Alyssa Milano

Alyssa Jayne Milano (born December 19, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles on the sitcom Who's the Boss? and on the supernatural series Charmed.

Biography

Early life and career

Milano was born to parents Tom and Lin Milano, and she has a younger brother, Cory (born 1982), who is also an actor. She and Cory grew up on Staten Island. She began her career at the age of eight when she won a part in an open audition for a national tour of Annie. Having gained a reputation, she appeared in television commercials and off-Broadway productions. One of her first acting roles was at the age of 11 in the television program Who's the Boss?, alongside Tony Danza, Judith Light, Danny Pintauro and Katherine Helmond. She starred as Samantha Micelli, the daughter of Danza's character, Tony Micelli. Her family relocated from Brooklyn to Hollywood when Alyssa won the role.
In 1985, Milano played the role of Arnold Schwarzenegger's daughter in Commando. When this film aired on cable in Japan in 1988, she became an overnight sensation and record executives took notice and asked if she could sing. Having recorded the theme song to her workout video, released earlier that year, she said yes. She signed a five album deal with Pony Canyon and a few months later, her first album, Look In My Heart, was released. The album was a #1 in Japan and she continued this success with every album she released, all of them reaching #1 in Japan with the exception of a compilation CD of remixes which reached #5. The lead single from the compilation, "The Best In The World" did reach #1 on the Pop charts and #1 on the Dance club charts.

Later career

At the beginning of her career, Milano was known mainly for her role as Samantha Micelli on Who's the Boss? (1984-1992). She tried to shed her "nice girl" image by appearing in several films targeted at adults, such as (1992), Embrace of the Vampire (1994), Confessions of a Sorority Girl (1994), Deadly Sins (1995), and (1995), where she starred opposite Johnathon Schaech and Xander Berkley. She gained more mainstream success in TV as Jennifer Mancini on Melrose Place (1997-1998), Meg Winston in Spin City and most notably as Phoebe Halliwell on Charmed (1998-2006). Both Milano and Holly Marie Combs became producers for Charmed during the show's fifth season. Milano played the role of Eva Savelot in MCI's 1-800-COLLECT commercials.
On stage, she starred in Tender Offer, a one-act play written by Wendy Wasserstein, All Night Long, and the first American musical adaptation of Jane Eyre. She returned to her theater roots in 1991, when she starred in and produced a Los Angeles production of Butterflies Are Free.

In 2007 Alyssa will begin her new television show Me and Everyone Else. She plays a thirty year old Mia, who is trying to find her way in life. She is also filming a new movie called The Blue Hour; although very little has been released about the film, we know she plays a grieving mother.

Personal life

Milano is an avid fan of tattoos and has seven of them. She is a liberal and supported John Kerry in the 2004 Presidential Election.
Milano has taken groundbreaking action to protect her rights and the rights of celebrities on the World Wide Web. She has won several copyright infringement suits, and has dedicated the settlement money to the launch of a new search index on the web, Safesearching.com, a global community dedicated to offering a safe way to get the best entertainment information on the Internet.
Milano recently became a National Ambassador for UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund). She traveled to India this summer, as well as Angola in 2004, to work with UNICEF field officers there. In the fall of 2004, she launched UNICEF's pivotal "Trick or Treat" campaign as an official spokesperson. In 2005, she visited India for UNICEF. She raised approximately $50,000 for South African women and children who have AIDS by selling her photo work, and that of a school's.
Milano is also an avid supporter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Milano announced on June 30, 2006, that she'll be partnering with G-III Apparel Group and Major League Baseball to create a line of ladies' baseball gear designed for juniors.
Milano resides in Los Angeles, California. Outside of acting, her hobbies include photography, humanitarian work and spending time with her 4 dogs; Ripely, Stella, Hugo, and Lucy.