Melissa Beck (born Melissa Howard) is a

reality show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

personality and

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...

known for her time as a cast member on the 2000 reality television series '' The Real World: New Orleans'' and the 2002–2005 prank show ''

Girls Behaving Badly ''Girls Behaving Badly'' is an American reality comedy television show that was on the Oxygen cable channel, and was also syndicated to television stations across the United States and Canada by Sony Pictures Television. The show, described by t ...

.''

Early life

Melissa Howard was born February 12, 1977, in Okinawa, Japan to a Filipino mother and Black-American father. She, her older sister Marlene and their younger brother, Michael, grew up in

Valrico, Florida Valrico is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The population was 35,545 at the 2010 census, up from 6,582 at the 2000 census. History Before the Civil War, the area was known as Long Pond and consi ...

.Persaud, Babita (June 12, 2000)
"USF grad's humor tickles 'Real World'"
. ''

St. Petersburg Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', previously named the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It has won fourteen Pulitzer Prizes since 1964, and in 2009, won two in a single ...

''. She attended Brandon Senior High School and the University of South Florida, from which she graduated with a degree in journalism and mass communications.

Career

In 2000, 22-year-old Howard was one of seven people selected from a pool of 35,221 applicants to be cast on '' The Real World: New Orleans'', the ninth season of the long-running

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

reality television series. MTV producer and casting director, Andrew Hoegl explains that she was selected on the basis of her audition tape, which he calls "hysterical", and credits the season's humor to Howard, who referred to herself in her audition tape as a "half-black, half-Filipino

Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best come ...

". Filming took place over the course of 124 days between January and late May 2000. Her 2000 MTV biography describes her as possessing a "manic wit". After filming ended, Howard moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in standup comedy, as well as to engage in acrylic painting, an interest she developed while in New Orleans. She stayed in Los Angeles for approximately five or six years. She later started a blog called Princess Melissa in order to host a web store to sell her artwork, and to express herself in writing, telling HuffPost in a 2002 interview, "I've always felt more comfortable in my written presentation than in my face." She later moved her online presence to Tumblr and then to Patreon. Howard was ranked #92 on '' Maxim'' magazine's "Hot 100 Women of 2004" feature. She was a member of the all-female cast of the Oxygen network's hidden camera/

practical joke A practical joke, or prank, is a mischievous trick played on someone, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.Marsh, Moira. 2015. ''Practically Joking''. Logan: Utah State University Press. ...

reality television series ''

'', which aired from 2002 – 2005. In 2005 appeared on Bravo's '' Battle of the Network Reality Stars''. On May 22, 2020, she launched a podcast with co-host Amanda Strong, ''Imperfect Strangers''. In April 2022, '' The Real World Homecoming: New Orleans'' premiered on Paramount+, reuniting Beck with all six of her former roommates from ''The Real World: New Orleans''.

Personal life

After the run of ''Girls Behaving Badly'', Howard moved to New York to work part-time in a non-entertainment industry-related job, and to live with her boyfriend, J. On September 29, 2007, Howard married Glassjaw guitarist

Justin Beck Justin Beck is an American musician and businessman. He is the guitarist and musical writer for Long Island, New York band Glassjaw. Beck, with a high school and college buddy, Lee Tepper, also co-founded a band merchandise company called Merc ...

at their home on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. She subsequently took his surname and became Melissa Beck. On March 20, 2009, Beck gave birth to their first daughter, Shalom Mazie Beck. On August 22, 2012, Beck announced on her Tumblr that she and her husband were expecting another daughter. Maja Ilani was born on January 1, 2013. As of 2022, they have three children. In October 2012, a tree fell on Beck's house during Hurricane Sandy, destroying it and burying her older daughter in debris. Justin pulled the child out from the rubble, finding that she was apparently unharmed. They took the baby to the hospital, which discharged her three hours later, having confirmed that she suffered no injuries.

Filmography

As herself

*'' The Real World Homecoming: New Orleans'' (2022) *'' Battle of the Network Reality Stars'' (2005) *''Reality TV Secrets Revealed 2'' (2004) *''The Real World Hook-Ups'' (2003) *''

True Hollywood Story ''E! True Hollywood Story'' is an American television documentary series on E! that pulls back the curtain and highlights some of pop culture's most fascinating people, moments and trends. The series offers exclusive interviews with new insigh ...

'' – Episode: ''The Real World'' (2003) *'' The New Tom Green Show'' – Episode: August 1, 2003 (2003) *''Reality TV Secrets: How to Get on the Show!'' (2003) *'' Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Battle of the Sexes'' (2003) *''

'' (2002–2003) *''The Real World Movie: The Lost Season'' (2002) *'' Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Extreme Challenge'' – Episode: #1.4 (2001) *'' The X Show'' – Episode: August 21, 2000 (2000) *''The Real World: Tenth Anniversary Special'' (2000) *'' The Real World: New Orleans'' (2000)

Actor

*'' The Jamie Foxx Show'' – Episode: ''If the Shoe Fits'' (2000) Reporter

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Melissa 1977 births Living people American people of Filipino descent The Real World (TV series) cast members University of South Florida alumni African-American actresses American television actresses African-American female comedians American women comedians 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Tampa, Florida People from Valrico, Florida The Challenge (TV series) contestants 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people