Melissa Hayden (born November 13, 1967) is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Bridget Reardon on Guiding Light from 1991 to 1997, returning for the final episodes in 2009. She won a 1994 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress for her work on Guiding Light.
Early life Hayden was born in Santa Monica, California. Her father was a car salesman and her mother worked part time in a pharmacy. She was enrolled in dance classes at the age of three. Hayden was ill from the ages of twelve to sixteen with an undetected ovarian cyst that left her paraplegic for a month. The cyst was finally detected when her appendix was removed. Hayden's mother also suffered from chronic illness.
Career Hayden was thirteen when she landed an uncredited role as a tap dancer in Pennies From Heaven. This was followed by another uncredited role as an orphan in Annie. Hayden appeared in the TV Movies Silence of the Heart and Not My Kid. In 1988, she had an uncredited role in the film Punchline. She guest-starred on TV 101 and had a recurring role on Almost Grown. In addition to film and TV work, she was a member of the California-based song and dance troupe The Young Americans.
Hayden had a recurring role as Mouse on General Hospital in 1989. She guest starred on a 1991 episode of Hunter.
Hayden joined the cast of the CBS soap opera Guiding Light as troubled teen Bridget Reardon. She received critical acclaim and appeared in memorable storylines from May 21, 1991, until her departure on June 18, 1997. She was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in 1993 and won in the same category in 1994. She also won a Soap Opera Digest Award in 1994. In 2009, she reprised the role of Bridget for the show's final episodes.http://soaps.sheknows.com/guidinglight/news/id/4915/ Retrieved 20 December 2010.
She appeared in the 2001 film Venomous. Since 2003, she has occasionally appeared as Agnes on The Young and the Restless. She has had roles in the films American Sniper and Silver Skies.
Filmography
Film +YearTitleRoleNotes1981Pennies From HeavenDancerUncredited1982AnnieOrphanUncredited1988PunchlineUncredited2001VenomousKaty2013Nowhere FastEva Trope2014American SniperReceptionist2016Silver SkiesLisa2017Unfortunate Circumstances911 OperatorShort film, Voice only2018American NightmaresLeanne2019When Day Gets DarkLizzy's Mother2021Not AloneDr. Loizzo
Television +YearTitleRoleNotes1984Silence of the HeartRachelTelevision film1985Not My KidMichelleTelevision film1988TV 101Girl #1Episode: "Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About Teenagers (But Were Afraid to Ask)"1988-1989Almost GrownLisa Foley6 episodes1989General HospitalMouseRecurring role1991Hunter Meg HarrisEpisode: "Cries of Silence"1991-1997;2009Guiding LightBridget ReardonContract role; Guest appearances2003;2011;2016The Young and the RestlessAgnesRecurring role2012Hollywood HeightsJulie Dixon2 episodes2013PerceptionAshley RichardsEpisode: "Caleidoscope"2014RakeBeatriceEpisode: "50 Shades of Gay"
Awards and nominations +YearAwardCategoryTitleResultRef.1993Daytime Emmy AwardOutstanding Younger Actress in a Drama SeriesGuiding Light1994Daytime Emmy AwardOutstanding Younger Actress in a Drama SeriesGuiding LightSoap Opera Digest AwardOutstanding Younger Leading ActressGuiding Light
References
External links
Melissa Hayden at AllMovie