Melanie Paxson

Melanie Paxson was born in Champaign, Illinois, and received her B.A. degree in theater from the University of Missouri. Relocating to Chicago, she received more training at the famed Second City and performed with another renowned theater troupe, Steppenwolf Theatre. Moving into the television arena, Paxson worked on two TV series filmed entirely in Chicago: Early Edition (1996) (her first professional film/TV role), then in the recurring role of "Jaclyn" on the Jeremy Piven series, Cupid (1998). "Cupid's" arrow led Melanie straight to Los Angeles, where her love affair with the industry continued and audiences came to know her from a string of guest-starring roles, on such series as The Drew Carey Show (1995), Rules of Engagement (2007), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), Joey (2004), Medium (2005) and the new Tim Allen sitcom, Last Man Standing (2011).