Actress Alyssa Milano was born on December 19, 1972 in New York City. Born in the borough of Brooklyn, she spent her childhood in nearby Staten Island. She began her career at eight years old, when she won a part in the national tour of the play Annie. From there, she appeared in several television commercials and off-Broadway productions. She earned wider fame for her role in the successful sitcom Who’s the Boss?, which premiered in 1984. She played Samantha Micelli, the daughter of former baseball player Tony Micelli (Tony Danza), who was forced to retire from the sport and moved to Connecticut to work as a housekeeper for advertising executive Angela Bower (Judith Light). The series was a huge success, and lasted for eight seasons.
At the beginning of the 1990s, Milano tried to shed her nice girl image, by taking on roles in several adult-targeted films. Among them are Embrace of the Vampire, Confessions of a Sorority Girl, Deadly Sins and Poison Ivy II: Lily. She also had a successful run on the prime time serial Melrose Place; she joined in 1997 as Michael Mancini’s (Thomas Calabro) bratty sister, Jennifer. 1998 proved to be a bigger success for her, when she joined the cast of the television series Charmed. She played Phoebe Halliwell, the youngest (and later the middle, with the discovery of an unknown fourth sister) of the Charmed ones, who held the power of premonition; most of her predictions became a basis for some episodes. She became one of the show’s producers from the fifth season, and remained in that capacity until its conclusion in 2006.
After Charmed, Milano took on other roles in both film and television. After appearing in releases such as Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star and The Blue Hour, she took a recurring role in the acclaimed series My Name is Earl, as Billie Cunningham, Earl’s (Jason Lee) most recent wife. She also began work on her own clothing line, Touch, which is targeted towards female baseball fans like her.
In 2010, Milano was cast in the short-lived series Romantically Challenged. She then moved on to star on the ABC series Mistresses in 2013.
6 wins & 5 nominations.
Awards:
1990: Blimp Award
Favorite TV Actress
for: "Who's the Boss?" (1984)
1989: Kids' Choice Award
Favorite TV Actress
for: "Who's the Boss?" (1984)
1988: Kids' Choice Award
Favorite TV Actress
for: "Who's the Boss?" (1984)
1988: Young Artist Award
Best Young Female Superstar in Television
for: "Who's the Boss?" (1984)
1987: Young Artist Award
Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress, Starring in a Television, Comedy or Drama Series
for: "Who's the Boss?" (1984)
1986: Young Artist Award
Best Young Supporting Actress in a Television Series
for: "Who's the Boss?" (1984)
"It's sometimes nice to be important, but it's always important to be nice."
"Every time I decide I want a child I get another pet. I have 3 dogs, 13 birds and 3 horses, what does that tell you?"
"I've always believed in experiencing everything in life. When you walk out with blinders on, you cut yourself off from the angels and the fairies."