soap opera ''Days of Our Lives''. Created by head writer Sally Sussman Morina, the role was originally played by Mandy Musgrave. The role was recast with Rachel Melvin in 2005. Melvin portrayed ...

on ''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that aired on the network NBC from November 8, 1965, to September 9, 2022; the soap has streamed n ...

'' (2005–2009) and as Penny in ''

Dumb and Dumber To ''Dumb and Dumber To'' is a 2014 American buddy comedy film produced, co-written and directed by the Farrelly brothers. It is the third film in the ''Dumb and Dumber'' franchise, and serves as a sequel to the 1994 film '' Dumb and Dumber''. T ...

''.

Early life and education

Melvin was born in

Elmhurst, Illinois Elmhurst is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage and Cook County, Illinois, Cook counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is a western suburb of Chicago. The population was 45,786 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History M ...

, but moved to

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, at age four, where she was raised. She has an older sister named Jessica. She graduated from

Mountain Pointe High School Mountain Pointe High School is a secondary school located in Ahwatukee, Arizona one of eight public high schools serving the Tempe Union High School District. History The Ahwatukee area of Phoenix experienced explosive growth in the 1990s. T ...

in 2003. Melvin passed up a full scholarship to college so that she could move to California to pursue an acting career. In Los Angeles, she took acting classes every weekend.

Career

Melvin landed her first acting job in the 2005

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film production, produced outside the Major film studios, major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independ ...

''Boo''. She later won the role of Georgia LaMarque, a French girl whom Bo and Billie had been falsely led to believe was their daughter on the NBC

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

''Days of our Lives'', but only appeared in five episodes. Months later, she took over the role of Chelsea Brady (originally portrayed by Mandy Musgrave). She and her dog were seen on ''

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the fourth and sixth installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Jay Leno, it aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009, replacing ''The Ton ...

'', when she was randomly interviewed at a gas station for a segment. Melvin has also guest-starred on '' Summerland'', ''

Jack & Bobby ''Jack & Bobby'' is an American drama television series created by Greg Berlanti, Vanessa Taylor, Steven A. Cohen, and Brad Meltzer. It aired on The WB from September 12, 2004, to May 11, 2005. The series’ title is a reference to real-life po ...

'' and ''

8 Simple Rules ''8 Simple Rules'' (originally ''8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter'') is an American television sitcom originally starring John Ritter and Katey Sagal as middle-class parents Paul and Cate Hennessy, raising their three children. ...

''. With her family, she has also appeared on ''

Family Feud ''Family Feud'' is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson. Two families compete on each episode to name the most popular answers to survey questions in order to win cash and prizes. The show has had three separate runs, the ...

''. In 2010, Melvin starred as Kaia in ''Seven Deadly Sins'' which premiered on Lifetime alongside

Dreama Walker Dreama Elyse Walker (born June 20, 1986) is an American actress. She is known for her supporting role in the series ''Gossip Girl'', her lead role in the film '' Compliance'' (2012), and her lead roles in two short-lived television series, the c ...

. The first part premiered on May 23 while the second part premiered on May 24, 2010. In 2011, Melvin appeared in episodes of '' House M.D.'' and ''

Castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

''. In 2014, Melvin appeared as Penny Pinchelow in ''

'', portrayed Mary in ''

Zombeavers ''Zombeavers'' is a 2014 American horror comedy film directed by Jordan Rubin, based on a script by Al Kaplan, Jordan Rubin, and Jon Kaplan. The film follows a group of college kids staying at a riverside cottage that are attacked by a swarm of z ...

'', and Sarah in the drama thriller film ''Madtown''. She appeared in the final season of MTV's '' Awkward''. Melvin reprised the role of Chelsea Brady in August 2023 when she appeared for Victor Kiriakis' (

John Aniston John Anthony Aniston (born Yannis Anastassakis, , July 24, 1933 – November 11, 2022) was an American actor who played Victor Kiriakis on the NBC daytime drama series ''Days of Our Lives'', which he originated in July 1985 and played on and of ...

) funeral.

Personal life

Melvin lives in Los Angeles, California. Her idols include

Meryl Streep Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Known for her versatility and adept accent work, she has been described as "the best actress of her generation". She has received numerous accolades throughout her career ...

Mary-Louise Parker Mary-Louise Parker (born August 2, 1964) is an American actress. After making her Broadway debut as Rita in Craig Lucas' '' Prelude to a Kiss'' in 1990 (for which she received a Tony Award nomination), Parker came to prominence for film roles ...

Anne Hathaway Anne Jacqueline Hathaway (born November 12, 1982) is an American actress. List of awards and nominations received by Anne Hathaway, Her accolades include an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime ...

Cynthia Nixon Cynthia Ellen Nixon (born April 9, 1966) is an American actress, activist, and theater director. For her portrayal of Miranda Hobbes in the HBO series ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supportin ...

and

Toni Collette Toni Collette (born Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress, singer, and songwriter. Known for her work in television, blockbusters and independent films, her accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award, wit ...

.Rachel Melvin bio - NBC.com
She is married to Kevin Barrett.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Melvin, Rachel 1985 births Actresses from Illinois American film actresses American soap opera actresses American television actresses Living people People from Elmhurst, Illinois 21st-century American actresses