Melissa Rivers
| Melissa Rivers | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Melissa Rosenberg January 20, 1968 Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S |
| Education | John Thomas Dye School |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Television host, producer, actress, equestrienne, philanthropist |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Television | Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?, Fashion Police |
| Spouse(s) | John Endicott (m. 1998–2003) |
| Partner(s) | Jason Zimmerman (2008–12) |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | Edgar Rosenberg and Joan Rivers |
| Website |
melissarivers |
Melissa Rosenberg (born January 20, 1968[1]), who uses the stage name Melissa Rivers, is an American actress, television host and producer, equestrienne and philanthropist. She is the daughter of late comedian Joan Rivers and late producer Edgar Rosenberg.
Early life
Melissa Rivers was born in Manhattan, the only child of Joan Rivers and Edgar Rosenberg.[1] She attended the private John Thomas Dye School in Bel-Air[2] and then The Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, California. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, where she received a degree in European History in 1989.[3]
Rivers first started dancing at the age of 8, taking once-a-week group lessons. She became more serious about the activity at the age of 12, taking regular private lessons.
In 1990, she took on her mother's stage surname, after which she became known as Melissa Rivers.[4]
Career
She was an accomplished equestrienne competing on the show circuits.[5]
As an actress, she has had roles in television shows including Beverly Hills, 90210, Silk Stalkings, The Comeback. In 1998, she also appeared in the sci-fi/comedy made-for-television movie Men in White and in the 1999 film The Big Tease, a comedy directed by Kevin Allen starring Craig Ferguson. Additionally, she teamed up with her mother Joan Rivers, portraying themselves in the 1994 celebrity docudrama Tears and Laughter: The Joan and Melissa Rivers Story.
In the early 1990s, she branched out on the pre-show red carpet, interviewing celebrities on nationally televised awards shows. Rivers, who has hosted various events and served as a producer for the E! Network, has hosted two of the channel’s highest-rated specials: Oh Baby! Melissa’s Guide to Pregnancy[6] and Oh Toddler! Surviving the Early Years (aired in January 2002).
With her mother, she hosted fashion on the red carpet interviews for the E! cable network. In 2003, they left her red carpet pre-show on E! to accept a more lucrative deal with the TV Guide Channel valued at between $6 and 8 million.[7] Also in 2002, she appeared on the ABC Network competitive reality show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!. She has been a regular guest on the webcast show Tom Green's House Tonight.
In 2013, she was a co-creator and co-producer of Joan's YouTube web series In Bed With Joan, a 15- to 30-minute show with a new video uploaded weekly in which Joan interviews a celebrity about a wide variety of personal topics in Joan's bed, with Melissa conducting interview questions for the last several minutes. Featured videos that have garnered the most views feature comedians Kathy Griffin, Sarah Silverman, and Margaret Cho, television personalities Kelly Osbourne and RuPaul, as well as Youtubers Jenna Mourey (Jenna "Marbles"), Grace Helbig ("itsgrace") and Justine Ezarik ("iJustine"). Other guests include Russell Peters, Gary Busey, Rob Delaney, Gabriel Iglesias, Carmen Electra, Lance Bass, Howie Mandel, Chris Hardwick, Bill Engvall, Tom Green, Penn Jillette, Aisha Tyler, Anthony Jeselnik, Nick Kroll and T.J. Miller.[8] Additionally in 2013, Melissa and her mother, Joan Rivers, were honored by the Ride of Fame and a double decker tour bus was dedicated to them.[9]
In June 2015, it was announced that Fashion Police would return on August 31, 2015, and would feature Melissa Rivers as a new co-host.[10]
Philanthropy
In 2003, she appeared in a PETA anti-fur ad campaign, encouraging consumers to "Fake It...for the Animals' Sake."[11]
She raised $100,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation,[12] resulting from ABC's 2006 television show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Live. On June 24, 2008, Rivers appeared on the NBC game show Celebrity Family Feud as part of the Rivers Family Team. She and her mother first battled against the Ice-T Family Team, then went on to compete against the Raven-Symoné Family Team. They won $50,000 for their charity, Guide Dogs for the Blind.
She appeared on the NBC reality television program Celebrity Apprentice playing for the Lili Claire Foundation. She was fired in the episode that aired April 26, 2009, after which she stormed out of the boardroom, verbally assaulted other teammates, yelled at the production crew, and refused the obligatory exit interview. Her mother was also a contestant on that season of The Apprentice, and threatened to quit the show after Melissa's firing, but remained and ultimately won the competition.[13]
She raised $22,250 on a special celebrity edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, where all the celebrities played to raise money for the research of Alzheimer's disease.[14]
Personal life
She married horse trainer John Endicott in December 1998, at New York City's Plaza Hotel in a $3 million wedding.[15] They divorced in 2003.[16] She has one son from that marriage, Edgar Cooper Endicott (born in 2000)[17] who was featured with Rivers and her mother in the reality show Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?[18] She was in a relationship with sports coach Jason Zimmerman from 2008 to 2012.[19]
On January 26, 2015, Melissa Rivers filed a malpractice lawsuit against the clinic and doctors performing surgery on her mother that caused her cardiac arrest.[20]
Books
- The Book of Joan. Crown Archetype. 2015. (Biography/Humor)
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Rabbit Test | Little girl (uncredited) | |
| 1991 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Mackenzie | 1 episode |
| 1994 | Tears and Laughter: The Joan and Melissa Rivers Story | herself | TV Movie |
| 1998 | Men in White | Female Reporter #2 | TV Movie |
| 1999 | Silk Stalkings | Tegan Cook | 1 episode |
| 1999 | The Big Tease | Dianne Abbott (as Melissa Rosenberg) | |
| 2002–03 | Fashion Police | co-executive producer | 12 episodes |
| 2003–present | Fashion Police | executive producer | |
| 2004 | Out for Blood | Talk Show Host | |
| 2004 | Dave the Barbarian | Princess Irmaplotz (voice) | TV series |
| 2006 | The 411 | Correspondent | TV series |
| 2009 | Celebrity Apprentice 2 | Herself | |
| 2010 | Cubed | Human Resource Rep | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2011–14 | Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best? | herself, executive producer | |
| 2012 | E! True Hollywood Story: Joan and Melissa Rivers | ||
| 2013–14 | In Bed with Joan | executive producer | online talk show |
| 2015–present | Fashion Police | host | |
| 2015 | Joy | Joan Rivers | |
| 2016 | Hell's Kitchen | herself | Episode: "Dancing in the Grotto" |
Honors
- On March 1, 2013, Rivers and her mother, Joan Rivers, were honored by the Ride of Fame and a double decker tour bus was dedicated to them in New York City.[21]
References
- 1 2 "Melissa Rivers". TVGuide.com. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
- ↑ "Biography of Melissa Rivers". I am a Celebrity. ABC. Archived from the original on 28 June 2006. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
- ↑ About Melissa Rivers web site
- ↑ "Melisa Rivers takes mother's surname" September 14, 1990, Spokane Chronicle
- ↑ "VOWS; Melissa Rivers, John Endicott". The New York Times. December 13, 1998.
- ↑ Hale, Mike. "Test". The New York Times.
- ↑ "TV briefs: Rivers duo may leave E! for TV Guide Channel" June 25, 2004, The Seattle Times
- ↑ http://www.inbedwithjoan.com
- ↑ Video: Joan and Melissa Rivers Debut Their Glamorous Ride of Fame in NYC. Huffington Post. March 1, 2013.
- ↑ Denise Petski. "Melissa Rivers To Co-Host E!'s 'Fashion Police' – Deadline". Deadline.
- ↑ Deborah Shoeneman, "Arnold's High Times...Melissa Rivers's Naked Ambition...Grimm News for Polanski," New York Magazine, 25 August 2003
- ↑ "ABC's "I'm A Celebrity – Get Me Out Of Here!", LIVE, Nightly, February 19 – March 5.". Archived from the original on 8 November 2006.
- ↑ NBC Celebrity Apprentice 2 Press Release
- ↑ Bio at Yahoo News
- ↑ "VOWS; Melissa Rivers, John Endicott" December 13, 1998, The New York Times
- ↑ "Melissa Rivers Is Single Again". The Smoking Gun.
- ↑ Fink, Mitchell (December 2, 2000). "Stars To Swell Cathedral For Mottola Wedding". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on June 6, 2012.
- ↑ "Joan Rivers is a nice person – really" June 24, 2010, Miami Herald
- ↑ Steven Williams. "The Turbulent Break-Up Between Melissa Rivers And Jason Zimmerman Airs On Reality Show". Contactmusic.com.
- ↑ "Lawyers: Melissa Rivers files malpractice lawsuit in mother Joan's death". Fox News. Associated Press. January 26, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
- ↑ Joan and Melissa Rivers Debut Their Glamorous Ride of Fame in NYC Huffington Post. March 1, 2013.