American actress Melissa McCarthy was born on August 26, 1970 in Plainfield, Illinois. Cousin of actress Jenny McCarthy, she began her career in the entertainment industry by appearing as a stand-up comedian in New York. She made her first mark in that field by working at The Stand Up New York and The Improv. She also received training in drama at The Actors Studio, enabling her to land parts in numerous stage productions. She later moved to Los Angeles, doing improv at The Groundlings Main Company, a world-renowned comedy and sketch troupe.
Melissa McCarthy’s extensive career in film and television began when she appeared on her cousin’s The Jenny McCarthy Show in 1997. This was immediately followed by other roles, such as those in God in 1998 and Go in 1999. In 2000, she joined the cast of the CW series Gilmore Girls, portraying the character Sookie St. James. This soon shot her to fame, and she continued to land numerous other projects. She was seen on the films Charlie’s Angels, The Kid, White Oleander, Chicken Party, Just Add Water and The Life of David Gale. She has also done voice work, notably on the Disney series Kim Possible, and was seen on the show Curb Your Enthusiasm. She has also written, directed and produced the short film Polk Valley, in which she stars in as well. In 2007, McCarthy was cast in the ABC comedy series Samantha Who? She has also been seen in the movie The Nines, as well as in the film Cook-Off. In October 2005, she married her longtime boyfriend, actor Ben Falcone from the sitcom sitcom Joey. Most of her roles are as best friends, like in Gilmore Girls, in Samantha Who? to Christina Applegate, in The Third Wheels with Ben Affleck and in The Nines’ Ryan Reynolds.
Spouse: Ben Falcone (8 October 2005 - present)
Cousin of Jenny McCarthy.
She gave birth to a girl, Vivian Falcone, on Saturday, May 5th 2007.