Melanie Mayron


Actor, Director
Melanie Mayron

About

Also Known As
Melanie Joy Mayron
Birth Place
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Born
October 20, 1952

Biography

Best-known for her intense portrayal of the free-spirited Melissa in the acclaimed ABC drama series "thirtysomething," the petite auburn-haired Mayron began her career touring the US in a production of "Godspell." She made her film debut as a teenage hitchhiker opposite Art Carney in "Harry and Tonto" (1974) and earned acclaim for her realistic portrait of a zaftig Jewish photographer wh...

Biography

Best-known for her intense portrayal of the free-spirited Melissa in the acclaimed ABC drama series "thirtysomething," the petite auburn-haired Mayron began her career touring the US in a production of "Godspell." She made her film debut as a teenage hitchhiker opposite Art Carney in "Harry and Tonto" (1974) and earned acclaim for her realistic portrait of a zaftig Jewish photographer whose roommate leaves to marry in Claudia Weill's "Girlfriends" (1978). Subsequent film appearances failed to capitalize on her unique appeal and, except for Costa-Gavras' "Missing" (1982), she was virtually wasted. Mayron joined director-screenwriter Catlin Adams to create HighTop Films, for which she produced the 1988 feature "Sticky Fingers," which failed to find an audience or strong critical response, and the 1988 award-winning short "Little Shiny Shoes."

Mayron found her biggest success on TV. Beginning with her portrayal of a prostitute in "Hustling" (ABC, 1975), she gave a series of sharply etched performances, notably "Playing for Time" (CBS, 1980) and "Wallenberg: A Hero's Story" (NBC, 1985). Beginning in 1990, Mayron turned her considerable talents behind the camera, helming two episodes of "thirtysomething." She went on to direct episodes of "Tribeca" (Fox, 1993), "Sirens" (ABC, 1993) and "Winnetka Road" (NBC, 1994) as well as the TV remake of "Freaky Friday" (ABC, 1995), which she also scripted. Mayron made her feature film directing debut with the underrated "The Baby-Sitters Club" (1995).

Filmography

 

Director (Feature Film)

Playdate (2013)
Director
Mean Girls 2 (2011)
Director
She Gets What She Wants (2005)
Director
Toothless (1997)
Director
The Baby-Sitters Club (1995)
Director
Freaky Friday (1995)
Director

Cast (Feature Film)

Itty Bitty Titty Committee (2007)
Clockstoppers (2002)
Range of Motion (2000)
Alice Tyson
East of A (1999)
Ellie
Toothless (1997)
Freaky Friday (1995)
Drop Zone (1994)
Other Women's Children (1993)
Amelia Stewart
Ordeal in the Arctic (1993)
Sue Hillier
My Blue Heaven (1990)
Checking Out (1989)
Jenny Macklin
Sticky Fingers (1988)
The Boss' Wife (1986)
Janet Keefer
Will There Really Be a Morning? (1983)
Missing (1982)
Heartbeeps (1981)
Susan
The Best Little Girl in the World (1981)
Playing for Time (1980)
Katie: Portrait of Centerfold (1978)
Girlfriends (1978)
Susan Weinblatt
The Great Smokey Roadblock (1978)
Lulu
The New Love Boat (1977)
Joyce Adams
You Light Up My Life (1977)
Annie Gerrard
Car Wash (1976)
Gable and Lombard (1976)
Hustling (1975)
Harry and Tonto (1974)

Writer (Feature Film)

Freaky Friday (1995)
Screenplay
Sticky Fingers (1988)
Screenplay

Producer (Feature Film)

Sticky Fingers (1988)
Producer

Cast (Special)

Inside "thirtysomething" (2001)
Time Warner Presents the Earth Day Special (1990)
The Party's Over (1990)
Host
The 41st Annual Emmy Awards (1989)
Performer
Wanted: The Perfect Guy (1986)
Cindy Eller: A Modern Fairy Tale (1985)
Mrs Eller
Lily -- Sold Out (1981)

Cast (TV Mini-Series)

Wallenberg: A Hero's Story (1985)

Life Events

1972

Toured US in "Godspell"

1974

Feature acting debut in "Harry and Tonto"

1975

TV movie debut in "Hustling"

1979

Broadway stage debut in "The Goodbye People"

1995

Feature directing debut "The Baby-Sitter's Club"

1995

Helmed the ABC small screen remake of "Freaky Friday"

1997

Helmed the ABC/Disney TV-movie "Toothless"

Videos

Movie Clip

Girlfriends (1978) -- (Movie Clip) I Have A War With My Mother The first scene following the credits, with the two de facto title characters, previously just introduced, Melanie Mayron as photographer Susan and Anita Skinner as aspiring writer Anne, in Claudia Weill’s celebrated feature debut Girlfriends, 1978.
Harry And Tonto (1974) -- (Movie Clip) What Happened To Chico? With hitcher Ginger (Melanie Mayron), Harry (Art Carney) arrives at the Chicago bookshop run by his lovelorn daughter Shirley (Ellen Burstyn), his grandson Norman (Josh Mostel) making a half-hearted attempt to intervene, in Paul Mazursky's Harry And Tonto, 1974.
Girlfriends (1978) -- (Movie Clip) Thank You For The Hideous Buddha Anne (Anita Skinner) and her husband Martin (Bob Balaban) working on thank-you’s for wedding presents, decide to invite her now ex-roommate, photographer Susan (Melanie Mayron) to their suburban home for the weekend, in Claudia Weill’s Girlfriends, 1978.
Girlfriends (1978) -- (Movie Clip) How Can You Get Married? Minimal staging from first-time director Claudia Weill, Susan (Melanie Mayron) rushes to the laundromat with news for roommate Anne (Anita Skinner), who has an update of her own, with the off-screen first appearance of Bob Balaban as boyfriend Martin, in Girlfriends, 1978.
Girlfriends (1978) -- (Movie Clip) I Caught The Bouquet At a party following her roommate’s wedding, struggling New York photographer Susan (Melanie Mayron) is greeted by hostess Terry (Jean De Baer), and the sublime first appearance of Christopher Guest as Harry, Claudia Weill directing from Vicki Polon’s screenplay, in Girlfriends, 1978.

Trailer

Family

David Mayron
Father
Pharmaceutical chemist.
Norma Mayron
Mother
Real estate agent.
Gale Mayron
Sister
Actor, TV host. Hosted an afternoon MTV interview/video show.
Olivia Joy Mayron
Daughter
Born on October 14, 1998.
Miles Mayron
Son
Born c. 1998.

Bibliography