Melyssa Ford

Actress and model, Melyssa Savannah Ford, was born on November 7, 1980, in Toronto, Canada. Melyssa owes her good looks to her mixed parentage, her father being Afro-Caribbean and her mother being Russian-Norwegian. Her exposure to acting began at an early age when she was selected for numerous school plays, garnering the lead parts. Her first break into mainstream showbiz happened when music video director, Little X discovered her in a Toronto nightclub where she was tending the bar. Thereafter, she appeared in many hip-hop and R & B music videos, as well as calendar pictorials. Melyssa combines good looks with a sharp mind. She always had an interest in criminal psychology and studied forensic psychology at York University, with the initial intention of working with the Canadian Security Intelligence Services. Her career however took a no less glamorous turn. She graced the covers and the inner pages of many magazines, including XXL, and King Magazine. Starting in March 2004 by hosting BET's 'How I'm Livin'' series, she subsequently became the host of BET's lifestyle show, BET Style. She was also seen in the Showtime series, 'Soul Food', the UPN series 'Platinum', and another series, the 'Playmakers'. The online arena too was captured by versatile Melyssa, by hosting the website show, 'Lifestyles of the Phat and the Phabulous'. Some of the music videos in which Melyssa appeared include R. Kelly's 'Happy People', Jay-Z's 'Big Pimpin'', Jadakiss's 'Knock yourself out', Ghostface Killa's 'Cherchez La Ghost', 112's 'Anywhere', Usher's 'Yeah', and Mystikal's 'Shake it fast'. In 2000, she had a role in the film, 'Psyche', followed in 2004 by the film, 'Turn it up'. She also writes a monthly advisory column, under 'Jessica Rabbit' for the Smooth magazine.