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Melody Thomas Scott | |
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 Melody Thomas Scott in 2007 | |
| Born | Melody Ann Thomas April 18, 1956 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1963–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
Melody Thomas Scott (born Melody Ann Thomas, April 18, 1956) [1] is an American actress best known for playing Nikki Newman on the soap opera The Young and the Restless . [2]
Scott was born Melody Ann Thomas in Los Angeles. Her first film credit was as a child actress [2] in the 1964 Alfred Hitchcock movie Marnie . After parts in television and movies in the mid-1970s (most notably in John Wayne's final film, The Shootist , in 1976, in which she becomes the last actress to exchange lines with Wayne), she was offered parts on nighttime series such as, The Rockford Files , Charlie's Angels , and a recurring role on The Waltons .
In 1979, at the age of 23, she left The Waltons to take over the role of Nikki Reed, a poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks, on the daytime serial The Young and the Restless, choosing the part over a sitcom pilot that in the end was not picked up. [2] She was a replacement for the previous Nikki, who had lasted six months. [2] Over time, her character reformed and became an important part of Genoa City society, as she married Victor Newman (Eric Braeden). Scott has said, "It's a miracle for an actor to have a job last 35 years. I am so blessed." [2]
She was a celebrity guest on The $25,000 Pyramid for a week in June 1985.
On February 19, 2019 The Young and the Restless featured a stand-alone episode to honor Scott's 40-year history with the serial. She is also the longest tenured actress on the show because as of 2024, Melody has played the role of Nikki for 45 years. [3]
On the set of The Young and the Restless, she met her third husband, the show's executive producer Edward J. Scott. They married in 1985 and have three daughters, Jennifer (his daughter from a previous marriage [4] ), Alexandra Danielle Yeaggy (father is the late Carlos Yeaggy, a makeup man Melody met on the set of Y&R. [5] ) and Elizabeth. The family resides in Beverly Hills, California. Jennifer gave birth to twins on May 25, 2011, a boy named James and a girl named Charlotte. James and Charlotte are Melody and Edward's first and second grandchild, respectively. [6]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Marnie | Young Marnie | Movie (uncredited) |
| 1965 | Wagon Train | Samantha | Episode: "The Katy Piper Story" (as Melody Thomas) |
| 1969 | Ironside | Leslie Richards | Episode: "Goodbye to Yesterday" (as Melody Thomas) |
| 1971 | The Beguiled | Abigail | Movie (as Melody Thomas) |
| 1975 | Posse | Laurie | Movie (as Melody Thomas) |
| 1976 | The Shootist | Girl on streetcar | Movie (as Melody Thomas) |
| 1977 | Secrets | Laura Fleming | TV movie (as Melody Thomas) |
| 1977 | Code R | Linda | Episode: "The Firebug" (as Melody Thomas) |
| 1977 | Fish | Joanie Kellen | Episode: "The Neighbors" (as Melody Thomas) |
| 1977 | The Car | Suzie Pullbrook | Movie (as Melody Thomas) |
| 1977 | The Waltons | Darlene Jarvis | Episodes: "The Go-Getter" and "The Seashore" (as Melody Thomas) |
| 1978 | Charlie's Angels | Betsy Harper | Episodes: "The Sandcastle Murders" (as Melody Thomas) |
| 1978 | The Fury | LaRue | Movie (as Melody Thomas) |
| 1978 | Piranha | Laura Dickinson | Movie (as Melody Thomas) |
| 1979 | Makin' It | Carol / Paula | Episodes: "Stayin' Alive" and "Tony's Homecoming" (as Melody Thomas) |
| 1979 | Billy | Shirley | Episode: "Computer Dating" (as Melody Thomas) |
| 1979 | The Rockford Files | Sherry | Episode: "Lions, Tigers, Monkeys and Dogs, Part 1" (as Melody Thomas) |
| 1979–present | The Young and the Restless | Nikki Newman | Series regular |
| 1980 | The Scarlett O'Hara War | Laurie Lee | TV movie (as Melody Thomas) |
| 1985 | Hotel | Mandy Vinning | Episode: "Sleeping Dogs" (as Melody Thomas) |
| 1997 | The Nanny | Herself | Episode: "The Heather Biblow Story" |
| 2001 | The King of Queens | Nikki Newman | Episode: "Inner Tube" |
| 2003 | The Paradise Virus | Linda Flemming | TV movie |
| 2005 | Freezerburn | Jill Renzie the Moviestar | Movie |
| 2007 | My Name Is Earl | Pill Popping Mom | Episode: "The Birthday Party" |
| 2011 | Castle | Tonya Wellington | Episode: "Nikki Heat" |
| 2014 | The Crazy Ones | Flora | Episode: "The Monster" |
| 2022 | The Bold and the Beautiful | Nikki Newman | Guest: 1 episode (September 26, 2022) |
| This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources .(November 2017) |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 8th Telegatto Awards | Best Actress | The Young and the Restless | Won |
| 1995 | 11th Soap Opera Digest Awards | Outstanding Actress | The Young and the Restless | Nominated |
| 1999 | 26th Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress | The Young and the Restless | Nominated |
| 2001 | 17th Soap Opera Digest Awards | Outstanding Actress | The Young and the Restless | Won |
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City. First broadcast on March 26, 1973, The Young and the Restless was originally broadcast as half-hour episodes, five times a week. The show expanded to one-hour episodes on February 4, 1980. In 2006, the series began airing previous episodes weeknights on SOAPnet until 2013, when it moved to TVGN. From July 1, 2013 until 2019, Pop aired previous episodes on weeknights. The series is also syndicated internationally.
Victoria Newman is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network. Created by William J. Bell, she is currently portrayed by Amelia Heinle. Victoria was born onscreen in 1982 and was portrayed by child actress Ashley Nicole Millan for her first eight years. Having been rapidly aged to a teenager, Victoria returned to the soap opera and was portrayed by Heather Tom. Tom portrayed the character into her early adult years and remained in the role for thirteen years. Due to creative differences, Tom left the soap opera in 2003 and Heinle, who debuted as Victoria on March 21, 2005, was cast in the role.
Victor and Nikki Newman are fictional characters and a supercouple from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Victor is portrayed by Eric Braeden and Nikki is portrayed by Melody Thomas Scott. Together, they have shared three marriages and two children; Victoria and Nicholas Newman. The couple is often referred to by the portmanteau "Niktor" by fans on internet message boards and in magazines. Nikki was originally from the lower walks of life, having been a prostitute and stripper. After multiple failed relationships, she began a romance with Victor, who taught her about society. Nikki gave birth to Victoria in 1982, and the pair were married in 1984. Ashley Abbott then came between Victor and Nikki, causing them to divorce and each of them remarrying to Ashley and Victor's nemesis, Jack Abbott, respectively. However, the pair continued to be linked to one another, with an affair between the two resulting in second child Nicholas.
William Joseph Bell was an American screenwriter and television producer, best known as the creator of the soap operas Another World, The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful.
Katherine Chancellor is a fictional character from the CBS Daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed by Jeanne Cooper. Created and introduced by show creator William J. Bell in November 1973, Cooper's Katherine was introduced in an effort to increase the show's struggling ratings. When Bell's plan proved successful, Cooper was signed to a contract. Cooper went on to become one of the longest-running cast members in the show's history, ending her nearly 40-year run on May 3, 2013, five days before her death.
Victor Newman is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. He has been portrayed by Eric Braeden since 1980. Initially a guest character who was to last for eight to twelve weeks, Victor has evolved into the soap opera's leading male figure. Created by William J. Bell as a "despicable, contemptible, unfaithful wife abuser", the character was planned to be killed off and never heard of again. However, after Bell saw Braeden's performance, he decided to sign the actor onto a contract. Braeden was hesitant to work on a soap opera, but eventually signed a contract, and has remained on the series as a regular cast member for over 40 years. The character is widely described as a ruthless villain, while loving to those he holds dear. Over the years, he has also been the center of several controversial plots and relationships.
Nikki Newman is a fictional character from the American CBS daytime soap opera, The Young and the Restless. Created and introduced by William J. Bell in 1978, the role was portrayed by Erica Hope, before Melody Thomas Scott took over in 1979. Introduced as a stripper, the character became well known for her relationship with businessman Victor Newman, a union that developed into a supercouple pairing that has spanned over four decades. She shares two children with Victor, Victoria and Nicholas Newman. In 2013, she reveals that she had previously given up a child for adoption, who is later discovered to be Dylan McAvoy. The character has also had several other notorious relationships, including Paul Williams, Jack Abbott, and Brad Carlton. Scott is considered an icon in the soap opera genre.
Paul Williams is a fictional character on the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Paul was introduced to the show on May 23, 1978, and has been portrayed by Doug Davidson until 2020. Initially, Paul was a "bad boy", who had a romance with Nikki Reed, giving her an STD. The relationship ended, but the two have remained friends since. After a year on the series, Bell gave the character a proper backstory, surname and family. This included his notoriously unstable sister Patty Williams. After a failed marriage to April Stevens —who gave birth to his daughter Heather Stevens —focus turned towards Paul's career as a private investigator, as well as his relationship and eventual marriage to and later divorce from Lauren Fenmore. Paul's string of unsuccessful romances with women—including his ill-fated bride Cindy Lake, and Cassandra Rawlins, the wife of one of his clients—continued. Over the years, Paul continued to become heavily involved in various storylines as a private investigator.
Jack Abbott is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. The character was introduced in 1980 being portrayed by Terry Lester. Lester departed from the series in 1989 and was replaced by Peter Bergman shortly thereafter. Bergman relocated to California after successfully auditioning for the part. His first episode aired on November 27, 1989. Jack is known for his longstanding feud with the Newman family patriarch, Victor Newman as well as his romances with Diane Jenkins, Nikki Newman, Phyllis Summers, and Sharon Newman. Jack has represented the Abbott family as the patriarch since the 2006 passing of his father, John Abbott.
Ashley Abbott is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful, two American soap operas on the CBS network. She has been most notably portrayed by Eileen Davidson, who originated the role on June 11, 1982, before departing in 1988. Brenda Epperson portrayed Ashley from 1988 to 1995, before Shari Shattuck portrayed the role for the next three years, until Davidson's return on March 19, 1999. Davidson was nominated in 2003 for Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and she later won that award in 2018.
Nicholas Newman is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Created and introduced by William J. Bell, he was born onscreen in 1988 as the second child of supercouple characters Victor and Nikki Newman. Portrayed by a set of twins and later two child actors for his first six-year period, the writers of the series decided to rapidly age the character to a teenager in the summer of 1994. That June, Joshua Morrow began portraying Nick, and has remained in the role ever since. The character was reintroduced with the purpose of developing a relationship with another character, Sharon Collins, who was introduced around the same story arc. The pairing, which yielded three children, Cassie, Noah and Faith Newman, proved popular with viewers. They are regarded as a prominent supercouple by the soap opera media.
Sharon Newman is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network, currently portrayed by Sharon Case. Created by William J. Bell as a love interest for Nicholas Newman, the character debuted on June 27, 1994. Before Case took over in September 1994, the character was portrayed briefly by Monica Potter and then by Heidi Mark. When first introduced, Sharon was a young girl from the poor side of town; her early storylines included being raped by Matt Clark and the revelation that she had given up a child for adoption. Nick and Sharon married, had a son named Noah, and later won custody of Cassie, the daughter she had as a teenager. Their marriage faced a number of problems, including infidelity on both sides. Following Cassie's death in an automobile accident, Nick cheated on Sharon with Phyllis Summers, resulting in a pregnancy which ended their 11-year marriage.
Brittany Hodges is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Brittany was introduced on December 1, 1999, by former executive producer Edward J. Scott. The role was originated by Vanessa Lee Evigan who departed on February 25, 2000, and was replaced by Lauren Woodland, who debuted on March 7. Brittany's storylines included relationships with Raul Guittierez and J.T. Hellstrom, as well as marriage to Bobby Marsino and giving birth to their child, Joshua. Woodland said that the romance with Raul changed the character who was previously manipulative and sexual.
Faith Newman is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network. She was portrayed recently by Reylynn Caster, who assumed the role following the departure of Alyvia Alyn Lind, who played Faith for almost ten years from 2011 to 2021. Introduced during the September 30, 2009, episode, Faith is the youngest daughter of supercouple Nick and Sharon Newman.
Genevieve Atkinson is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Created by former head writer Maria Arena Bell as the mother of Cane Ashby, the role was portrayed by Genie Francis, who is widely known for her three-decade long portrayal of Laura Spencer on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. Francis was excited to join The Young and the Restless, expressing disappointment in her former daytime role and saying that her fan base would "follow whatever she does." She made her first appearance during the episode airing on May 27, 2011.
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