:Melissa Joan Hart

Hart was born in Smithtown, New York, the first child of Paula Hart (née Voje), a producer and talent manager, and William Hart, a carpenter, shellfish purveyor, oyster hatchery worker, and entrepreneur.{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/melissa-joan-hart/165755 |title=Melissa Joan Hart News, Melissa Joan Hart Bio and Photos |work=TV Guide |access-date=June 23, 2010}} Her maternal grandfather, Stanley John Voje, was a Navy veteran and Catholic.{{cite web|url=http://www.memorialsolutions.com/sitemaker/sites/Haisle1/obit.cgi?user=285679Voje|title=In Memory of Stanley John Voje – Haisley Funeral Home, Fort Pierce, FL|work=memorialsolutions.com|access-date=July 27, 2015}} Hart grew up in Sayville, New York.

Hart's parents had four other children after Melissa: Trisha, Elizabeth, Brian, and Emily, who are all in acting. Her parents divorced in the early 1990s, and she moved with her mother and siblings to New York City. In 1994, her mother married television executive Leslie Gilliams, who is best known for his appearance on Season 5 of MasterChef in 2014, when he finished in 3rd place. Hart has three half-sisters: Alexandra, Samantha, and Mackenzie.

Hart was named after the Allman Brothers song "Melissa", while her middle name, Joan, came from her maternal grandmother.

Hart's career began at age four when she made a television commercial for a bathtub doll called Splashy. From then on, she appeared regularly in commercials, making 25 of them before the age of five. Other early television work included a small role in the miniseries Kane & Abel in 1985, a guest-starring role in an episode of The Equalizer{{cite news|last=Witchel |first=Alex |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/25/arts/up-coming-melissa-joan-hart-the-melissa-inside-clarissa-explains-it-all-for-us.html |title=UP and COMING – Melissa Joan Hart – The Melissa Inside Clarissa Explains It All for Us – Biography |newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 25, 1991 |access-date=June 23, 2010}} in 1986, and a starring role alongside Katherine Helmond in the Emmy Award-winning television film Christmas Snow, also in 1986. She appeared on the April 22, 1986, episode of the NBC daytime soap opera Another World. She also auditioned for the lead role Jamie Lloyd in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, losing the role to Danielle Harris.

In 1989, she became an understudy in a Broadway production of The Crucible starring Martin Sheen.{{cite web |url=http://www.sayville.com/halloffame/melissa.html |title=Hall of Fame: Melissa Joan Hart |publisher=sayville.com |access-date=October 23, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716013342/http://www.sayville.com/halloffame/melissa.html |archive-date=July 16, 2011 |url-status=dead }} That same year, she appeared in an off-Broadway production of Beside Herself with William Hurt and Calista Flockhart.{{cite magazine|first=Lily|last=Rothman|url= https://entertainment.time.com/2013/10/28/melissa-joan-hart-why-im-dishing/|title=Melissa Joan Hart: Why I'm Dishing|magazine=Time|date=October 28, 2013|access-date=October 18, 2020}}

File:Com04901.jpg in 1991]]

In 1991, Hart landed the starring role on the Nickelodeon series Clarissa Explains It All, a comedy about a teenaged girl in everyday situations, which was successful during its four-year run.{{cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AT&p_theme=at&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB7D0CA231719BA&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |title=Atlanta News, Sports, Atlanta Weather, Business News | ajc.com |publisher=Nl.newsbank.com |date=June 23, 1991 |access-date=June 23, 2010}}{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/1994/08/12/nickelodeon-stars-debut-cd/ |title=Clarissa tackles it all |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=August 12, 1994 |access-date=February 22, 2011 |first=Heather |last=Keets |archive-date=October 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020230904/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,303265,00.html |url-status=live }} The show brought her four consecutive Young Artist Award nominations, winning three.* {{cite web|title=Thirteenth Annual Youth in Film Awards 1990–1991 |url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms13.htm |publisher=The Young Artist Foundation |access-date=August 15, 2011 |type= won |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5ww3QZoLx?url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms13.htm |archive-date=March 4, 2011 }}

• {{cite web|title=Fourteenth Annual Youth in Film Awards 1991–1992 |url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms14.htm |publisher=The Young Artist Foundation |access-date=August 15, 2011 |type= won |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5ww3Qlhws?url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms14.htm |archive-date=March 4, 2011 }}
• {{cite web|title=Fifteenth Annual Youth in Film Awards 1992–1993 |url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms15.htm |publisher=The Young Artist Foundation |access-date=August 15, 2011 |type= nominated |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5ww3RO8zx?url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms15.htm |archive-date=March 4, 2011 }}
• {{cite web|title=Sixteenth Annual Youth in Film Awards 1993–1994 |url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms16.htm |publisher=The Young Artist Foundation |access-date=August 15, 2011 |type= won |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5texRaYrJ?url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms16.htm |archive-date=October 22, 2010 }} Her role in the series also led to her starring in the FMV video game Nickelodeon's Director's Lab as a tour guide who takes the player around a film studio.{{Citation needed|date=July 2016}}

Initially, after first being recognized in public, Hart felt embarrassed to be acting in a children's show while being a teenager. Nevertheless, she was enthusiastic about the role, and "all [she] hoped for that [she] would get to do it for a while."{{cite news|first=Richard|last=Huff|title=Melissa Joan Hart recalls role as teen in 'Clarissa Explains It All' and life now as working mom|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/television/melissa-joan-hart-recalls-role-teen-clarissa-explains-life-working-mom-article-1.157885|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130130165214/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/television/melissa-joan-hart-recalls-role-teen-clarissa-explains-life-working-mom-article-1.157885|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 30, 2013|date=July 25, 2011|work=Daily News (New York)|access-date=June 16, 2012}}

Hart also recorded two albums as Clarissa: This Is What 'Na Na' Means{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/This-What-Na-Means/dp/B000008MYZ |title=This is What "Na Na" Means: Clarissa & the |website=Amazon |access-date=June 23, 2010}} and a recording of Peter and the Wolf.[https://music.apple.com/us/album/prokofiev-peter-wolf-saint/264301779 Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf – Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals – Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra], on iTunes

In 1995, a year after the end of Clarissa Explains It All, Hart filmed a pilot episode for a spin-off show featuring a college-aged Clarissa explaining it all about her foray into the professional world as an intern at a newspaper. As its musical theme, the show featured a slow, jazz version of its predecessor's theme song, and also starred Robert Klein as her boss.{{cite web|url=http://gawker.com/5778861/watch-the-sequel-to-clarissa-explains-it-all-that-never-made-it-to-air |title=Watch the Sequel to Clarissa Explains It All That Never Made it to Air |first=Whitney |last=Jefferson |website=Gawker|date=March 7, 2011|access-date=July 27, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713015428/http://gawker.com/5778861/watch-the-sequel-to-clarissa-explains-it-all-that-never-made-it-to-air |archive-date=July 13, 2015 }}

Hart appeared on Nickelodeon's anthology show Are You Afraid of the Dark?, in the Season 2 episode "The Tale of the Frozen Ghost" (1993).{{cite web |url=http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Are-You-Afraid-of-the-Dark-Freaky-Favorites/70055708 |title=Are You Afraid of the Dark? Freaky Favorites |publisher=Netflix.com |access-date=November 4, 2010 |archive-date=January 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112031353/http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Are-You-Afraid-of-the-Dark-Freaky-Favorites/70055708 |url-status=dead }}

After the television series ended, Hart attended New York University.{{cite magazine |last=Jacobs |first=A.J |url=https://ew.com/article/1996/10/25/behind-scenes-sabrina/ |title=Behind the scenes of Sabrina – Nickelodeon alum Melissa Joan Hart casts a spell on prime time |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=October 25, 1996 |access-date=February 22, 2011 |archive-date=October 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020230915/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,294744,00.html |url-status=live }} However, she dropped out after she earned the title role for the 1996 television film Sabrina the Teenage Witch, which was followed by the television series of the same name, which lasted seven seasons on ABC (four seasons) and The WB (three seasons).{{cite news|last=Marriott |first=Michel |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/162875/Sabrina-the-Teenage-Witch/overview |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016214604/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/162875/Sabrina-the-Teenage-Witch/overview |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 16, 2007 |department=Movies & TV Dept. |work=The New York Times |date=2007 |title=Sabrina the Teenage Witch – Trailer – Cast – Showtimes|access-date=June 23, 2010}}{{cite news |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/22721836.html?dids=22721836:22721836&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+13%2C+1996&author=HELEN+A.S.+POPKIN&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&desc=Melissa+explains+it+all+Series%3A+Xpress&pqatl=google |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130201100017/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/22721836.html?dids=22721836:22721836&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+13,+1996&author=HELEN+A.S.+POPKIN&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&desc=Melissa+explains+it+all+Series:+Xpress&pqatl=google |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 1, 2013 |title=Melissa explains it all Series: Xpress |publisher=Pqasb.pqarchiver.com |date=May 13, 1996 |access-date=June 23, 2010 |first=Helen A.S. |last=Popkin }} She later collaborated on an animated version that featured Hart voicing the two aunts Hilda and Zelda with Hart's younger sister Emily starring in the title role. She also guest-starred on the series Touched by an Angel and starred in several television films. She guest starred on the Boy Meets World episode "Witches of Pennbrook" as her character Sabrina Spellman; the episode also guest starred Hart's closest friend Candace Cameron Bure as a witch named Millie.

File:Joey Lawrence, Taylor Spreitler and Melissa Joan Hart March of Dimes 483 (5673905264) (cropped).jpg event with her Melissa & Joey co-stars Joey Lawrence and Taylor Spreitler.]]

In 1998, Hart had a small role in the film Can't Hardly Wait; shortly afterwards Hart began working on a theatrical film project titled Next to You, in which she acted alongside Adrian Grenier.{{cite web|url=http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/c/cant_wait.html |title=Review: Can't Hardly Wait |website=Reelviews.net |first=James |last=Berardinelli |date=June 12, 1998 |access-date=October 23, 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.foxmovies.com/drivemecrazy/ |title=Drive Me Crazy |publisher=Foxmovies.com |date=August 31, 1999 |access-date=June 23, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027215340/http://www.foxmovies.com/drivemecrazy/ |archive-date=October 27, 2009 }} Britney Spears released a remix of her song "(You Drive Me) Crazy" to promote the film's soundtrack. To capitalize on the song's success as a top-ten hit,{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=britney spears|chart=all}} |title=Britney Spears Album & Song Chart History |magazine=Billboard.com |access-date=June 23, 2010}} the name of the film was changed to Drive Me Crazy. To promote the film, both Hart and Grenier appeared in the song's music video.{{cite web|last=Vena |first=Jocelyn |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1626386/20091116/spears_britney.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091120062542/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1626386/20091116/spears_britney.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 20, 2009 |title=Britney Spears Wanted '(You Drive Me) Crazy' Video To Take Her 'To The Next Level' – News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News |publisher=Mtv.com |date=November 16, 2009 |access-date=June 23, 2010}} Around the same time, Spears made a guest appearance as herself on Sabrina, in the season four episode "No Place Like Home".{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/photos/photos-britney-spears-years-4701996/image-18548718|title=Britney Spears appeared on "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" alongside Melissa Joan Hart from Britney Spears Gives a Wave in London|website=ABC News|language=en|access-date=September 19, 2018}}

Coinciding with the release of Drive Me Crazy, Hart appeared wearing lingerie on the cover of Maxim magazine's October 1999 issue, as well as in a photo shoot and an accompanying article, which resulted in an attempt by the publisher of the Sabrina comic book series to sue her for breach of contract.{{cite web |url=http://www.maxim.com/girls/girls-of-maxim/44718/melissa-joan-hart.html |title=Melissa Joan Hart Pictures – 1 of 4 – Maxim Girls Photo Gallery |publisher=Maxim.com |access-date=June 23, 2010 |archive-date=October 24, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101024161539/http://www.maxim.com/girls/girls-of-maxim/44718/melissa-joan-hart.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2019/03/29/sabrina-star-melissa-joan-hart-shocked-netflix-show-sex-scenes/3313943002/ |title=Melissa Joan Hart reflects on her nude photo scandal, calls new 'Sabrina' sex scenes shocking |first=Carly |last=Mallenbaum |date=March 29, 2019 |newspaper=USA Today |access-date=September 7, 2021}} Hart continued her acting career, starring in the film Rent Control, which aired in 2005 on the ABC Family cable network.{{cite web |url=http://videoeta.com/movie/51969 |title=Rent Control (2002) – Melissa Joan Hart, Carmen Electra, Ryan Browning |publisher=Videoeta.com |access-date=June 23, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722010854/http://videoeta.com/movie/51969 |archive-date=July 22, 2011 }} Hart also continued to star on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch until 2003. Hart was also a primary voice-actress on Sabrina: The Animated Series, which ran for 65 episodes in 1999 on ABC and UPN.

In 1999, Hart made her directorial debut in an episode of Disney Channel's So Weird called "Snapshot" which guest-starred her sister Emily. Hart directed an episode of Nickelodeon's Taina in 2001. In 2001 and 2002, she directed six episodes of Sabrina.{{citation needed|date=April 2016}}

After Sabrina ended in 2003 after seven seasons, Hart directed her first film, a 15-minute live-action short film called Mute (2005), starring her sister Emily. In 2007, Hart guest-starred on an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit titled "Impulsive" as a teacher accused of statutory rape.{{cite web|first=Michael|last=Ausiello|author-link=Michael Ausiello|url=https://www.tvguide.com/Ask-Ausiello/law-order-special/070627-10 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20090624164450/http://www.tvguide.com/Ask-Ausiello/law-order-special/070627-10 |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 24, 2009 |title=Ausiello on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Melissa Joan Hart and Kyle Gallner |work=TV Guide|date=June 27, 2007|access-date=June 27, 2007 }} In late 2007, she directed the "Anger Cage" video for her husband Mark Wilkerson's band Course of Nature. She also starred in the ABC Family film Holiday in Handcuffs, opposite Mario Lopez. The film premiered on December 9, 2007, and was the highest rated program in the history of the network, with 6.7 million viewers.{{cite web|url=http://www.tvweek.com/news/2007/12/handcuffs_sets_abc_family_reco.php |title='Handcuffs' Sets ABC Family Record |work=TVWeek.com |access-date=December 11, 2007}} Hart followed this with another ABC Family film with a similar premise, My Fake Fiancé, in 2009.

It was announced on August 17, 2009, that she would compete in season nine of Dancing with the Stars.{{cite news|first=Joyce|last=Eng |title=Dancing with the Stars 2009 Season 9 Cast Revealed! |url=https://www.tvguide.com/Dancing-Stars/Dancing-Stars-2009-1009007.aspx |work=TV Guide |date=August 17, 2009 |access-date=August 17, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090818155421/http://www.tvguide.com/Dancing-Stars/Dancing-Stars-2009-1009007.aspx |archive-date=August 18, 2009 }} Hart was paired up with two-time reigning champion, Mark Ballas. She was eliminated from the competition in week six out of a possible ten.{{cite news | first=Brandon|last=Bodow | title=Melissa Joan Hart, Louie Vito Voted Off 'Dancing With the Stars' | url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/FallConcert/melissa-joan-hart-louie-vito-off-dancing-stars/story?id=8930600 | work=ABC News| date=October 28, 2009 | access-date=February 23, 2011}} In 2010, Hart starred as Kelley in the horror thriller film Nine Dead.{{cite web |url=https://horrornews.net/19650/film-review-nine-dead-2010/ |title=Nine Dead Film Review |first=Joanna |last=Rose |website=horrornews.net|date=February 11, 2010 |access-date=February 23, 2011}}

In 2010, Hart returned to a new weekly television series, starring with Joey Lawrence in the ABC Family sitcom Melissa & Joey.{{cite web|url=http://melissajoanhart.ning.com/page/biography-2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130604210304/http://melissajoanhart.ning.com/page/biography-2 |archive-date=June 4, 2013 |title=Biography – Melissa Joan Hart|publisher=Melissajoanhart.ning.com|access-date=September 18, 2013}}OK Weekly Issue #19 July 19, 2010 Page 27{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-feb-02-la-et-hart2-2010feb02-story.html |title=Melissa Joan Hart, Joey Lawrence to star in ABC comedy series 'Melissa & Joey'|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=February 2, 2010 |access-date=June 23, 2010}} In the series Hart plays a woman who hires Lawrence as a nanny to help care for her incarcerated sister's children.{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2010/scene/markets-festivals/abc-family-taps-hart-lawrence-1118014502/ |title=ABC Family taps Hart, Lawrence – Entertainment News, TV News, Media |magazine=Variety |date=January 29, 2010 |access-date=June 23, 2010}} In the second season, she occupied the director's chair for an episode, for the first time since Sabrina.{{cite video |url=http://watch.accesshollywood.com/video/melissa-joan-hart-says-no-thanks-to-dancing-with-the-stars:-all-stars/1754041221001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120727023259/http://watch.accesshollywood.com/video/melissa-joan-hart-says-no-thanks-to-dancing-with-the-stars:-all-stars/1754041221001 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 27, 2012 |people=Melissa Joan Hart |publisher=Access Hollywood Live |medium=streaming video |title=Melissa Joan Hart Says No Thanks To Dancing With The Stars: All Stars }}

File:10.5.17WatcherInTheWoodsPanelByLuigiNovi1.jpg (left) promoting The Watcher in the Woods at the 2017 New York Comic Con]]

Hart joined the cast of an off-Broadway production of Love, Loss, and What I Wore for a four-week run that started in March 2010 and ended April 25, 2010.US Weekly Issue 791 April 12, 2010 Page 47{{cite magazine|first=Gina|last=DeNunno|url=https://www.tvguide.com/News/Melissa-Joan-Hart-1016741.aspx?rss=breakingnews&partnerid=imdb&profileid=01 |title=Melissa Joan Hart Joins Off-Broadway Play |magazine=TV Guide|date= March 29, 2010|access-date=November 24, 2010}}

In March 2010, Hart took part in an ad campaign for Gain detergent with Sabrina, the Teenage Witch co-star and friend Soleil Moon Frye.{{cite web|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gain-partners-with-celebrity-best-friends-melissa-joan-hart-and-soleil-moon-frye-to-demonstrate-that-two-is-better-than-one-89497547.html |title=Gain Partners with Celebrity Best Friends Melissa Joan Hart and Soleil Moon Frye to Demonstrate that 'Two is Better than One' |publisher=PR Newswire |date=March 30, 2010 |access-date=February 22, 2011}}

On November 22, 2010, Hart participated as a presenter in the International Emmy Awards.{{cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/surprise-presenter-rupert-murdoch-honors-48187 |title=Surprise Presenter Rupert Murdoch Honors Simon Cowell With International Emmy |first=Georg |last=Szalai |date=November 22, 2010 |access-date=November 22, 2010 |work=The Hollywood Reporter}}

In June 2012, St. Martin's Press announced that it had made a deal with Hart to publish her memoir Melissa Explains It All: Tales from My Abnormally Normal Life in the fall of 2013. In the memoir, Hart wrote about growing up, being a child actor and her rise to fame, her rebellious teen years, and her efforts to balance a career as an adult with motherhood and family life.{{cite magazine |first=Andy |last=Lewis |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/melissa-joan-hart-memoir-explains-it-all-339329 |title=Melissa Joan Hart Signs to Write Memoir (Exclusive) |magazine=Hollywood Reporter |date=June 20, 2012 |access-date=June 20, 2012}}

In 2013, Hart attempted to use crowdfunding (via Kickstarter) to fund a romantic comedy film to be titled Darci's Walk of Shame, but was only able to garner $51,605, or just 2.6% of the expected $2 million goal. Ultimately, the idea was scrapped.{{cite web|url=http://www.jdjournal.com/2013/05/16/melissa-joan-harts-kickstarter-campaign-fails-utterly-to-kick-off/|title=Melissa Joan Hart's Kickstarter Campaign Fails Utterly to Kick Off – JD Journal|first=Daniel|last=June|date=May 16, 2013|work=jdjournal.com|access-date=July 27, 2015}}

Melissa & Joey concluded in August 2015 after 4 seasons and 104 episodes.

In 2016, Hart starred as the lead, Grace Wesley, in the film God's Not Dead 2.

In 2018, Hart was cast as Liz in the Netflix comedy series No Good Nick. The series premiered on April 15, 2019.{{cite web|last=Iannucci|first=Rebecca|title=Melissa Joan Hart/Sean Astin Dramedy No Good Nick Gets Netflix Premiere|url=https://tvline.com/2019/03/06/no-good-nick-premiere-date-melissa-joan-hart-netflix/|website=TVLine|date=March 6, 2019|access-date=March 6, 2019|archive-date=April 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421161016/https://tvline.com/2019/03/06/no-good-nick-premiere-date-melissa-joan-hart-netflix/|url-status=dead}} She directed one episode from The Goldbergs, "Hail Barry" and the Young Sheldon episode "Cowboy Aerobics and 473 Grease-Free Bolts".{{cite web|title=Young Sheldon Season 4 Episode 10|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/young_sheldon/s04/e10/|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=March 10, 2021}} Hart also made her return to Nickelodeon 25 years after the end of Clarissa Explains It All when she joined the voice cast of The Casagrandes, a spinoff of The Loud House, portraying Becca Chang opposite of Ken Jeong as Stanley Chang.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/05/eugenio-derbez-ken-jeong-melissa-joan-hart-nickelodeon-the-casagrandes-loud-house-renewed-1202608657/|title=Eugenio Derbez, Ken Jeong, Melissa Joan Hart Join Nickelodeon's The Casagrandes as Loud House Renewed|work=Deadline Hollywood|first=Anita|last=Bennett|date=May 7, 2019|access-date=September 19, 2019}}

In 2022, Hart starred in the Lifetime film Dirty Little Secret. It is inspired by true events and the book Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omolulu.{{cite web|url=https://www.tvinsider.com/1043498/dirty-little-secret-melissa-joan-hart-trailer-lifetime/|title='Dirty Little Secret': First Look at Melissa Joan Hart's Hoarder Lifetime Movie (VIDEO)|website=TV Insider|first=Kellie|last=Boyle|date=May 8, 2022|access-date=June 12, 2022}}

In January 2022, Hart began hosting a podcast titled What Women Binge starring her and her friend Amanda Lee.

In 2023, Hart competed in season nine of The Masked Singer as "Lamp". She was eliminated in "Masked Singer in Space" alongside Alicia Witt as "Dandelion".{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/the-masked-singer-season-9-episode-9-recap-melissa-joan-hart-alicia-witt-1235580134/|title="The Masked Singer" Reveals Identities of the Lamp and Dandelion: Here's Who They Are |website=Variety|first=Michael|last=Schneider|date=April 12, 2023|access-date=May 20, 2024}} Also in 2023, Hart starred in the Lifetime film Would You Kill for Me? The Mary Bailey Story as Mary Bailey's grandmother Ella.{{cite web|url=https://people.com/mary-bailey-forced-by-mom-kill-stepdad-lifetime-movie-would-you-kill-for-me-8348550|title=Story of Girl, 11, Forced by Mom to Kill Stepdad Becomes Lifetime Movie: "It Came Full Circle" (Exclusive)|website=People|first=Nicole|last=Acosta|date=October 6, 2023|access-date=May 20, 2024}}

In 2024, Hart starred in the Lifetime film The Bad Guardian, which was based on different accounts of elder abuse.{{cite web|url=https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local-news/i-team-investigates/the-price-of-protection/lifetime-movie-the-bad-guardian-based-on-real-accounts-of-guardianship-abuse|title=Lifetime movie "The Bad Guardian" based on real accounts of guardianship abuse|website=ABC Action News|first=Adam|last=Waiser|date=May 17, 2024|access-date=May 20, 2024}}

In 2025, Hart starred in the Lifetime film Killing the Competition. It is inspired by actual events of overparenting gone wrong, with Hart portraying a helicopter mother named Elizabeth Fenwick who plots to kidnap the lead dancer and her mother when her daughter gets cut from the school's dance team.{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/melissa-joan-hart-lifetime-thriller-killing-the-competition/|title=Melissa Joan Hart to Star and Executive Produce Lifetime Thriller 'Killing the Competition'|website=The Wrap|first=Loree|last=Seitz|date=January 23, 2025|access-date=March 2, 2025}}

File:Melissa-joan-hart-portrait (cropped1).jpg

In May 2009, Hart opened a candy shop called SweetHarts in Sherman Oaks, California.{{cite web |url=http://www.sweethartssweets.com/ |title=sweet ♥ harts |publisher=Sweethartssweets.com |access-date=June 23, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615200326/http://www.sweethartssweets.com/ |archive-date=June 15, 2010 |url-status=dead}} Hart commented that it had been her "childhood dream" to own a candy shop.{{cite web|last=Wihlburg|first=Ursula|url=https://people.com/celebrity/melissa-joan-hart-opens-a-candy-store/|title=Melissa Joan Hart Opens a Candy Store|work=People Magazine|date=May 30, 2009|access-date=March 6, 2019}} SweetHarts closed in December 2011 due to a lawsuit by a former employee alleging wrongful termination and racial discrimination, as well as other issues. Hart denied all of the employee's claims, and the case was dismissed in 2012.{{Cite web|url=https://unicourt.com/case/ca-la2-shana-kharineh-vs-sweet-harts-et-al-270722|title=Shana Kharineh Vs Sweet Harts et al}} SweetHarts later reopened with new owners before closing permanently in 2015.{{cite news | author=Hunter, M.R. | title = Sweet Harts: Still Sweet & Open For Business | url = http://www.eyespyla.com/www/phlog.nsf/8682a96d363481e28825767c005eafd4/51ad2bb060906534882579c20058859f!OpenDocument | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150402165618/http://www.eyespyla.com/www/phlog.nsf/8682a96d363481e28825767c005eafd4/51ad2bb060906534882579c20058859f%21OpenDocument | url-status = usurped | archive-date = April 2, 2015 | publisher=eyeSpyLA|date=March 15, 2012|access-date=May 31, 2012}}{{cite news | author = Marianne Garvey and Claudia Rosenbaum | title=Say It Ain't So, Sabrina—Melissa Joan Hart Sued for Racial Profiling?! | url= http://www.eonline.com/news/say_it_aint_sabrinamdashmelissa_joan/266950#ixzz1wVxk1Nga | publisher=E! Online | date= September 30, 2011 | access-date=May 31, 2012}}{{cite tweet|author=SweetHarts|user=SweetHartsweets| title= It's with sadness that we announce the closing of Sweetharts on Dec. 23rd. All merchandise is 50% off so come by to say a final farwell.|number=144857757848317954|date=December 8, 2011 | access-date=May 31, 2012}}

In 2015, Hart and her husband started their own fashion line called King of Harts.{{cite web|url=http://www.wfsb.com/story/30260188/king-of-harts-by-melissa-joan-hart|title=King of Harts by Melissa Joan Hart|first=Skyler|last=Magnoli|access-date=November 13, 2015|archive-date=November 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117014338/http://www.wfsb.com/story/30260188/king-of-harts-by-melissa-joan-hart|url-status=dead}}

On July 19, 2003, Hart married musician Mark Wilkerson, having met at the Kentucky Derby in May 2002.{{cite web|url=https://www.countryliving.com/life/entertainment/a25336812/melissa-joan-hart-husband-mark-wilkerson/|title=Melissa Joan Hart Knew She Would Marry Husband Mark Wilkerson the Moment They Met|work=Country Living|first=Taysha|last=Murtaugh|date=November 30, 2018|access-date=February 11, 2019}} The preparations for the ceremony, which took place in Florence, Italy, were documented in a television miniseries titled Tying the Knot, produced by Hart's production company Hartbreak Films and aired on ABC Family. Hart and Wilkerson have three sons, Mason (born January 2006), Braydon (born March 2008), and Tucker (born September 2012).{{cite web|url=https://people.com/celebrity/its-a-boy-for-melissa-joan-hart/|title=It's a Boy for Melissa Joan Hart|work=People|first=Alison|last=Gee|date=January 11, 2006|access-date=February 11, 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://people.com/parents/melissa-joan-hart-husband-welcome-baby-no-2/|title=Melissa Joan Hart & Husband Welcome Baby No. 2|work=People|first=Ulrica|last=Wihlborg|date=March 12, 2008|access-date=February 11, 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://people.com/parents/melissa-joan-hart-welcomes-son-tucker-mcfadden/|title=Melissa Joan Hart Welcomes Son Tucker McFadden|work=People|date=September 19, 2012|access-date=February 11, 2019}} They lived in Westport, Connecticut, until 2019, when they moved to Lake Tahoe and then in 2020, they moved to Nashville.{{cite news |url=http://westport.patch.com/articles/melissa-joan-hart-explains-it-all |title=Melissa Joan Hart Explains It All |first=Ann |last=Quasarano |publisher=Westport Patch |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715051701/http://westport.patch.com/articles/melissa-joan-hart-explains-it-all |archive-date=July 15, 2011}}{{Cite web|last=Lippe-Mcgraw|first=Jordi|title=Melissa Joan Hart Tells AD About Her Permanent Move to Her Lake Tahoe Vacation Home|url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/melissa-joan-hart-lake-tahoe-vacation-home|access-date=2021-02-08|website=Architectural Digest|date=April 12, 2019|language=en-us}}{{Cite web|last=Menza|first=Kaitlin|title=How I Travel: Melissa Joan Hart Tells Off Fellow Plane Passengers|url=https://www.cntraveler.com/story/how-i-travel-melissa-joan-hart|access-date=2021-02-08|website=Condé Nast Traveler|date=December 18, 2020|language=en-us}}

Hart and Wilkerson were featured in People magazine's April 7, 2008 issue, introducing their second child Braydon.{{cite web|url=http://www.celebrity-babies.com/2008/03/introducing-bra.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080401000423/http://www.celebrity-babies.com/2008/03/introducing-bra.html|archive-date=April 1, 2008|title=Update: Introducing Braydon Hart Wilkerson|work=People Magazine|access-date=March 28, 2008}} Hart wrote a diary, including video entries, to document potty training her son, Mason, for Huggies Pull-Ups brand diapers.

Hart and her family are Presbyterians.{{Cite web|first=Benjamin|last=Gill|url=https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/entertainment/2019/january/this-is-a-jesus-home-satans-not-welcome-here-how-melissa-joan-hart-went-from-teenage-witch-to-spiritual-warfare|title='This Is a Jesus Home, Satan's Not Welcome Here': How Melissa Joan Hart Went from 'Teenage Witch' to Spiritual Warfare|date=January 7, 2019|website=CBN News|language=en|access-date=December 20, 2019}} In an interview, she stated that they attend church every Sunday and pray every night and before every meal.{{cite web|last=Cohn|first=Paulette|title=Melissa Joan Hart: The Celeb Mom's Weight Loss Secrets! : Celebrity Baby Updates : pregnancy and parenting on JustMommies|url=http://www.justmommies.com/celebrity-baby-updates/melissa-joan-hart-the-celeb-moms-weight-loss-secrets?page=0,1|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731153415/https://www.justmommies.com/celebrity-baby-updates/melissa-joan-hart-the-celeb-moms-weight-loss-secrets?page=0,1|archive-date=July 31, 2018|access-date=July 27, 2015|work=justmommies.com}}

Hart was near The Covenant School in Nashville when a mass shooting occurred there in March 2023 and helped escort some of the fleeing children to safety.{{Cite web|first=Rose|last=Andy|url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/29/entertainment/melissa-joan-hart-nashville-school-shooting/index.html|title=Actress Melissa Joan Hart describes helping children flee campus after Nashville school shooting|date=March 28, 2023|website=CNN|language=en|access-date=March 29, 2023}}{{Cite web|first=Banfield|last=Ashleigh|url=https://www.newsnationnow.com/banfield/melissa-joan-hart-helped-nashville-kids-escape-shooting/|title=AMelissa Joan Hart helped Nashville kids escape shooting|date=March 28, 2023|website=NewsNation|language=en|access-date=March 29, 2023}} She later recounted the experience on NewsNation and her social media accounts, while noting that she and her children were also in proximity to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012.

Hart has expressed her support for some Republican candidates, such as voting for Bob Dole during the 1996 election.{{cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/05/melissa-joan-hart-republicans-hollywood_n_4218426.html |title=Melissa Joan Hart: 'These Days I Find More Republicans In Hollywood' |work=Huffington Post| first=Cavan |last=Sieczkowski |date=November 5, 2013}} On November 5, 2012, the day before that year's Election Day, she tweeted that she was endorsing Mitt Romney for president.{{cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/05/melissa-joan-hart-romney-republican_n_2079329.html |title=Melissa Joan Hart & Mitt Romney? Actress Tweets Support For Republican Candidate | work=Huffington Post| first=Madeline |last=Boardman |date=November 5, 2012}}{{cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/31/melissa-joan-hart-romney_n_4181514.html |title=Melissa Joan Hart: Romney Tweet Led To 'Unbelievable' Hate | work=Huffington Post| first=Christopher |last=Rosen |date=October 31, 2013}}{{cite web|first=Dusten|last=Carlson|url=http://www.inquisitr.com/389847/melissa-joan-hart-tweets-romney-support-twitters-childhood-dies/|title=Melissa Joan Hart Tweets Romney Support, Twitter's Childhood Dies|website=The Inquisitr|date=November 6, 2012|access-date=November 15, 2012}} Hart has expressed support for increased gun control, marching in a Moms Demand Action demonstration in Brooklyn in May 2016.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/may/07/gun-control-march-new-york-julianne-moore?CMP=fb_us|title='Did a bunch of little kids get shot today?' Stars join march for 'gun sense'|newspaper=The Guardian|date=May 9, 2016|access-date=May 9, 2016}} On August 16, 2016, in the run-up to that year's presidential election, she donated to Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson's campaign.[http://thelibertarianrepublic.com/gary-johnson-melissa-joan-hart/ Melissa Joan Hart Endorses Gary Johnson After Watching Online Video] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820101247/http://thelibertarianrepublic.com/gary-johnson-melissa-joan-hart/ |date=August 20, 2016 }}. The Libertarian Republic. August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2016. On August 28, 2016, she joined Johnson's campaign as its Connecticut chairperson.{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/celebrity/melissa-joan-hart-joins-gary-johnsons-campaign-as-connecticut-chairperson/|title=Melissa Joan Hart Joins Libertarian Gary Johnson's Presidential Campaign as Connecticut Chairperson|work=People|first=Lindsay|last=Kimble|date=September 27, 2016|access-date=March 6, 2019}} On August 21, 2023, she marched with Moms Demand Action in Nashville.

• 2013: Melissa Explains It All: Tales from My Abnormally Normal Life (read by the author), Macmillan Audio, {{ISBN|978-1427232991}}

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

{{Commons category|Melissa Joan Hart}}

• [http://www.hartbreak.com/ Hartbreak Films]
• {{IMDb name|4997}}
• {{IBDB name}}
• {{iobdb name|9300}}

{{Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Female TV Star}}

{{Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actress}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hart, Melissa Joan}}

Category:1976 births

Category:20th-century American actresses

Category:21st-century American actresses

Category:Actresses from New York (state)

Category:Activists from New York (state)

Category:American child actresses

Category:American film actresses

Category:American gun control activists

Category:American Presbyterians

Category:American stage actresses

Category:American television actresses

Category:American television directors

Category:American voice actresses

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Category:Living people

Category:New York University alumni

Category:Nickelodeon people

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Category:People from Sayville, New York

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Category:Television producers from New York (state)