Biographie
Melanie Hutsell was born in Maryville, Tennessee, near the foothills of the Smoky Mountains close to Dollywood. As a child, she was shy but gradually became more outgoing over time. When her Freshman English teacher asked her to perform a soliloquy from "Romeo and Juliet," she was terrified, but afterward, her teacher encouraged her to audition for plays. Her favorite role was "The Wicked Witch of the West." She then attended the University of Tennessee, where she studied drama for two years. One day, she discovered a book about "The Second City" and realized it perfectly matched her aspirations. Despite her parents' objections, she moved to Chicago, studied at Second City, and met renowned improv teacher Mick Napier. At his invitation, Melanie became a co-founder of "The Annoyance Theatre," which remains active today. Her performances in "The Real Live Brady Bunch" and "The Miss Vagina Pageant" caught the attention of SNL talent scout Marci Klein and ultimately Lorne Michaels, leading to an audition for Saturday Night Live. At 23, Melanie joined SNL from 1991 to 1994, where she portrayed "Jan Brady," a lovable but eccentric Tri-Delta sorority girl, alongside Siobhan Fallon Hogan and Beth Cahill, as well as impersonating figures like Tori Spelling, Monica Seles, and Tonya Harding. She later moved to Los Angeles to continue her acting career and married Fred Rapoport, a talented composer who owns the company "Static Music." They have two children, Carly and Leo. One of Melanie's latest impersonations is "Queen of Southern Cooking," Miss Paula Deen, whom she surprised on the 2009 show Kiddin' Around. Paula was very gracious, and the experience was a blast. Besides acting, Melanie is also exploring screenwriting, though acting remains her first passion. Recently, she appeared in United States of Tara (2009), Bridesmaids (2011), and the CMT sitcom Working Class (2011) alongside Melissa Peterman. She also wrote, produced, and starred in the short film "Harold and Hilda Jo," set to release in 2011. While Melanie is deeply passionate about acting, one of her greatest sorrows is being away from her family in Tennessee. She visits as often as possible, and her Southern roots remain a vital part of who she is.
