
Mel Harris
Known for Acting · 65 credits
- Born
- 1956-07-12 (age 69)
- Place of birth
- Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Biography
Mel Harris is an American actress, writer and director, best known for her portrayal of Hope Steadman on the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning series Thirtysomething (1987), for which she received a Golden Globe nomination as best Actress in a Drama Series. She starred in the NBC comedy Something So Right (1996) and the My Network drama series Saints and Sinners (2014). Her most recent role has been as Nadine Davies on Hulu's new series Shut Eye (2016)
Mary Ellen Harris was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and raised in New Jersey. Her mother was a high school science teacher and her father a football coach at Princeton University. She spent 12 years in the modeling world living in New York and Europe before stumbling into the acting business. She starred in numerous miniseries and telefilms including Cross Fire (1989), The Burden of Proof (1992) and Grass Roots (1992), as well as appearances on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999), and as Senator Rafferty on The West Wing (1999). Among her feature film credits are Brian De Palma's Raising Cain (1992) , K-9 (1989) (opposite Jim Belushi), Suture (1993), The Pagemaster (1994), and Wanted: Dead or Alive (1986).
She made her New York stage debut at the Circle Repertory Company in the world premiere of John Bishop's Empty Hearts, for which she received a 1992 Theater World Award. In addition to her acting, in the last few years, she has focused on writing with her partner and husband, Emmy Award winning writer/producer, Bob Brush, under their shingle Topanga Moon Productions.
- IMDb mini biography by: mel harris
Known For
TV Shows (26)

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
as Eileen Switzer

Criminal Minds
2005
as Congressman Steyer

House
2004
as Barbara Bardach

Stargate SG-1
1997
as Oma Desala

The West Wing
1999
as Ricky Rafferty

CSI: NY
2004
as Julie Rollins

Cold Case
2003
as Grace Anderson

Dawson's Creek
1998
as Helen Lindley

M*A*S*H
1972

Strong Medicine
2000
as Biddy Hightower

Touched by an Angel
1994
as Kelly Rockhill

The Outer Limits
1995
as Dr. Christina Markham

thirtysomething
1987
as Hope Steadman

Close to Home
2005
as Beth Murphy

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
2015
as Shawna

E-Ring
2005

Imposters
2017
as Margaret Jonson

Cane
2007
as Constance Hughes

Shut Eye
2016
as Nadine Davies

Heart of the City
1986
as Anne

Madigan Men
2000

Something So Right
1996
as Carly Davis

Saints & Sinners
2007
If...
2004

Cross of Fire
1989
as Madge Oberholtzer

The Burden of Proof
1992
as Sonia Klonsky
Movies (39)

The Pagemaster
1994
as Claire Tyler

Imagine That
2009
as Maggie Johnson (uncredited)

K-9
1989
as Tracy

Raising Cain
1992
as Sarah

The Lodger
2009
as Margaret

Sonic Impact
2000
as Co-Pilot Jennifer Blake

The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie
2005
as Mel Harris

The Retrievers
2001
as Karen Lowry

Suture
1993
as Dr. Renee Descartes

Firetrap
2001
as Cordella Calloway

Harry's Hong Kong
1987
as Fay Salerno

Wanted: Dead or Alive
1987
as Terry

Murder, She Wrote: South by Southwest
1997
as Sarah McLeish

Out of Time
2000
as Annie Epson

Arthur's Whisky
2024
as Dr. Deborah Wingard

The Secretary
1995
as Ellen Bradford

Cameron's Closet
1988
as Dr. Nora Haley

Grass Roots
1992
as Kate Rule
The Spider and the Fly
1994
as Dianna Taylor

Purple Heart
2005
as Dr. Harrison

Child of Rage
1992
as Jill Tyler

Desperate Journey: The Allison Wilcox Story
1993
as Allison Wilcox

Ultimate Betrayal
1994
as Susan Rodgers

Dynamite
2004
as Faye Baxter

Distant Cousins
1993
as Katherine June Sullivan
With Hostile Intent
1993
as Kathy Arnold

Out of the Woods
2005
as Beth Fleming

Hangman's Curse
2003
as Sarah Springfield
A Case for Life
1996
as LIz Hemmitt

King of Knives
2020
as Kathy

What Kind of Mother Are You?
1996
as Laura Hyler

My Brother's Wife
1989
as Eleanor Goldberg-Rusher

Welcome to Paradise
1995
as Claire

Sharon's Secret
1995
as Laurel O'Connor

Another pretty face
2002

The Mumbo Jumbo
2000
as Dolly Bird

Broken Lullaby
1994
as Jordan Kirkland

Queen of Knives
2023
as Kathy

Wind Dancer
1993
as Susan Allen
About Mel Harris
Mel Harris is an American actress, writer and director, best known for her portrayal of Hope Steadman on the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning series Thirtysomething (1987), for which she received a Golden Globe nomination as best Actress in a Drama Series. She starred in the NBC comedy Something So Right (1996) and the My Network drama series Saints and Sinners (2014). Her most recent role has been as Nadine Davies on Hulu's new series Shut Eye (2016) Mary Ellen Harris was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and raised in New Jersey. Her… With 65 credits spanning from 1972 to 2024, Mel Harris has appeared in 39 films and 26 TV shows.
Fans searching for Mel Harris movies, Mel Harris filmography, or the latest projects starring Mel Harris can stream many of these titles on CineFlixo, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Mel Harris Movies
- The Pagemaster (1994) — as Claire Tyler
- Imagine That (2009) — as Maggie Johnson (uncredited)
- K-9 (1989) — as Tracy
- Raising Cain (1992) — as Sarah
- The Lodger (2009) — as Margaret
Where to Watch Mel Harris Films
Most Mel Harris movies and series are available to stream on CineFlixo in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Mel Harris, check our movies catalogue and browse page.