Bellamy Young

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Bellamy Young
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Young at White House Correspondents' Dinner in May 2014.
Born Amy Maria Young
(1970-02-19) February 19, 1970 (age 54)
Asheville, North Carolina
Occupation Actress, producer
Years active 1994–present
Website Official Website

Bellamy Young (born Amy Maria Young; February 19, 1970)[1] is an American television, film, theatre actress and producer, best known for her role as First Lady of the United States Melody "Mellie" Grant in the ABC drama series Scandal (2012–present). In 2014, for her portrayal of Mellie, Young won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

Early life

Young was born as Amy Maria Young[2] in Asheville, North Carolina, and raised by adoptive parents.[3] Her mother was her teacher from sixth grade through eighth grade. She had to change her name to join the Screen Actors Guild since there was another Amy Young registered.[4] She chose the name Bellamy as a tribute to her late father's best friend, Bill, who had helped to raise her after her father died.[5]

She won North Carolina's Junior Miss beauty pageant and graduated from The Asheville School in 1987.[6] She attended Yale University where she was roommates with future director Tanya Wexler[7] graduating in 1991,[8] and the British American Drama Academy at Oxford University in England.[9]

Career

1995–2011

Young began her acting career in theatre. In the 1990s, she performed in a number of Broadway shows including the original production of The Life.[10][11] On Off-Broadway, Young appeared on Stephen Sondheim's musical Merrily We Roll Along (1994), and Randy Newman's Faust (1995–1996).[4][12]

File:Bellamy Young 2013 2.jpg
Young in 2013

In 1995, Young made her television debut in a recurring role on the NBC daytime soap opera Another World as Dr. Courtney Evans.[9] She guest-starred on Law & Order in 1997 and 1998, in two different roles. In 1999 she made her film debut with a small role in the crime drama Black and White and later co-starred in several independent films. In 2000's she began appearing in guest-starring roles on a number of television dramas and comedies, including The Drew Carey Show, The X Files, ER, Frasier, The West Wing, NCIS, Medium, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Two and a Half Men, Supernatural, Drop Dead Diva, and Castle. From 2000 to 2011, Young made over 30 guest appearances on television shows.

Young was a regular cast member in the USA Network series Peacemakers in 2003. The show was cancelled after one season of nine episodes. She had recurring roles in the Lifetime legal drama series For the People as Deputy Dist. Atty. Agnes Hunt in 2002, on NBC period drama American Dreams as Diane Shaw in 2003, on Scrubs in 2004, as Assistant State Attorney Monica West on CBS's CSI: Miami (2005–06), and on ABC primetime soap opera Dirty Sexy Money (2008–2009) as Ellen Darling, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Darling family. She also had a recurring role in Criminal Minds as Beth Clemmons from 2011 to 2013.[13][14]

Young has appeared in supporting roles in a couple of films, including We Were Soldiers (2002) and Mission: Impossible III (2006), along with independent movies like Larceny (2004), Eve of Understanding (2006), Trust Me (2007), This Is Not a Test (2008), In My Sleep (2010), The Freebie (2010), and Joint Body (2014

2012–present

File:Bellamy Young 2014.jpg
Young at the Divergent premiere in 2014
Young in October 2014

In 2011 Shonda Rhimes cast Young in the recurring role of First Lady Melody "Mellie" Grant on the ABC political thriller television series Scandal opposite Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn. Before Scandal, Young appeared in Shonda Rhimes' Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. She appeared in every episode of the first season of Scandal and was upgraded to a series regular as of season two.[15][16] Young later said that originally her part was a minor role for the three episode recurring arc.[17]

Young has received critical acclaim for her performance as First Lady and won generally favorable reviews from critics during the second and third seasons.[18][19] The Daily Beast named her the "Breakout star" of the show in 2014.[20] Many critics praised Young's performance in her character's centered episode "Everything's Coming Up Mellie" of the third season.[21][22] Cicely K. Dyson's review for The Wall Street Journal states: "Bellamy Young has been an amazing scene stealer for two-and-a-half seasons, and this time she finally got her chance to shine."[23] Robert Rorke, writing for The New York Post, states that, "In Mellie, the show has its most fleshed-out character and in Young, its most compelling performer... The television academy has nominated Washington once for Best Actress in a Drama Series. Let’s see if they remember Bellamy Young next July, when the nominations come out."[24]

In 2014, Young was a promising contender for an Emmy Award in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series category,[25][26] though she did not receive a nomination.[27] She won a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her performance in season three.[28]

Personal life

Young lives in Los Angeles, where Scandal is filmed. She has three cats and a dog. Sadie is from street shelter, Max is from a kitten rescue and Button was walking around her property for six months before Young took him in. Her dog is named The Bean and is a mixed breed of pug-chihuahua and is a rescue dog.[29] She has been a vegan since 1988.[30][31]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1999 Black and White Bellamy Uncredited
1999 Picture This Monique
2001 Mission Sandy
2002 Swatters Mary Dolan
2002 We Were Soldiers Catherine Metsker
2004 Larceny Kiki
2008 Vision of a Murder Tina Moore Television film
2005 Darcy's Off-White Wedding Donatella Short film
2006 Eve of Understanding Cassie
2006 Mission: Impossible III Rachael
2007 Simple Things Terry Hudson Also executive producer
2007 Trust Me Carrie
2008 One, Two, Many Jennifer
2008 This Is Not a Test Teresa
2008 Mask of the Ninja Gina Television film
2009 Tender as Hellfire Cheryl Short film
2010 The Freebie Jessica
2010 In My Sleep Olivia
2010 Pound of Flesh Daniella Melville
2011 Joint Body Jane Chapman
2012 Last Day on Earth Pamala
2012 The Cottage Annie Also executive producer
2015 Day Out of Days Rebecca
2016 Offer & Compromise Karen
2016 The Night Stalker[32] Kit

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1995 Another World Dr. Courtney Evans Recurring role
1997 Law & Order Ellen O'Brien Episode: "Blood"
1998 Law & Order Stephanie Harker Episode: "True North"
2000 The Drew Carey Show Bridget Episode: "The Gang Stops Drinking"
2000 Nash Bridges Diana Carr Episode: "The Messenger"
2000 The X-Files Attorney Janet Wilson Episode: "Redrum"
2001 The District Bethany Fortoro Episode: "To Serve and Protect"
2001 ER Grace Episode: "If I Should Fall from Grace"
2002 Frasier Lisa Episode: "Three Blind Dates"
2002 For the People Deputy Dist. Atty. Agnes Hunt Recurring role
2003 Peacemakers Twyla Gentry Series regular, 9 episodes
2003 American Dreams Diane Shaw Episodes: "Another Saturday Night", "Life's Illusions", "Rescue Me"
2004 The West Wing MaryLou Meriwether Episode: "The Stormy Present"
2004 NCIS A.T.F. Special Agent Melinda Stone Episode: "Split Decision"
2004, 2009 Scrubs Dr. Miller Recurring role, 6 episodes
2004 Strong Medicine Erin Berman Episode: "Code"
2005 North Shore Mrs. Lasser Episode: "Shark"
2005 Medium Kate Emery Episode: "Judge, Jury and Executioner"
2005–2006 CSI: Miami Assistant State Attorney Monica West Recurring role, 6 episodes
2007 Close to Home Sarah Paulson Episode: "Road Rage"
2007 Grey's Anatomy Kathy Episodes: "The Other Side of This Life: Parts 1 & 2"
2007 Boston Legal Cynthia Nichols Episode: "Beauty and the Beast"
2007 Private Practice Kathy Episode: "In Which Charlotte Goes Down the Rabbit Hole"
2007 Cold Case Audrey Metz (1938) Episode: "World's End"
2007–2008 Dirty Sexy Money Ellen Darling Recurring role, 9 episodes
2008 Two and a Half Men Diane Episode: "The Mooch at the Boo"
2008 Knight Rider Amy Clark Episode: "Knight Rider"
2009 Knight Rider Amy Clark Episode: "Fly by Knight"
2009 Trust Me Carrie Taylor Episode: "But Wait, There's More"
2009 Ghost Whisperer Lucy Stanton Episode: "Cursed"
2009 Supernatural Sarah / Lucifer Episode: "Sympathy for the Devil"
2010 Edgar Floats Jennifer Wade TV pilot
2010 Drop Dead Diva Emily Parcellas Episode: "The Long Road to Napa"
2010 The Mentalist Melanie Ayers Episode: "Cackle-Bladder-Blood"
2010 Law & Order: LA Monica Jarrow Episode: "Playa Vista"
2011 Working Class Brooke Episode: "The Dance"
2011 United States of Tara Bridgette Episodes: "The Full F**k You Finger", "Wheels"
2011 Castle Candace Ford Episode: "Pretty Dead"
2011 The Protector Skylar Brenn Episode: "Wings"
2011–2013 Criminal Minds Beth Clemmons Recurring role, 7 episodes
2012 Franklin & Bash Margaret Pollack Episode: "L'affaire Du Coeur"
2012–present Scandal First Lady Melody "Mellie" Grant Series regular
Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Theatre

Year Production Role Notes
1997 The Life Mary Ethel Barrymore Theatre

References

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External links

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