Bellamy Young

Actress

Birth Name: Amy Young

Birth Date: February 19, 1970

Age: 55 years old

Birth Place: Asheville, North Carolina

Although she's most commonly known for playing First Lady Mellie Grant on the ABC political drama "Scandal" (2012- ), Bellamy Young has worked consistently as both a guest star and recurring character on dozens of TV shows beginning in the mid-1990s.

A native of North Carolina, Young made her television debut in 1995 as Dr. Courtney Evans on the daytime soap opera "Another World" (NBC, 1964-1999), and, by the early 2000s, was guest starring on shows like "The X-Files" (Fox, 1993-2002), "The West Wing" (NBC, 1999-2006) and "Frasier" (NBC, 1993-2004). With "Scandal," however, Young's Mellie Grant rose to become one of TV's most talked-about characters on social-media sites such as Twitter and Tumblr, thus catapulting her into the spotlight after nearly two decades as a seemingly nameless, albeit prolific, TV actress.

Born Amy Young in Asheville, North Carolina (she changed her first name to Bellamy after discovering another actress named Amy Young), she took an early interest in acting. She began singing and performing at local stage productions throughout her hometown while still a pre-teen, and found she had a knack for vocals.

But by the time high school was finished, Young set her sights on becoming a physicist and subsequently enrolled at Yale University. It did not take long for the performing bug to return, however, and soon enough Young was double majoring in English and Acting. Still feeling there was more she could learn, she moved to England after graduation to further her acting studies at prestigious Oxford University.

While attending the school, she had the opportunity to hear guest lectures from some of Britain's most prominent actors, including Maggie Smith and Jeremy Irons.

Upon returning to America, Young appeared in several Broadway plays before nabbing the small part of Dr. Evans on "Another World." For the 25-year-old classically trained actress, it would be the start of a long and prolific career on the small screen.

Throughout the '90s and early 2000s, Young landed guest roles on a multitude of different television genres, including the police procedural "Law & Order" (NBC, 1990-2010), sitcoms such as "The Drew Carey Show" (ABC, 1995-2004), as well as a small part on the medical drama "ER" (NBC, 1994-2009). Her first big break came in 2003 when she nabbed a recurring part on the Western-themed action series "Peacemakers" (USA Network, 2003).

However, the show was cancelled after a single season.

Undeterred, Young snagged recurring roles on five shows throughout the remainder of the decade, including "Scrubs" (NBC, 2001-08, ABC, 2009-10), "Dirty Sexy Money" (ABC, 2007-09) and "Criminal Minds" (CBS, 2005- ). But it was her role as the devious First Lady of the United States on "Scandal" - a role that was originally supposed to last only a few episodes - that put Young on the map.

Since the show's debut as a mid-season replacement in 2012, there have been numerous Tumblr pages, YouTube Videos, and tweets devoted to the character and her storyline.

With the outpouring of viewer support for Young's character reaching a fever pitch in the summer of 2012, Young was bumped up to series regular at the start of the second season.

Bellamy Young

Actress

Birth Name: Amy Young

Birth Date: February 19, 1970

Age: 55 years old

Birth Place: Asheville, North Carolina

Credits

The Other Black Girl

Sherri

The Jennifer Hudson Show

Promised LandStream

A Waltons ThanksgivingStream

CBS Mornings

Fantasy IslandStream

The Waltons: HomecomingStream

Superman: Man of Tomorrow

2020 FOX Winter Preview

Dolly Parton's HeartstringsStream

Prodigal SonStream

The Kelly Clarkson ShowStream

Access Daily

Prodigal Son: Extras

Today With Hoda & Jenna

Whiskey CavalierStream

Strahan & Sara

Today 3rd Hour

Couch Surfing

The Joel McHale Show With Joel McHaleStream

Love & Debt

Access Live

Pickler & Ben

STEVE on Watch

Live with Kelly and Ryan

Bernard and Huey

Harry

The $100,000 PyramidStream

Match GameStream

ChelseaStream

The Night Stalker

The National Christmas Tree Lighting 2015

People's Sexiest Man Alive 2015: 30 Years of Sexy

The Daily Show with Trevor NoahStream

FABLife

Lip Sync BattleStream

Repeat After Me

Hollywood Today Live

The Queen Latifah Show

Scandal: Extras

The Real

Hollywood Game Night

Live! With Kelly and Michael

ScandalStream

ScandalStream

The Cottage

LIVE with Kelly

The Chew

Dish NationStream

Franklin & BashStream

Joint Body

The Talk

Law & Order: LAStream

Access Hollywood Live

The Freebie

Pound of Flesh

Watch What Happens Live With Andy CohenStream

Drop Dead DivaStream

CastleStream

Trust Me

United States of TaraStream

United States of TaraStream

In My Sleep

Knight RiderStream

The MentalistStream

The Wendy Williams ShowStream

Mask of the Ninja

National Lampoon Presents: One, Two, Many

Dirty Sexy MoneyStream

Today With Kathie Lee & Hoda

The Better Show

Simple Things