Alyssa Milano

Alyssa Jayne Milano is an American actress, singer, and activist born on December 19, 1972. She is known for her television roles, including Samantha Micelli in Who's the Boss?, Jennifer Mancini in Melrose Place, Phoebe Halliwell in Charmed, Billie Cunningham in My Name Is Earl, Savannah "Savi" Davis in Mistresses, Renata Murphy in Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later, and Coralee Armstrong in Insatiable. As an activist, she gained recognition for her involvement in the #MeToo movement in October 2017. She has also performed on stage, performing her own singing in the role of Roxie Hart in Chicago.

Milano was born in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City, and was raised Catholic. Following a neighborhood shooting, her family relocated to Great Kills, Staten Island. She is of Italian descent and has a younger brother named Cory. Milano began her acting career at age seven after being selected for the national touring company of Annie, leading to an 18-month tour accompanied by her mother. Upon returning to New York, she appeared in television commercials, off-Broadway productions, and was signed by an agent.

Milano made her feature film debut in the 1984 coming-of-age drama Old Enough, which won First Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Later that year, she achieved her breakthrough role on the ABC sitcom Who's the Boss?, playing the daughter of Tony Danza's character from 1984 to 1992, which established her as a teen idol. During this period, she starred as Jenny Matrix in the 1985 film Commando alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and appeared in television films such as The Canterville Ghost, Crash Course, and Dance 'til Dawn.

Following the Japanese release of The Canterville Ghost, Milano signed a five-album record deal in Japan, where her bubblegum pop albums achieved platinum status. She also wrote a weekly column for Teen Machine magazine and produced the workout video Teen Steam. In the 1990s, Milano transitioned to mature roles in films like Where the Day Takes You, Casualties of Love: The "Long Island Lolita" Story, Embrace of the Vampire, Fear, and Hugo Pool. She joined Melrose Place in 1996 and began starring on Charmed in 1998, later serving as a producer starting in season four.

Milano continued her screen career with television appearances in My Name Is Earl, Romantically Challenged, Mistresses, and the Netflix series Insatiable. She hosted Project Runway: All Stars, created the comic book series Hacktivist, and hosted the podcast Alyssa Milano: Sorry Not Sorry. Her published literary works include the baseball book Safe At Home: Confessions of a Baseball Fanatic, the children's book Hope: Project Middle School, and the 2021 essay collection Sorry Not Sorry.

Milano's activism began in the late 1980s when she publicly supported Ryan White to raise awareness about AIDS. She later served as a national spokesperson for UNICEF's Trick or Treat campaign, appeared in an advertisement for PETA advocating vegetarianism, and was named a Founding Ambassador for the Sabin Vaccine Institute's Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases. Additionally, she created the Touch line of team apparel for female sports fans.