Melinda McGraw
Encyclopedia
Melinda Leigh McGraw is an American
actress. She has starred in movies such as Albino Alligator
(1996), Wrongfully Accused
(1998), and Nutty Professor II: The Klumps
(2000), and is also known for her television performances on The Commish
, The X-Files
and Mad Men
.
, Cyprus
, to American parents. The youngest of three daughters, she grew up in Cambridge
and Dover
in the Boston
area. Her father served as a diplomat for the Agency of International Development
before becoming an executive with a major hotel in Boston. She attended the Buckingham Browne & Nichols School
in Cambridge and got her start in acting with the Boston Children's Theater.
, McGraw was accepted to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
in London (one of only seven women admitted in her year). Theatrical performances in the West End
and elsewhere in Britain followed, among them Don Carlos
, The Foreigner
and Twelfth Night
. She returned to America in 1990.
McGraw's first major on-screen role was as Detective Cydavia "Cyd" Madison on The Commish
(1992–1994). While on the set, she met actor Nicholas Lea
and the pair dated for a few years. McGraw later earned recognition for her role as Melissa Scully, Dana Scully
's ill-fated sister, in four episodes of The X-Files
("One Breath
", "The Blessing Way", "Paper Clip" and "Christmas Carol"). Coincidentally, Alex Krycek
, the recurring antagonist responsible for Melissa's death, was played by Nicholas Lea.
McGraw has starred in The Pursuit of Happiness
(1995), Soul Man
(1997–1998), Living in Captivity
(1998), Wednesday 9:30 (8:30 Central)
(2002) and Center of the Universe
(2004). Notable guest appearances include Quantum Leap, Night Court
, Seinfeld
, Cybill
, The Larry Sanders Show
, Mad About You
, The District
, The Practice
and Inconceivable
. She has been featured in four episodes of Desperate Housewives
as Annabel Foster and was cast in Neighbors, an ABC
pilot for 2005-06 that was not picked up.
In 2006, McGraw played Jane Braun, campaign advisor to Presidential candidate Arnold Vinick, in several episodes of The West Wing and appeared in an episode of Bones
. She played U.S. Attorney
Valerie Por in Close to Home and Hartley Green in Saving Grace
in 2007 as well as Annette Barron in two episodes of Journeyman
.
McGraw appeared in 2008's The Dark Knight
(the sequel to Batman Begins
) as Lieutenant Gordon's
wife, Barbara.
She guest-starred in the Law & Order: SVU episode "Crush" as Samantha Copeland.
She had a recurring role as seductive adulteress Bobbie Barrett in the 2008 season of AMC's Mad Men
.
McGraw co-starred with Kelsey Grammer
on the ABC sitcom Hank
before its cancellation on November 11, 2009.
She enjoyed a recurring role as Erin, Scott Bakula
's love interest, on the TNT original series Men of a Certain Age
in 2010-11.
In 2011, she made a guest appearance on NCIS
in the episode Devils Triangle as Diane Sterling, the ex-wife of Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Tobias Fornell.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress. She has starred in movies such as Albino Alligator
Albino Alligator
Albino Alligator is a 1997 film directed by Kevin Spacey in his directorial debut. It stars Matt Dillon, Gary Sinise and William Fichtner as three small-time criminals who take hostages when they are cornered by the police...
(1996), Wrongfully Accused
Wrongfully Accused
Wrongfully Accused is a 1998 comedy film starring Leslie Nielsen as a man who has been framed for murder and desperately attempts to expose the true culprits. The film was written, produced, and directed by Pat Proft and is a parody of the 1993 film The Fugitive.-Plot:World-famous violinist Ryan...
(1998), and Nutty Professor II: The Klumps
Nutty Professor II: The Klumps
Nutty Professor II: The Klumps is a 2000 comedy film directed by Peter Segal. It is the sequel to the 1996 film The Nutty Professor and stars Eddie Murphy and Janet Jackson. Murphy plays not only the inept but brilliant scientist, Sherman Klump, as in the first film, but also most of Sherman's...
(2000), and is also known for her television performances on The Commish
The Commish
The Commish is a television series that aired on ABC in the United States from 1991 to 1996. The series focused on the work and home life of a suburban police commissioner in upstate New York....
, The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
and Mad Men
Mad Men
Mad Men is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Matthew Weiner. The series premiered on Sunday evenings on the American cable network AMC and are produced by Lionsgate Television. It premiered on July 19, 2007, and completed its fourth season on October 17, 2010. Each...
.
Early life
McGraw was born in NicosiaNicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, to American parents. The youngest of three daughters, she grew up in Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
and Dover
Dover, Massachusetts
Dover is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,589 at the 2010 census.Located about southwest of downtown Boston, Dover is a residential town nestled on the south banks of the Charles River. Almost all of the residential zoning requires or larger...
in the Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
area. Her father served as a diplomat for the Agency of International Development
United States Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...
before becoming an executive with a major hotel in Boston. She attended the Buckingham Browne & Nichols School
Buckingham Browne & Nichols
Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, often referred to as BB&N, is a private school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by the Charles River. The school educates students from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade. It was established by a merge of two independent schools, the Buckingham School founded...
in Cambridge and got her start in acting with the Boston Children's Theater.
Career
After attending Bennington CollegeBennington College
Bennington College is a liberal arts college located in Bennington, Vermont, USA. The college was founded in 1932 as a women's college and became co-educational in 1969.-History:-Early years:...
, McGraw was accepted to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school located in London, United Kingdom. It is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1904.RADA is an affiliate school of the...
in London (one of only seven women admitted in her year). Theatrical performances in the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
and elsewhere in Britain followed, among them Don Carlos
Don Carlos (play)
Don Carlos is a historical tragedy in five acts by Friedrich Schiller; it was written between 1783 and 1787 and first produced in Hamburg in 1787...
, The Foreigner
The Foreigner (play)
The Foreigner is a play by Larry Shue.Set in a resort-style fishing lodge in rural Georgia, the comedy revolves around two of its guests, Englishman Charlie Baker and Staff Sergeant Froggy LeSueur. Charlie is so pathologically shy that he is unable to speak...
and Twelfth Night
Twelfth Night, or What You Will
Twelfth Night; or, What You Will is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–02 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season...
. She returned to America in 1990.
McGraw's first major on-screen role was as Detective Cydavia "Cyd" Madison on The Commish
The Commish
The Commish is a television series that aired on ABC in the United States from 1991 to 1996. The series focused on the work and home life of a suburban police commissioner in upstate New York....
(1992–1994). While on the set, she met actor Nicholas Lea
Nicholas Lea
Nicholas Lea is a Canadian actor best known for his portrayal of Alex Krycek on The X-Files and on Kyle XY playing Tom Foss.-Biography:...
and the pair dated for a few years. McGraw later earned recognition for her role as Melissa Scully, Dana Scully
Dana Scully
FBI Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully, M.D. is a fictional character and protagonist on the Fox television series The X-Files , played by Gillian Anderson. She also appeared in two theatrical films based on the series...
's ill-fated sister, in four episodes of The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
("One Breath
One Breath
"One Breath" is the eighth episode of the second season of the science fiction television series The X-Files created by Chris Carter. This episode features the return of Scully from her abduction in a coma-like state.- Plot :...
", "The Blessing Way", "Paper Clip" and "Christmas Carol"). Coincidentally, Alex Krycek
Alex Krycek
Alex Krycek is a fictional character in the long-running American science fiction show, The X-Files portrayed by Nicholas Lea. Initially introduced in the second season as a partner for main character Fox Mulder in the absence of his previous partner, Dana Scully, Krycek grew to become one of the...
, the recurring antagonist responsible for Melissa's death, was played by Nicholas Lea.
McGraw has starred in The Pursuit of Happiness
The Pursuit of Happiness
The Pursuit of Happiness is a Canadian power pop group best noted for their song "I'm An Adult Now."-Beginnings:Led by Edmonton, Alberta singer/songwriter Moe Berg, The Pursuit of Happiness were launched in 1985 when Berg and drummer Dave Gilby moved to Toronto, Ontario...
(1995), Soul Man
Soul Man
Soul Man may refer to:*"Soul Man" , a hit song by Sam & Dave from 1967*Soul Man , a 1986 film starring C. Thomas Howell*Soul Man , a 2006 album by X Factor runner-up Andy Abraham...
(1997–1998), Living in Captivity
Living in Captivity
Living in Captivity is an American sitcom that aired on the Fox Network on Friday night from September 11, 1998 to October 16, 1998.-Premise:The series centered around the residents of the gated community of Woodland Heights, California...
(1998), Wednesday 9:30 (8:30 Central)
Wednesday 9:30 (8:30 Central)
Wednesday 9:30 is an American sitcom which aired on ABC in 2002. The series was created by Peter Tolan.-Premise:...
(2002) and Center of the Universe
Center of the Universe
Center of the Universe is a television series on CBS, which ran from October 27, 2004, until January 19, 2005. The sitcom was canceled after just 10 episodes aired. It was set in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma....
(2004). Notable guest appearances include Quantum Leap, Night Court
Night Court
Night Court is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984, to May 20, 1992. The setting was the night shift of a Manhattan court, presided over by the young, unorthodox Judge Harold T. "Harry" Stone...
, Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
, Cybill
Cybill
Cybill is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre, which aired on CBS from January 2, 1995 to July 13, 1998. Starring Cybill Shepherd, the series revolves around Cybill Sheridan, a twice-divorced single mother of two and struggling actress in her 40s, who has never gotten her show...
, The Larry Sanders Show
The Larry Sanders Show
The Larry Sanders Show is a satirical television sitcom that aired from August 1992 to May 1998 on the HBO cable television network in the United States. It starred stand-up comedian Garry Shandling as vain, neurotic talk show host Larry Sanders, and centered on the running of his TV show, and the...
, Mad About You
Mad About You
Mad About You is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 23, 1992 to May 24, 1999. The show starred Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a newly married couple in New York City. Reiser played Paul Buchman, a documentary film maker. Hunt played Jamie Stemple Buchman, a public relations specialist...
, The District
The District
The District is a television police drama which aired on CBS from October 7, 2000 to May 1, 2004. The show followed the work and personal life of the chief of Washington, D.C.'s Police Department .-Premise:...
, The Practice
The Practice
The Practice is an American legal drama created by David E. Kelley centering on the partners and associates at a Boston law firm. Running for eight seasons from 1997 to 2004, the show won the Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Best Drama Series, and spawned the successful and lighter spin-off series Boston...
and Inconceivable
Inconceivable
Inconceivable is an American primetime television medical drama, which was broadcast on NBC. The program premiered on September 23, 2005. The show revolved around the professional and personal lives of those who work at the Family Options Fertility Clinic. The clinic is run by its co-founders ...
. She has been featured in four episodes of Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
as Annabel Foster and was cast in Neighbors, an ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
pilot for 2005-06 that was not picked up.
In 2006, McGraw played Jane Braun, campaign advisor to Presidential candidate Arnold Vinick, in several episodes of The West Wing and appeared in an episode of Bones
Bones (TV series)
Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...
. She played U.S. Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
Valerie Por in Close to Home and Hartley Green in Saving Grace
Saving Grace (TV series)
Saving Grace is an American television crime drama series which premiered on TNT on July 23, 2007 and ran until June 21, 2010. The show stars Academy Award-winner Holly Hunter in her first television series, as well as Leon Rippy, Kenny Johnson, Laura San Giacomo, Bailey Chase, Bokeem Woodbine,...
in 2007 as well as Annette Barron in two episodes of Journeyman
Journeyman
A journeyman is someone who completed an apprenticeship and was fully educated in a trade or craft, but not yet a master. To become a master, a journeyman had to submit a master work piece to a guild for evaluation and be admitted to the guild as a master....
.
McGraw appeared in 2008's The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight (film)
The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins...
(the sequel to Batman Begins
Batman Begins
Batman Begins is a 2005 American superhero action film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson,...
) as Lieutenant Gordon's
James Gordon (comics)
James Worthington Gordon, Sr. is a fictional character, an ally of Batman that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane...
wife, Barbara.
She guest-starred in the Law & Order: SVU episode "Crush" as Samantha Copeland.
She had a recurring role as seductive adulteress Bobbie Barrett in the 2008 season of AMC's Mad Men
Mad Men
Mad Men is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Matthew Weiner. The series premiered on Sunday evenings on the American cable network AMC and are produced by Lionsgate Television. It premiered on July 19, 2007, and completed its fourth season on October 17, 2010. Each...
.
McGraw co-starred with Kelsey Grammer
Kelsey Grammer
Allen Kelsey Grammer is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier...
on the ABC sitcom Hank
Hank (2009 TV series)
Hank is a comedy television series which ran on ABC from September 30, 2009, to November 4, 2009. The series was created by Tucker Cawley and is about a Wall Street executive who loses his job and reconnects with his small-town family...
before its cancellation on November 11, 2009.
She enjoyed a recurring role as Erin, Scott Bakula
Scott Bakula
Scott Stewart Bakula is an American actor, known for his role as Sam Beckett in the television series Quantum Leap, for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama in 1991 and was nominated for four Emmy Awards. He also had a prominent role as Captain Jonathan...
's love interest, on the TNT original series Men of a Certain Age
Men of a Certain Age
Men of a Certain Age is an American comedy-drama television series, which premiered on TNT on December 7, 2009. The hour-long program stars Ray Romano, Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula as three best friends in their late forties dealing with the realities of middle age. The show ran for two years,...
in 2010-11.
In 2011, she made a guest appearance on NCIS
NCIS (TV series)
NCIS, formerly known as NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an American police procedural drama television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S...
in the episode Devils Triangle as Diane Sterling, the ex-wife of Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Tobias Fornell.