{{short description|American actress (born 1985)}} {{Infobox person | image = | image_size = | caption = | name = Rachel Melvin | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1985|2|9}} | birth_place = Elmhurst, Illinois, U.S. | alma_matar = | alma_mater = Mountain Pointe High School | occupation = Actress | years_active = 2004–2018, 2023–present | spouse = {{marriage|Kevin Barrett|October 2022}} }}
'''Rachel Melvin''' (born February 9, 1985)<ref name="bio" /> is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Chelsea Brady on ''Days of Our Lives'' (2005–2009, 2023) and as Penny in ''Dumb and Dumber To''.
== Early life and education == Melvin was born in Elmhurst, Illinois,<ref name="bio" /> but moved to Phoenix, Arizona, at age four, where she was raised. She has an older sister named Jessica. She graduated from Mountain Pointe High School in 2003. Melvin passed up a full scholarship to college so that she could move to California to pursue an acting career. In Los Angeles, she took acting classes every weekend.<ref name="bio">{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/rachel-melvin/person/350712/biography.html|title=Rachel Melvin Biography - TV.com|work=TV.com|accessdate=October 27, 2014|archive-date=September 27, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090927165642/http://www.tv.com/rachel-melvin/person/350712/biography.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
== Career == Melvin landed her first acting job in the 2005 independent film ''Boo''.<ref name="bio" /> She later won the role of Georgia LaMarque, a French girl whom Bo and Billie had been falsely led to believe was their daughter on the NBC soap opera ''Days of our Lives'', but only appeared in five episodes. Months later, she took over the role of Chelsea Brady (originally portrayed by Mandy Musgrave). She and her dog were seen on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'', when she was randomly interviewed at a gas station for a segment. Melvin has also guest-starred on ''Summerland'', ''Jack & Bobby'' and ''8 Simple Rules''. With her family, she has also appeared on ''Family Feud''.
In 2010, Melvin starred as Kaia in ''Seven Deadly Sins'' which premiered on Lifetime alongside Dreama Walker. The first part premiered on May 23 while the second part premiered on May 24, 2010. In 2011, Melvin appeared in episodes of ''House M.D.'' and ''Castle''.
In 2014, Melvin appeared as Penny Pinchelow in ''Dumb and Dumber To'', portrayed Mary in ''Zombeavers'', and Sarah in the drama thriller film ''Madtown''.<ref>{{cite interview |url=https://www.fangoria.com/original/qa-a-dam-fun-time-with-zombeavers-stars-and-director/ |first=Rachel |last=Melvin |first2=Jordan |last2=Rubin |first3=Lexi |last3=Atkins |interviewer=Michael Gingold |title=Q&A: A Dam Fun Time With "ZOMBEAVERS" Stars and Director |website=Fangoria |date=March 20, 2015 |publication-date=March 20, 2019}}</ref>
She appeared in the final season of MTV's ''Awkward''.<ref name ="ABRB">{{cite interview |work=AfterBuzz TV |first=Rachel |last=Melvin |title=Spotlight |date=May 27, 2015}}</ref>
Melvin reprised the role of Chelsea Brady in August 2023 when she appeared for Victor Kiriakis' (John Aniston) funeral.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 29, 2023 |title=Rachel Melvin Returns to DOOL as Chelsea Brady |url=https://www.celebdirtylaundry.com/2023/days-of-our-lives-spoilers-rachel-melvin-returns-as-chelsea-brady-bos-daughter-back-in-salem/ |website=Celeb Dirty Laundry}}</ref>
==Personal life== Melvin lives in Los Angeles, California.<ref name="bio" /> Her idols include Meryl Streep, Mary-Louise Parker, Anne Hathaway, Cynthia Nixon and Toni Collette.<ref name="bio" /><ref>[http://www.nbc.com/Days_of_our_Lives/bios/Rachel_Melvin.shtml Rachel Melvin bio - NBC.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080303224825/http://www.nbc.com/Days_of_our_Lives/bios/Rachel_Melvin.shtml |date=March 3, 2008 }}</ref> She is married to Kevin Barrett.
==Filmography==
===Film=== {| class="wikitable" |- style="text-align:center;" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 2005 | ''Boo'' | Meg | Film debut |- | 2008 | ''Legacy'' | Julie | Direct-to-video; also known as ''Pretty Little Devils'' |- | 2009 | ''Cry of the Mummy'' | Le Petit Sirene Agent | |- |rowspan=2| 2010 | ''Girlfriend'' | Rebecca | |- | ''Seven Deadly Sins'' | Kaia | Two-part film |- | 2012 || ''My Funny Valentine'' || Stevie || |- |rowspan=3| 2014 | ''Dumb and Dumber To'' | Penny Pinchelow | |- | ''Zombeavers'' | Mary | Direct-to-DVD |- | ''All I Need'' || Ashley || |- | rowspan="2"|2015 || ''Backup Boyfriend'' || Celia || |- | ''Madtown'' || Sarah || |- | 2017 || ''Sleepwalker'' || Dawn || |- | 2017 || ''The Trouble With Mistletoe'' || Willa Davis || |- | 2018 || ''The Rake'' || Nicole || |}
===Television=== {| class="wikitable" |- style="text-align:center;" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 2004 | ''Summerland'' | Teen Girl | 1 episode |- | 2005 | ''8 Simple Rules'' | Cute Girl | 1 episode |- | 2005–09,<br>2023 | ''Days of Our Lives'' | Chelsea Brady | 522 episodes |- | 2006 | ''Heroes'' | Annie | 3 episodes |- | rowspan="2" |2011 | ''House'' | Wynn Phillips | 1 episode |- | ''Castle'' | Nicole Hixton | 1 episode |- | 2012 | ''Good Luck Charlie'' | Syd (hairdresser) | 1 episode |- | 2015 | ''Bones'' | Kate Kolfax | 1 episode |- | 2016 | ''Awkward.'' | Lizzie | Recurring;<br>7 episodes |- | 2017 | ''Sleepy Hollow'' | Alex Norwood | Main;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvline.com/2016/08/05/sleepy-hollow-season-4-cast-rachel-melvin-oona-yaffe/|title=Sleepy Hollow Adds Masterchef Junior Runner-Up, Days Vet, Empire Alum|last=Ausiello|first=Michael|work=TVLine|date=August 5, 2016|accessdate=August 5, 2016|archive-date=June 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180626054458/https://tvline.com/2016/08/05/sleepy-hollow-season-4-cast-rachel-melvin-oona-yaffe/|url-status=dead}}</ref><br>13 episodes |- |}
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * {{IMDb name|1560493}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Melvin, Rachel}} Category:1985 births Category:Actresses from DuPage County, Illinois Category:American film actresses Category:American soap opera actresses Category:American television actresses Category:Living people Category:Actors from Elmhurst, Illinois Category:21st-century American actresses