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Actor

1972-08-03 · New York · Female

14 series in the catalog

Melissa Ponzio is an American actress, best known for her roles as Melissa McCall on Teen Wolf and Karen on The Walking Dead. Ponzio has also starred in Chicago Fire as Donna Robbins-Boden.

Early life

She spent much of her youth in Florida, where she was active in school activities, serving as senior class president, yearbook editor, and a member of the swim team. After high school, she attended DeKalb Community College before transferring to Georgia State University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in journalism with a minor in theatre.

Career

In the late 1990s, Ponzio began appearing in supporting guest roles on television series, including Dawson's Creek, One Tree Hill, Surface, Drop Dead Diva, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Gates, NCIS, The Following and Banshee. She also appeared in films The Greenskeeper (2002), Road Trip: Beer Pong (2009), Life as We Know It (2010) and Upside (2010).

Ponzio is known for her recurring roles as Angie on the Lifetime Television drama series Army Wives (2007–2009), and as Melissa McCall in the MTV teen drama Teen Wolf (2011–2017). In 2013, she had a recurring role as Karen in the AMC drama series The Walking Dead.

In September 2021, it was announced that a reunion film for Teen Wolf had been ordered by Paramount+, with Jeff Davis returning as a screenwriter and executive producer of the film. The majority of the original cast members, including Ponzio, were set to reprise their roles. The film was released on January 26, 2023.

Personal life

Ponzio's partner is fellow actor Kenny Alfonso.