Bellamy Young’s biography, net worth, fact, career, awards and life story

Bellamy Young (born Amy Maria Young; February 19, 1970) is an American actress, singer and producer, best known for her role as First Lady of the United States Melody “Mellie” Grant in the ABC drama series Scandal (2012–present). In 2014, for her portrayal of Mellie, Young won the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

Early life

Young was born as Amy Maria Young in Asheville, North Carolina, and raised by adoptive parents. Her mother was her teacher from sixth grade through eighth grade. She had to change her name to join the Screen Actors Guild since there was another Amy Young registered and chose the name Bellamy as a tribute to her late father’s best friend, Bill, who had helped to raise her after her father died.

She graduated from Asheville High School in 1987. She attended Yale University studying English and Theatre and graduated in 1991. Young spent a summer during college at the British American Drama Academy at Oxford University in England.

Career

1995–2011

Young began her acting career in theatre. In the 1990s, she performed in a number of Broadway shows including the original production of The Life. On Off-Broadway, Young appeared on Stephen Sondheim’s musical Merrily We Roll Along (1994), and Randy Newman’s Faust (1995–1996). In 1995, Young made her television debut in a recurring role on the NBC daytime soap opera Another World as Dr. Courtney Evans. She guest-starred on Law & Order in 1997 and 1998, in two different roles. In 1999 she made her film debut with a small role in the crime drama Black and White and later co-starred in several independent films. In 2000’s she began appearing in guest-starring roles on a number of television dramas and comedies, including The Drew Carey Show, The X Files, ER, Frasier, The West Wing, NCIS, Medium, Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Two and a Half Men, Supernatural, Drop Dead Diva, and Castle. From 2000 to 2011, Young made over 30 guest appearances on television shows.

Young was a regular cast member in the USA Network series Peacemakers in 2003. The show was cancelled after one season of nine episodes. She had recurring roles in the Lifetime legal drama series For the People as Deputy Dist. Atty. Agnes Hunt in 2002, on NBC period drama American Dreams as Diane Shaw in 2003, on NBC’s Scrubs as Dr. Grace Miller in 2004, as Assistant State Attorney Monica West on CBS’s CSI: Miami (2005–06), and on ABC primetime soap opera Dirty Sexy Money (2008–2009) as Ellen Darling, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Darling family. She also had a recurring role in Criminal Minds as Beth Clemmons from 2011 to 2013.

Young has appeared in supporting roles in a couple of films, including We Were Soldiers (2002) and Mission: Impossible III (2006), along with independent movies like Larceny (2004), Eve of Understanding (2006), Trust Me (2007), This Is Not a Test (2008), In My Sleep (2010), The Freebie (2010), and Joint Body (2014).

2012–present

In 2011 Shonda Rhimes cast Young in the recurring role of First Lady, then 2016 Republican Presidential nominee, Melody “Mellie” Grant on the ABC political thriller television series Scandal opposite Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn. Before Scandal, Young appeared in Shonda Rhimes’ Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice. She appeared in every episode of the first season of Scandal and was upgraded to a series regular as of season two. Young later said that originally her part was a minor role for the three episode recurring arc.Young has received critical acclaim for her performance as Melody Grant throughout her time on the show . The Daily Beast named her the “Breakout Star” of the show in 2014. Many critics praised Young’s performance in her character’s centered episode “Everything’s Coming Up Mellie” of the third season. Cicely K. Dyson’s review for The Wall Street Journal states: “Bellamy Young has been an amazing scene stealer for two-and-a-half seasons, and this time she finally got her chance to shine.” Robert Rorke, writing for The New York Post, states that, “In Mellie, the show has its most fleshed-out character and in Young, its most compelling performer.” She won a Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her performance in season three. She also participated in an online Unmute conference call with thousands of her fans.

On May 15, 2015, Young released her first album, Far Away So Close, on iTunes. The 10-song album covers songs from Pink to Fleetwood Mac.

In 2016, it was announced Young had joined the cast of Disney’s live action adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time along with Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling.

Personal life

Young is close friends with ex-boyfriend Joshua Leonard whom she dated from 2000-2002. Young began dating British actor Ed Weeks in January 2016 and the two went public with their relationship the following month at the Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Award Party. Young resides in Los Angeles and has 1 dog and 3 cats.

Politics and philanthropy

Young is a feminist and has been vegan since 1988. Via social media, Young has stated she is in favour of gun control in the United States.

In 2015, Young won Celebrity Jeopardy! and as a result won $50,000 for Operation Blankets of Love – a charity which donates blankets to animals shelters. At the 2015 GMHC AIDS Walk New York, Young gave a speech at the opening ceremony. A long time supporter of shelter adoption, Young starred in a 2015 televised ad campaign titled ‘The Shelter Pet Project’, with The Humane Society of the United States. As a teenager, Young began to suffer from migraines and still suffers from them today. She has been a partner with GlaxoSmithKline for Treximet, since 2015, to spread awareness.

Young is a Democrat and headlined at a fundraiser event for Hillary Clinton in April 2016 – for which ticket prices were up to $5000. In August, September, October and November 2016, Young hit the campaign trail for Clinton and visited Virginia, North Carolina, Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. After performing at the 2015 National Christmas Tree Lighting, it was announced that in 2016 Young would be co-ambassador, along with Chelsea Clinton, of the Trust for the National Mall. Young is Pro Choice and in 2016 was one of seven actresses to campaign for “draw the line”, which aims to draw the line against attacks on safe and legal abortion. In the same year, Young participated in PETA’s “Being Vegan Keeps Me Young” campaign. In May 2016, Young announced via Instagram she would once again be working with The Humane Society of the United States on a televised Public service announcement titled “Honestly”. Young is the honorary chair for the Domestic violence Nonprofit ‘Helpmate’ and has helped fundraise for victims of domestic violence. As part of the Obama administration legacy, in 2016, Young appeared in ‘Women Film’ by The United State of Women along with several other public figures such as Michelle Obama, Meryl Streep and Oprah Winfrey. In August 2016 it was announced that Young will be an honorary committee member for the 2017 Vettys Presidential Inaugural Ball along with several of her Scandal cast members and the likes of Kate Walsh and Michael Douglas.

Young partnered with Merck & Co., in November 2016, to help educate people on the importance of Biomarker Testing in non-small cell Lung Cancer – a cause dear to Young as her adopted father was diagnosed with lung cancer in August 1984 and died 10 months later. As a Yale Graduate, Young was given the opportunity to endow a scholarship to a student attending Yale in 2016.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre