Melyssa Ford
Melyssa Ford | |
---|---|
![]() Ford in March 2005 | |
Born | |
Other names | Jessica Rabbit |
Modeling information | |
Height | 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)[1] |
Hair color | Brown |
Eye color | Light brown |
Melyssa Savannah Ford (born November 7, 1976) is a Canadian media personality, actress, and former video vixen. She attended York University and studied in the field of forensic psychology.[2] She is often referred to as Jessica Rabbit, an animated character whose sensuous figure Ford's is said to resemble.[1][3]
Entertainment career
In the late 1990s, music video director Little X discovered Ford while she was working as a bartender at a Toronto nightclub and helped launch her modelling career.[4] She has appeared in music videos, men's magazines, television programs and films.[1] Ford was an on-air personality for Sirius Satellite Radio's Hot Jamz channel.[5] She sells a line of calendars and DVD.[6]
In a 2008 CNN interview, Ford said that when making music videos she often asked herself whether she was "perpetuating a negative stereotype" about black women. When she was asked whether music videos, overall, are "demeaning to women", Ford replied, "Yes, I definitely have to say that".[2]
From June 2014 to January 2015, Ford participated in the Bravo Network television series Blood, Sweat & Heels, documenting her social life against the background of her struggles of becoming a realtor in New York.[7]
In 2016, Ford became a co-host of Hollywood Unlocked, a hip-hop and pop culture radio show. In June 2018, Ford was seriously injured in a car crash involving an 18-wheeler truck. She suffered a skull fracture and concussion.[8] Ford returned to the show in April 2019 following her accident. On August 24, 2020, Ford announced she would no longer be co-hosting Hollywood Unlocked.[9] In November 2019, Ford launched a podcast on YouTube called I'm Here for the Food[10]. The podcast featured a host of guests and covered a range of topics, including colorism, human trafficking, and forgiveness. The podcast last aired in November 2020.
Personal life
Her father is Barbadian(Afro-Caribbean) and her mother is of Ukrainian and Scottish descent.[11]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | Turn It Up | Deborah | |
2004 | Psyche | Kenya | Short |
2007 | God's Prayer | Dr. Jasmine Gray | |
Three Can Play That Game | Candy | ||
2008 | Love for Sale | Katherine | |
Days of Wrath | Lisa | ||
2009 | Good Hair | Herself | Documentary |
2011 | The Slap | Puma | Short |
Video Girl | Lala | ||
Bowl of Dreams | Herself | Documentary | |
2012 | Think like a Man | Sleepy Girl | |
Redemption of a Dog | Sheila | ||
2013 | Playin' for Love | Bella | |
2018 | The Stuff | Denise Washington |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | Soul Food | Hoochie Mama | 2 Episodes |
2004-06 | BET Style | Herself/Host | TV Series |
2005 | VH1 News Presents | Herself | Episode: "Hip Hop Videos: Sexploitation on the Set" |
2007 | Entourage | Flight Attendant | Episode: "No Cannes Do" |
2008 | Byte Me: 20 Hottest Women of the Web | Herself | TV Special |
The Black Poker Stars Invitational | Herself | Main Cast | |
2009 | Played by Fame | Herself | Episode: "Sexy, Sensual and Stalker" |
2014-15 | Blood, Sweat & Heels | Herself | Main Cast |
2019 | Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood | Herself | Episode: "Pretty Petty" & "Sound Off" |
Music Videos
Year | Song | Artist |
---|---|---|
1997 | The Thing to Do | Glenn Lewis |
1998 | Anywhere | 112 featuring Lil' Zane |
Northern Touch | Rascalz featuring Checkmate, Kardinal Offishall, Thrust and Choclair | |
Bout Your Love | Glenn Lewis | |
1999 | Let's Ride | Choclair |
This Luv | Donell Jones | |
2000 | Big Pimpin' | Jay-Z featuring UGK |
Thong Song Remix | Sisqó | |
Cherchez LaGhost | Ghostface Killah featuring U-God | |
Shake Ya Ass | Mystikal | |
2001 | Knock Yourself Out | Jadakiss |
2003 | You Don't Know My Name | Alicia Keys |
2004 | Happy People | R. Kelly |
Yeah! | Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris |
Video Games
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2007 | Def Jam Icon | Platinum (voice) |
See also
References
- ^ a b c Century, Douglas (May 2, 2004). "How to Succeed in Videos Without Really Dancing". The New York Times. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
- ^ a b "Black in America: Video Vixens Too Revealing?". CNN. July 24, 2008. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
- ^ Ogunnaike, Lola (August 31, 2004). "New Magazines for Black Men Proudly Redefine the Pinup". The New York Times. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
- ^ "Melyssa Ford". Vibe. September 2008. Archived from the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
- ^ "Hot Jamz". Sirius Satellite Radio. Archived from the original on September 9, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
Hot Jamz is about to get a lot hotter: Melyssa Ford has joined our squad!
- ^ Ford. "Calendar Girl". Naked. pp. 219–220.
- ^ Settembre, Jeanette (December 31, 2013). "'Blood, Sweat and Heels' Follows Six Black New York City Women on the Rise". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- ^ "Former Bravo Star Melyssa Ford Seriously Injured in Horrific Crash with 18-Wheeler Truck".
- ^ "Melyssa Ford Returns to Discuss Grief & Say Goodbye to Hollywood Unlocked [UNCENSORED]". YouTube.
- ^ "I'm Here For The Food - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
- ^ "Melyssa Ford Biography". IMDb. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
External links
- Melyssa Ford at IMDb
- Melyssa Ford on X
- 1976 births
- Actresses from Toronto
- Black Canadian actresses
- Canadian advice columnists
- Female models from Ontario
- Canadian infotainers
- Canadian people of Barbadian descent
- Canadian people of Ukrainian descent
- Canadian people of Scottish descent
- Canadian television personalities
- Canadian women journalists
- Hip hop models
- Living people
- Canadian women columnists
- York University alumni
- Canadian women non-fiction writers
- Canadian women television personalities
- Participants in American reality television series