American actress Melissa Claire Egan was born on September 28, 1981 in Pound Ridge, New York. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in dramatic art. After an extensive background in musical theater and modeling during her school years—she joined the Ford Modeling Agency and thus appeared in several campaigns across the country—she started acting professionally. In 2001,
she initially played guest roles in teen television shows Dawson’s Creek and One Tree Hill, and later made her film debut in the independent romantic drama Wrestling, which was released in 2008.
Egan is perhaps best known for her role in the daytime soap All My Children. She began acting for the show in 2006, initially as an extra, and later as Annie McDermott. Not much is known about her past, except that she has divorced her husband Terry McDermott because of his infidelity. Her initial storyline involves her running away with her daughter Emma (Lucy Merriam) fearing for what could happen to her if she grows up. She later marries Ryan Lavery (Cameron Mathison), who was later discovered to be the actual biological father of Emma.