Melissa McIntyre
Encyclopedia
Melissa Adaleigh McIntyre (born May 31, 1986) is a Canadian
actress. She is best known for her role as Ashley Kerwin
on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation
.
, as she was a participant of many community theatre plays as a small girl. Among the plays that she participated in were The Wizard of Oz
and The Secret Garden
.
McIntyre made her television debut at age eleven in the 1997 series, Timesweep, where she got to play an extraterrestrial being
. In 1998, she was cast for another television show, this one named Real Kids, Real Adventures.
McIntyre is also one of the now-rare radio
actresses, as she played the lead character in Disco Does Not Suck, a show that had a relatively long stay on the airwaves. She took some time off during 1999 to participate mainly in theatre, but in 2000 the thirteen-year-old actress returned to television, doing a voice-over
in the cartoon series Mattimeo: A Tale of Redwall, as the character "Cornflower".
It wasn't until 2001 that McIntyre reached national fame in Canada, when Degrassi: The Next Generation
, began filming there. A sequel to the popular mid-1980s series Degrassi High
, Degrassi: The Next Generation proved extremely popular among Canadian teenagers, and, by being cast as Ashley Kerwin
, McIntyre was given one of the leading characters of the series. McIntyre is a member of a high school music band in the show, and appears sporting both long and short hair in the series.
For Degrassi, she was credited as a lead regular through season's 1-4 (2001–2005). During the fifth season, McIntyre was written off and said that her character moved to England to succeed in her music career. However, she returns to Degrassi in the season five finale and appears through season 6 and half of season 7, but only as a supporting character. Despite being a recurring character through season's 6-7, she still played a major role in the show. In the middle of season 7, McIntyre's character was permanently written off Degrassi, when her character Ashley and her on/off on screen boyfriend Craig moved away to go on tour in their music careers.
McIntyre's fame did not immediately cross over to the United States
. However, in 2002, the show's rights were bought by Nickelodeon
, which began to transmit it on The N, a channel geared towards teenagers; the show then also became a hit in the U.S.
She, with the rest of the Degrassi: The Next Generation
cast, was nominated in 2003 and 2006 for the Young Artist Award
Best Young Ensemble Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama). They also won the award in 2002.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
actress. She is best known for her role as Ashley Kerwin
Ashley Kerwin
Ashley Kerwin is a fictional character at high school in the TV show Degrassi: The Next Generation and is portrayed by Melissa McIntyre.-Season 1:...
on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian teen drama television series set in the Degrassi universe, which was created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1979. Degrassi is the fourth fictional series in the Degrassi franchise, and follows The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, and...
.
Career
McIntyre had relatively humble beginnings in actingActing
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
, as she was a participant of many community theatre plays as a small girl. Among the plays that she participated in were The Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of...
and The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was initially published in serial format starting in the autumn of 1910, and was first published in its entirety in 1911. It is now one of Burnett's most popular novels, and is considered to be a classic of English children's...
.
McIntyre made her television debut at age eleven in the 1997 series, Timesweep, where she got to play an extraterrestrial being
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
. In 1998, she was cast for another television show, this one named Real Kids, Real Adventures.
McIntyre is also one of the now-rare radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
actresses, as she played the lead character in Disco Does Not Suck, a show that had a relatively long stay on the airwaves. She took some time off during 1999 to participate mainly in theatre, but in 2000 the thirteen-year-old actress returned to television, doing a voice-over
Voice-over
Voice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
in the cartoon series Mattimeo: A Tale of Redwall, as the character "Cornflower".
It wasn't until 2001 that McIntyre reached national fame in Canada, when Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian teen drama television series set in the Degrassi universe, which was created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1979. Degrassi is the fourth fictional series in the Degrassi franchise, and follows The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, and...
, began filming there. A sequel to the popular mid-1980s series Degrassi High
Degrassi High
Degrassi High is the third television show in the Degrassi series of teen dramas about the lives of a group of kids living on or near De Grassi Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It first aired from 1989 to 1991 and followed the kids from Kids of Degrassi Street and Degrassi Junior High through...
, Degrassi: The Next Generation proved extremely popular among Canadian teenagers, and, by being cast as Ashley Kerwin
Ashley Kerwin
Ashley Kerwin is a fictional character at high school in the TV show Degrassi: The Next Generation and is portrayed by Melissa McIntyre.-Season 1:...
, McIntyre was given one of the leading characters of the series. McIntyre is a member of a high school music band in the show, and appears sporting both long and short hair in the series.
For Degrassi, she was credited as a lead regular through season's 1-4 (2001–2005). During the fifth season, McIntyre was written off and said that her character moved to England to succeed in her music career. However, she returns to Degrassi in the season five finale and appears through season 6 and half of season 7, but only as a supporting character. Despite being a recurring character through season's 6-7, she still played a major role in the show. In the middle of season 7, McIntyre's character was permanently written off Degrassi, when her character Ashley and her on/off on screen boyfriend Craig moved away to go on tour in their music careers.
McIntyre's fame did not immediately cross over to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. However, in 2002, the show's rights were bought by Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
, which began to transmit it on The N, a channel geared towards teenagers; the show then also became a hit in the U.S.
She, with the rest of the Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian teen drama television series set in the Degrassi universe, which was created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1979. Degrassi is the fourth fictional series in the Degrassi franchise, and follows The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, and...
cast, was nominated in 2003 and 2006 for the Young Artist Award
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...
Best Young Ensemble Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama). They also won the award in 2002.