Alyssa Milano was born in 1972, into an Italian-American family in Brooklyn, New York. She pursued acting from a young age, unexpectedly breaking into the industry when her babysitter took her to an audition for a touring production of the musical Annie, without the knowledge of Milano's parents. When Milano was offered a role as one of the orphans, her parents were wary of giving their permission. Only seven years old at the time, Milano simply wouldn't back down. She spent the next 18 months on the road with the show. From there, she knew what she wanted to do: “I heard the applause, and right then it was all over ... I knew to myself, this is it, forever.”
She continued to pursue acting, and, in 1984, landed a role on the hit sitcom, Who's the Boss?. Milano played Samantha Micelli, the outspoken daughter of Tony Danza's starring character. The show ran for eight successful seasons, turning Alyssa Milano into one of the leading teen icons of 1980s American pop culture.
Soon, a grown up Milano came upon her next big big break, landing a starring role as Phoebe Halliwell on the series Charmed, playing one of three sisters who discover they are modern-day witches. The hit show ran for eight seasons, from 1998 to 2006, winning Milano a new generation of fans. Behind the scenes, though, not all was well; costar Shannen Doherty's early departure from the show, after just three seasons, was reportedly the result of backstage clashes with Milano.
Over the decade-spanning course of her Hollywood career, Alyssa Milano has, for the most part, avoided negative celebrity exposure, actively avoiding paparazzi-saturated areas and steering clear of many of the troubles that other former child actors have dealt with in a very public way. She attributes much of her ability to stay grounded to her family life; growing up, she ate dinner with her family every night.
She continued to pursue acting, and, in 1984, landed a role on the hit sitcom, Who's the Boss?. Milano played Samantha Micelli, the outspoken daughter of Tony Danza's starring character. The show ran for eight successful seasons, turning Alyssa Milano into one of the leading teen icons of 1980s American pop culture.
Soon, a grown up Milano came upon her next big big break, landing a starring role as Phoebe Halliwell on the series Charmed, playing one of three sisters who discover they are modern-day witches. The hit show ran for eight seasons, from 1998 to 2006, winning Milano a new generation of fans. Behind the scenes, though, not all was well; costar Shannen Doherty's early departure from the show, after just three seasons, was reportedly the result of backstage clashes with Milano.
Over the decade-spanning course of her Hollywood career, Alyssa Milano has, for the most part, avoided negative celebrity exposure, actively avoiding paparazzi-saturated areas and steering clear of many of the troubles that other former child actors have dealt with in a very public way. She attributes much of her ability to stay grounded to her family life; growing up, she ate dinner with her family every night.
