Melissa Ponzio

Melissa Ponzio stars in the Paramount+ Teen Wolf: The Movie (2023) revival, reprising her beloved role as "Melissa McCall," the hard-working and devoted single mother to "Scott" (Tyler Posey). She previously starred in the hit MTV international series Teen Wolf (2011) for six seasons and 100 episodes. Melissa recurred on the NBC series Chicago Fire (2012) as "Donna Robbins," the wife of "Chief Boden" (Eamonn Walker) wife, a teacher and friend to Firehouse 51 over the course of eight seasons. Fans of the AMC drama The Walking Dead (2010) will recognize Melissa as original Woodbury resident "Karen," the lone survivor of the Governor's attack on their own army in the third season finale. During season four, "Karen," who had developed a loving bond with "Tyrese" (Chad L. Coleman), met her untimely, shocking, and pivotal demise. In 2021, audiences saw Melissa in the Netflix original feature film Thunder Force (2021), from writer/director Ben Falcone, opposite Octavia Spencer and Melissa McCarthy. Melissa will be seen in writer/director Ali Scher's feature, "The Friendship Formula," with Cheryl Hines, where she plays "Mrs. Idle," the chemistry teacher of an 11-year-old girl genius who invents a popularity chemical for the state science fair and flips the high school hierarchy on its head. She previously starred opposite Hilary Swank in the HBO original film Mary and Martha (2013), directed by Phillip Noyce. Additional film credits include HBO's historical drama Warm Springs (2005) opposite Kenneth Branagh and Cynthia Nixon, and the Warner Bros. comedy, Life as We Know It (2010), with Josh Duhamel and Katherine Heigl. Melissa voices a role in the iHeart Media Podcast Bridgewater (2021) which premiered in the Summer of 2021 and debuted at #1 on the Apple Fiction Podcast Charts and won "Best Fiction Podcast" at the 2022 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards. Melissa plays "Anne Becker," a worn-down retired detective who balances cynicism and a belief in the supernatural on a knife's edge. Notable television appearances include recurring roles in the HULU dramatic series The Girl from Plainville (2022) with Elle Fanning, the BET+ comedy series First Wives Club (2019), Cinemax's Banshee (2013), and Lifetime's Army Wives (2007) as well as guest appearances on The Following (2013), Touch (2012), Melissa Ponzio, Necessary Roughness (2011), Franklin & Bash (2011), Drop Dead Diva (2009), the CSI franchise (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), and CSI: Miami (2002)), and the The Vampire Diaries (2009)." She appeared in the Snapchat original comedy Everything's Fine (2021), from Paul Feig's Powderkeg Productions, creator Hannah Klein and executive producer Pet Wentz. Additionally, she appeared in the television films Justice for Natalee Holloway (2011) opposite Tracy Pollan and Stephen Amell, and Marry Me (2010) with Lucy Liu, and more recently in Ben Meyerson's Lifetime Television Film Killer Reputation (2019) opposite Anna Hutchison. Melissa is co-owner of The Goods Inc. with her longtime partner Kenny Alfonso.