Melanie Kay "Meadow" Williams is an American actress, film producer and singer. She began her career appearing in small roles in films including Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), The Mask (1994) and Apollo 13 (1995). In the 2000s, Williams began working as film producer; her credits include The Harvest (2013), Den of Thieves (2018), After (2019), and Boss Level (2020). She played Mildred Gillars in the 2021 drama film American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally, which she also financed.

Williams' acting talent and professional conduct as a film producer were criticized by her American Traitor co-star, Al Pacino.

Life and career Melanie Kay Williams was born in Miami, Florida and grew up in Tennessee. She began performing in high school and later moved to New York City for work as a model. In New York, Williams studied acting at Larry Moss Studio and later moved to Los Angeles when she began appearing in episodes of television series include Murder, She Wrote, Dream On and Married... with Children. Williams also had secondary roles in films Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), The Mask (1994) and Apollo 13 (1995).

In 2008, Williams began producing and starring in independent films, include the leading roles in Skeletons in the Desert (2008), Raven (2010), and Mysteria (2011). She produced and co-starred opposite Samantha Morton in the 2013 horror film The Harvest, and well as action film Den of Thieves (2018) and romantic drama After (2019). In 2017, she won Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Digital Daytime Drama Series as a producer of web-series The Bay. She starred opposite Sylvester Stallone in the 2018 action film Backtrace, and alongside Bruce Willis in the 2019 thriller 10 Minutes Gone. She next played the role of Mildred Gillars in the drama film American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally opposite Al Pacino. Williams' American Traitor co-star Al Pacino criticized her acting performance in the film, as well as her professionalism as a producer on the project.

In a 2019 email to producer Randall Emmett, Pacino suggested adding another shooting day to the film "to help [Williams] give a better performance". "Let's do this Randall. I'm not going for the A's or the B's. I’m going for something between C and B. I don't like Ds," wrote Pacino, "And, as long as you put the effort in with what you know about filmmaking and Michael too I'm sure we'll get to a B−. And that's good enough for me, if it's good enough for you." Pacino also complained that Williams was interfering with director Michael Polish's editing process. "My thought Randall is very simple. She is not a professional. ... Someone has to say 'back off a second dear, we're completing the film still, take a look when it's ready'," Pacino wrote to Emmett.

Personal life She was married to her first husband until 2010. In 2010, she married Gerald Kessler, a vitamin tycoon multi-millionaire. Kessler died in 2015 and she inherited almost all of his $800 million estate, which was the subject of legal action by Kessler's children from his previous marriage.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1989 The Nutzoids at Cannibal Cove Bitsy 1994Turn of the BladeCalendar Girl1994Beverly Hills Cop IIISpider Rider1994The MaskPebbles1995Apollo 13Kim1995Virtual SeductionHostessTelevision film2000The Extreme Adventures of Super DaveGirl Driver2001SoulkeeperBuxom Babe2003The BoxDancer2004Uh Oh!Tara2004Miss Cast AwayFlight AttendantTelevision film2008Jack RioAndrea ShaneAlso producer2008Skeletons in the DesertCasey StevensAlso producer2010Light Years AwayMisty2010RavenRavenAlso producer2011MysteriaLavinia2011SebastianMiranda Barnes2013The HarvestSandraAlso producer2014ReclaimBarmaid 2014Reach MePhyllis2016Officer DowneMother Supreme2017The IntrudersLilyAlso producer and writer 2018Den of ThievesHollyAlso executive producer2018BacktraceErinAlso executive producer2019AfterProfessor SotoAlso producer201910 Minutes GoneClaireAlso executive producer2019Escape Plan: The ExtractorsExecutive producer2020Boss LevelPamAlso executive producer2020Broken SoldierMrs. Ancilla2020A Place Among the DeadAlex2021American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally Mildred GillarsAlso producer2021Aileen Wuornos: American BoogeywomanDiane PittmanAlso producer2022Savage SalvationDetective Zeppelin 2023The Donor Party Barbara 2023Confidential Informant Jenny Sullivan 2024Outlaw Posse AphroditeAlso executive producer2024Rust Ellsworth Madam2025Den of Thieves 2: PanteraHollyAlso executive producer2025High Rollers Penelope2025The Ritual Sister Sarah2025World Breaker Soldier CoffeyTBAEternity KatrineAlso producerTBAVivien & the FloristNurse JeanetteAlso executive producerTBAThe Him Executive producer

Television Year Title Role Notes1993Murder, She WroteMicheleEpisode: "The Sound of Murder"1994 DocentEpisode: "A Nest of Vipers"1995Dream On TinaEpisode: "Try Not to Remember"The Larry Sanders ShowWomanEpisode: "Hank's Sex Tape"1996Campus Cops CindyEpisode: "Muskrat Ramble"Married... with Children AngelaEpisode: "Spring Break: Part 2"1999NewsRadio JulieEpisode: "Apartment"2017–presentThe BaySilverRecurring role, also executive producerDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Digital Daytime Drama Series (2017, 2020)Nominated — Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Drama Series (2021)

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