Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Alyssa Milano
How Alyssa Milano built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Alyssa Milano is an American actress and activist recognized for her roles in popular television series such as "Who's the Boss?", "Melrose Place", and "Charmed". Beyond acting, she is a prominent activist, notably playing a key role in popularizing the #MeToo movement in October 2017. She has also performed on stage, including a role as Roxie Hart in "Chicago" where she showcased her singing ability.
August 1984: Film debut in 'Old Enough'
In August 1984, Alyssa Milano made her film debut in the coming-of-age drama 'Old Enough'. The film later won First Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
September 20, 1984: Who's the Boss? Premieres on ABC
On September 20, 1984, the sitcom Who's the Boss?, starring Alyssa Milano as the daughter of Tony Danza's character, premiered on ABC, launching her career as a teen idol.
1985: Co-starred in Commando
In 1985, Alyssa Milano co-starred in 'Commando' as Jenny Matrix, the daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger's character, John Matrix.
1988: Starred in two television films
In 1988, Alyssa Milano starred in two television films, 'Crash Course' and 'Dance 'til Dawn'.
December 26, 1991: Butterflies Are Free production
From December 26, 1991, to January 19, 1992, Alyssa Milano produced and starred in a Los Angeles production of 'Butterflies Are Free'.
January 19, 1992: End of Butterflies Are Free production
Alyssa Milano's production of "Butterflies Are Free" in Los Angeles concluded on January 19, 1992.
December 1992: Filming Casualties of Love
From November to December 1992, Alyssa Milano filmed "Casualties of Love: The 'Long Island Lolita' Story", a television film based on the Amy Fisher case.
1993: Cameo appearance in The Webbers
In 1993, Alyssa Milano made a cameo appearance in Brian Bloom's film 'The Webbers'.
1995: Discussed motivation for explicit scenes in Embrace of the Vampire
In a 1995 interview, Alyssa Milano discussed her motivation for doing explicit scenes in Embrace of the Vampire, saying she felt protected by the woman director.
1996: Offered role on Melrose Place
In late 1996, Aaron Spelling offered Alyssa Milano the role of Jennifer Mancini on 'Melrose Place'.
1997: Starred in Hugo Pool
In 1997, Alyssa Milano starred in the lead role in 'Hugo Pool'.
1998: Cast as Phoebe Halliwell in Charmed and appeared in Blink-182 music video
In 1998, Alyssa Milano was cast as Phoebe Halliwell in the TV series 'Charmed' and played Mark Hoppus's love interest in Blink-182's "Josie" music video.
October 2004: Participated in UNICEF's "Trick or Treat" campaign
In October 2004, Alyssa Milano served as the national spokesperson for UNICEF's "Trick or Treat" campaign, raising approximately $50,000 by selling her own and schools' photo work to support South African women and children affected by AIDS.
2004: UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador field work in Angola
In 2004, as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Alyssa Milano traveled to Angola to speak with HIV-positive women and individuals disfigured by land mines during the country's civil war.
2004: Canvassed for candidates
Since 2004, Alyssa Milano has canvassed for national, state, and local candidates.
2006: Tarana Burke starts the MeToo movement
In 2006, Tarana Burke started the MeToo movement, which would later be re-launched by Alyssa Milano in 2017.
2006: Charmed Concludes
In 2006, the television series 'Charmed', where Alyssa Milano starred as Phoebe Halliwell, concluded after eight seasons.
April 2007: Began writing a baseball blog
In April 2007, Alyssa Milano, a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers, began writing a baseball blog on the Major League Baseball's website.
June 2007: Named Founding Ambassador for the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases
In June 2007, Alyssa Milano was named a Founding Ambassador for the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases by The Sabin Vaccine Institute. Milano donated $250,000 to the alliance which advocates and mobilizes resources to control neglected tropical diseases.
2007: Advocating Vegetarianism for PETA
In 2007, Alyssa Milano appeared in an advertisement for PETA, advocating vegetarianism while wearing a dress made entirely of vegetables.
2008: Expanded clothing line to NFL
In 2008, Alyssa Milano expanded her "Touch" clothing line to include NFL football apparel, as a New York Giants fan.
March 20, 2009: Voiced Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn in Ghostbusters: The Video Game
On March 20, 2009, it was announced that Alyssa Milano voiced Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn in 'Ghostbusters: The Video Game'.
March 24, 2009: Safe At Home: Confessions of a Baseball Fanatic released
On March 24, 2009, Alyssa Milano's book on her baseball fandom, 'Safe At Home: Confessions of a Baseball Fanatic', was released.
December 19, 2009: Fundraising campaign for Charity: Water
For her 37th birthday on December 19, 2009, Alyssa Milano ran an online fundraising campaign for Charity: Water. The campaign raised over $75,000.
2009: "Touch" available in Citi Field
In 2009, Alyssa Milano's "Touch" line of team apparel for female baseball fans became available through a boutique store located in Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets.
April 19, 2010: Romantically Challenged Premieres
On April 19, 2010, 'Romantically Challenged', a sitcom starring Alyssa Milano, premiered on ABC. It was later cancelled after airing four episodes.
2010: UNICEF field visit to Kosovo
In 2010, Alyssa Milano visited the settlement of Kolonia in western Kosovo as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador to witness impoverished living conditions. Milano described it as her "hardest experience" on a field visit.
2011: Appeared in two comedy films
In 2011, Alyssa Milano appeared in two comedy films, 'Hall Pass' and 'New Year's Eve'.
June 2013: Played Savannah Davis in Mistresses
In June 2013, Alyssa Milano played Savannah Davis in ABC drama series 'Mistresses', about the lives of four girlfriends.
September 2013: Parody of a celebrity sex tape for Syrian civil war awareness
In September 2013, Alyssa Milano released a parody of a celebrity sex tape on Funny or Die to raise awareness about the Syrian civil war.
2013: Created comic book series Hacktivist
In 2013, Alyssa Milano created the comic book series 'Hacktivist', exploring hacking and global activism.
2013: Expanded clothing line to NASCAR
In 2013, Alyssa Milano expanded her "Touch" clothing line into NASCAR.
January 2014: Hacktivist first print issue released
In January 2014, the first print edition issue of Alyssa Milano's four-issue miniseries 'Hacktivist' was published.
July 2014: Hacktivist hardcover edition released
In July 2014, a hardcover edition collecting all four issues of Alyssa Milano's comic book series 'Hacktivist' was released.
2014: Assisted in the rescue of a South Korean Jindo mix dog
In 2014, Alyssa Milano collaborated with CARE and The Fuzzy Pet Foundation to rescue a South Korean Jindo mix dog. The dog was found covered in mange, chained, and raised for dog-meat.
March 2, 2015: Guest host on The Talk
On March 2, 2015, Alyssa Milano was a guest host on 'The Talk'.
September 2015: Brand ambassador for Sprout
In September 2015, Alyssa Milano became a brand ambassador for the preschool television channel Sprout.
2015: Endorsed Bernie Sanders for president
In 2015, Alyssa Milano endorsed Bernie Sanders for president of the United States.
2016: Expressed support for Hillary Clinton
In 2016, after the Democratic Party presidential primaries, Alyssa Milano expressed support for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
March 27, 2017: Drove voters to the polls in Georgia
On March 27, 2017, Alyssa Milano and Christopher Gorham drove voters to the polls during early voting for Georgia's 6th congressional district 2017 special election for Jon Ossoff.
October 15, 2017: Posted message that re-launched the #MeToo movement
On October 15, 2017, Alyssa Milano posted a message on Twitter that re-launched the #MeToo movement. This was to gauge the widespread problem of sexual misconduct, following Harvey Weinstein's expulsion from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
October 2017: Role in #MeToo Movement
In October 2017, Alyssa Milano became known for her role in the #MeToo movement, advocating against sexual harassment and assault.
December 12, 2017: Drove people to the polls in Alabama
On December 12, 2017, Alyssa Milano drove people to the polls for the United States Senate special election in Alabama to vote for Democratic candidate Doug Jones.
2017: Joined cast of Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later
In 2017, Alyssa Milano joined the cast of Netflix's 'Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later'.
July 2018: Encouraged Twitter users to seek out VoteRiders
In July 2018, Alyssa Milano encouraged Twitter users to seek out VoteRiders to help eliminate confusion about voter ID laws.
2018: Raised money for Richard Dien Winfield
In 2018, Alyssa Milano helped raise money for Richard Dien Winfield, a Democrat in Georgia's 10th congressional district race by phone banking.
2018: Joined cast of Insatiable
In 2018, Alyssa Milano joined the cast of Netflix's 'Insatiable'. Also in 2018, she was cast in the lead role in Tempting Fate, based on the book by Jane Green.
2018: Co-chair of the Health Care Voter campaign
In 2018, Alyssa Milano was announced as a co-chair of the Health Care Voter campaign. Milano also wrote an op-ed in Time magazine about why health care would decide her vote in 2018.
September 2019: Met with Ted Cruz and Fred Guttenberg to discuss gun violence
In September 2019, Alyssa Milano met with Ted Cruz and Fred Guttenberg to discuss gun violence, following her co-founding of #NoRA, a coalition against the NRA.
2019: Released children's book and began hosting podcast
In 2019, Alyssa Milano released a children's book 'Hope: Project Middle School Book' and began hosting the podcast 'Alyssa Milano: Sorry Not Sorry'.
March 2020: Endorsed Joe Biden for president
In March 2020, Alyssa Milano endorsed former US vice president Joe Biden for president of the United States.
December 2020: Encouraged Twitter users to seek out VoteRiders again
In December 2020, Alyssa Milano again encouraged Twitter users to seek out VoteRiders to help eliminate confusion about voter ID laws.
2020: Recurring star on The Now
In 2020, Alyssa Milano was a recurring star on the Quibi comedy 'The Now'.
October 2021: Sorry Not Sorry released
In October 2021, Alyssa Milano's book "Sorry Not Sorry" was released. It contains 32 essays describing her activism and thoughts on current political and social issues.
October 29, 2021: Signed a production deal with A&E Studios
On October 29, 2021, Alyssa Milano signed a first-look production deal with A&E Studios.
December 13, 2021: Signed a deal with the United Talent Agency
On December 13, 2021, Alyssa Milano signed a deal with the United Talent Agency (UTA).
2021: Cast in Netflix film adaptation of Brazen Virtue
In 2021, Alyssa Milano was cast to star in the Netflix film adaptation of Nora Roberts' novel 'Brazen Virtue'.
October 2023: Signed open letter calling for a ceasefire in Gaza
In October 2023, Alyssa Milano signed an open letter from several artists to Biden, calling for a ceasefire of the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
May 28, 2024: Became UNITED24 Ambassador
On May 28, 2024, Alyssa Milano became an ambassador of the UNITED24 global initiative in support of Ukraine in the field of education and science.
2024: Supported Ukraine and joined UNITED24 ambassadors in raising funds
In 2024, Alyssa Milano supported Ukraine and joined UNITED24 ambassadors in raising funds for Ukraine.
2024: Will perform as Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway
In the fall of 2024, Alyssa Milano will perform the role of Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway.
September 2025: Signed open pledge for Palestine
In September 2025, Alyssa Milano signed an open pledge with Film Workers for Palestine pledging not to work with Israeli film institutions "that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people."
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