Melyssa Savannah Ford was born on November 7, 1980, in Toronto, Canada. She began acting in school plays at an early age, and played many lead roles throughout her high school years. As Melyssa grew older, she developed an interest in criminal psychology, and even considered working for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service's (Canada's CIA) behavioral science unit.
Melyssa majored in psychology at Toronto's York University, and was a member of the university's debate team. While working part-time as a barmaid at a local nightclub, she was &qout;discovered&qout; by music video director Little X.
Melyssa was soon appearing in some of the hottest videos by hip-hop and R&B's biggest names, including Jay-Z's &qout;Big Pimpin,&qout; Jadakiss' &qout;Knock Yourself Out,&qout; Ghostface Killah's &qout;Cherchez La Ghost,&qout; Mystikal's &qout;Shake Ya Ass,&qout; 112's &qout;Anywhere,&qout; and Sisqo's &qout;Thong Song Remix.&qout; This exposure led to work in print media, and offers to appear in magazine layouts began pouring in.
A feature in XXL helped land Melyssa a job hosting Lifestyles of the Phat and the Phabulous, an Internet show produced by Harve Pierre, Bad Boy Entertainment's Vice President. With a couple of suitcases and $25 in her pocket, she left Canada behind to relocate to New York City. Ford supplemented her income by tending bar at such NYC establishments as Justin's, a restaurant owned by P. Diddy.
In the summer of 2000, Melyssa appeared in the opening episodes of the Showtime series Soul Food, playing &qout;Hoochie Mama&qout; in the two-parter entitled The More Things Stay the Same. She moved on to a small role as Deborah in Turn It Up (2000), an action flick starring rappers Ja Rule and Pras.
In 2001, Melyssa was featured on the cover and in the pages of Black Men magazine's Swimsuit Extra issue. She was one of Ebony Rider's Calendar girls for their 2002 edition, and was also selected to grace the sexy calendar's cover
Melyssa expanded upon her burgeoning modeling career after Smooth magazine learned of her minor in English Literature. While the publication initially wanted her to appear as a model for a monthly column, Melyssa's education paid off when they gave her a monthly relationship and dating advice column in 2002. As resident sex-pert &qout;Jessica Rabbit,&qout; her features have become one of Smooth's most popular attractions.
In 2003, Melyssa made a guest appearance on the UPN series Platinum. Her official website, www.melyssaford.com, was launched in December 2003. Released with the help of MBK Entertainment, the same team that manages soul diva Alicia Keys, the Melyssa &qout;Jessica Rabbit&qout; Ford 2004 Calendar and DVD have already sold thousands of copies to eagerly awaiting fans.
In March 2004, Melyssa hosted BET's How I'm Livin' series. She currently has several projects in the works.
