Known for Acting
Mel Harris is an American actress, writer and director, best known for her portrayal of Hope Steadman on the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning series Thirtysomething (1987), for which she received a Golden Globe nomination as best Actress in a Drama Series. She starred in the NBC comedy Something So Right (1996) and the My Network drama series Saints and Sinners (2014). Her most recent role has been as Nadine Davies on Hulu's new series Shut Eye (2016) Mary Ellen Harris was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and raised in New Jersey. Her mother was a high school science teacher and her father a football coach at Princeton University. She spent 12 years in the modeling world living in New York and Europe before stumbling into the acting business. She starred in numerous miniseries and telefilms including Cross Fire (1989), The Burden of Proof (1992) and Grass Roots (1992), as well as appearances on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999), and as Senator Rafferty on The West Wing (1999). Among her feature film credits are Brian De Palma's Raising Cain (1992) , K-9 (1989) (opposite Jim Belushi), Suture (1993), The Pagemaster (1994), and Wanted: Dead or Alive (1986). She made her New York stage debut at the Circle Repertory Company in the world premiere of John Bishop's Empty Hearts, for which she received a 1992 Theater World Award. In addition to her acting, in the last few years, she has focused on writing with her partner and husband, Emmy Award winning writer/producer, Bob Brush, under their shingle Topanga Moon Productions. - IMDb mini biography by: mel harris
Born
July 12, 1956 (age 70)
Birthplace
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Filmography
39 films, 27 shows


Arthur's Whisky
2024 · 1h 32m · UK
When Joan’s husband dies, she is shocked to discover he had invented an elixir which makes the drinker look young again. Sharing it with her two friends, the three women paint the town red but soon discover that they are no longer equipped to be young in the modern world.


Queen of Knives
2023 · 1h 43m
The Benetto family is scattered to the winds in Brooklyn, NY, and there's no predicting where they will end up. Relationships keep shifting. Generations keep trying to adapt to a new world. Exactly who are the adults here?


King of Knives
2020 · 1h 35m · US
A New York family implodes over three days as they careen through mid-life and quarter-life crises.


Imagine That
2009 · 1h 47m · US
A financial executive who can't stop his career downspiral is invited into his daughter's imaginary world, where solutions to his problems await.


The Lodger
2009 · 1h 35m · US
Follows a seasoned detective on the trail of a ruthless killer intent on slaughtering prostitutes along West Hollywood's Sunset Strip. It appears that the murderer's grisly methods are identical to that of London's infamous 19th century psychopath Jack the Ripper – a relentless serial killer who was never caught by police. To make matters worse, the detective soon notices the parallels between the crimes committed by the West Hollywood stalker and those of a serial murderer incarcerated years ago. Could the wrong man be behind bars?


The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie
2005 · 1h 23m · US
After making it to the top of the charts, members of the Silver Boulders, a popular tween rock band, find themselves undermined by internal squabbling as the bandmates seek different creative directions.


Out of the Woods
2005 · 1h 27m · US
Matt, a self-absorbed young attorney, goes to visit his grandfather - an eccentric recluse who lives in the backwoods without gas, electricity, or phone - to convince him not to give away his estate as he plans to do. But in the end, it is Matt who is convinced to make some life changes. Jason London and Ed Asner star. When a woman needs someone to look after her aging father (Ed Asner), her irresponsible son isn't her first choice. Matt (Jason London) can't get his career, love life, or wallet in order, so how can he be expected to check in on his grandfather? But desperation leads Matt to visit his grandfather at his home in the middle of nowhere. For Matt, this barebones life takes some adjustment, but then he meets a single mother who helps him learn about the simple life.


Purple Heart
2005 · 1h 30m · US
PURPLE HEART tells of a clean-up effort after a covert mission gone wrong. It is the story of Colonel Allen, the leader of a new, elite military unit designed for covert operations. His first mission: assassinate Saddam Hussein prior to the beginning of the 2003 Iraq War. Sgt. Oscar Padilla is the sniper chosen for the mission targeting Hussein. Unfortunately the mission is compromised; Padilla is captured and tortured by the Iraqis.


Dynamite
2004 · 1h 31m · US
A woman's life is turned upside down when three armed robbers invade her home.


Hangman's Curse
2003 · 1h 46m · US
Bullying students are becoming deathly ill after screaming the name of a legendary ghost. What's to blame? An exotic illness? An illicit drug? Or is it the supernatural? The clues are few and time is running out for the students of Rogers High School. The only hope is the Veritas Project, a highly trained investigative team working undercover to expose the truth. Lives hang in the balance as they scramble to unravel the mystery and protect the student body from their own hatred and fear.


Another pretty face
2002 · US


The Retrievers
2001 · 1h 30m · US
The Lowrys are starting a new life, moving to the quiet Northern California town of Placerville. But when they are "adopted" by a clever yet lovable stray Golden Retriever, their lives change in ways they never imagined. It's not long before the Lowrys discover that Pilot is pregnant. But when it comes time to find new homes for the puppies, the Lowrys learn how hard it can be to say goodbye and how a determined Golden Retriever can show them a thing or two about the bonds of family. Pilot wants her puppies back! Can the Lowrys retrieve the Retrievers from the wacky cast of characters that adopted them? The Retrievers is a heartwarming story about how a stray Golden Retriever, along with her litter of pups, teaches the Lowrys some big lessons about life, love, family, and what's truly important.


Firetrap
2001 · 1h 37m · US
Master burglar Max Hopper is released early after three years and soon gets an exceptional job: stealing an advanced computer-chip from the IQ Industries headquarters. His first attempt fails; when he enters in cop uniform during an emergency board meeting, a fire quickly spreads- he considers it a godsend opportunity and stays, but soon has his hands too full saving other lives and just surviving to concentrate on the chip; only the owner, his wife who just filed for divorce and a few employees remain, but it soon turns out one of them stole company secrets but the arsonist and/or another chip-thieves are among them.


Sonic Impact
2000 · 1h 34m · US
A dangerous criminal hijacks a plane with his fellow prisoners and threatens to crash it into a populated area. The agent who captured him sets out to stop him.


The Mumbo Jumbo
2000 · 1h 22m · UK
A cynical young American, Thomas Doubting, stumbles upon a magical amulet which takes him on a mysterious journey to the island of Sinmouth. The eccentric locals believe he is the lost legend of "Mumbo Jumbo" - an entity who will restore their fortunes and rescue the beautiful Princess Vanilla. On his journey, the Mumbo Jumbo discovers Sinmouth's dark secret and saves the inhabitants from their greatest enemy and his villainous slave.


Out of Time
2000 · 1h 35m
A man awakwens after sleeping for 20 years to find that his small local town has changed for the worse.


Murder, She Wrote: South by Southwest
1997 · 1h 40m · US
Jessica Fletcher searches for a woman who witnessed the murder of a man trying to expose a serious flaw in a top-secret government satellite code.


What Kind of Mother Are You?
1996 · 2h · US
Kelly keeps getting into trouble with the police. Her mother agrees to her going into a juvenile detention center overnight. She is kept there for much longer. During her incarceration, she is assaulted by inmates and abused by the system.
A Case for Life
A Case for Life
1996 · 1h 40m · US
To save her unborn child, she had to fight for the right to die. A True Story


Sharon's Secret
1995 · 1h 35m · US
A sixteen-year-old girl is accused of killing her parents.


The Secretary
1995 · 1h 34m · US
After being passed over for a promotion, secretary Deidre turns to murder and blackmail.


Welcome to Paradise
1995 · 1h 35m · US
Anne is feeling trapped by her life as housewife. She convinces Denise and Claire to take off for spring break at Paradise Beach, just like they did twenty years before. Claire, who works for Euro Tropic suntan lotion, tries to avoid falling in love with Jean-Luc, the new product spokesman. Denise rekindles her old relationship with Mark, the perennial lifeguard. And Anne is approached by George, the young desk manager at the hotel.


The Pagemaster
1994 · 1h 15m · US
Rich knows a lot about accidents. So much so, he is scared to do anything that might endanger him, like riding his bike, or climbing into his treehouse. While in an old library, he is mystically transported into the unknown world of books, and he has to try and get home again.


Broken Lullaby
1994 · 1h 36m · CA
Rich Hungarian-born orphan Katya Davidov commissions Jordan Kirkland to research her past starting from a photograph, showing her as a child next to an elusive Fabergé music box. Luckily experienced Yankee-Hungarian treasure hunter and womanizer Nick Rostov gently forces his help upon her, although Jordan stubbornly risks dealing with his dodgy competitor Gudrun Kuper and her ruthless employer, count Borodin.


Ultimate Betrayal
1994 · 1h 36m · US
Based on a true story about two sisters who sue their father for incest and child abuse. As the story unfolds, it is revealed that the father severely abused all six children, and committed incest with all four of his daughters.
The Spider and the Fly
The Spider and the Fly
1994 · 1h 27m · US
A wager between two novelists about committing the perfect crime becomes real when a murder occurs under the circumstances they had plotted in jest and either one of them might be the killer.


Desperate Journey: The Allison Wilcox Story
1993 · 1h 29m · US
Three people, including a pregnant woman, embark on a yachting excursion during a hurricane.


Suture
1993 · 1h 36m · US
A man named Clay flies into Phoenix for a reunion with his long-lost half-brother Vincent.


Distant Cousins
1993 · 1h 32m · DE
Kate's husband Richard hasn't seen his cousin Harry for 20 years. So when he comes to stay with his fiancee Connie they are welcomed. But Kate senses her family is at risk when they start behaving suspiciously.
With Hostile Intent
With Hostile Intent
1993 · 1h 29m · US
After police officer Miranda Berkley dumps her boyfriend, who's also her superior, she and her colleague Kathy Arnold constantly are harassed by their male co-workers. In everyday as well as in dangerous situations they don't get any support. The women see no other way than to lodge a complaint with the internal affairs division under judge Baxter - and make the men even more furious.


Wind Dancer
1993 · 1h 30m · US
When a young girl is injured by a riding accident, she overcomes her injury with the help of her family and her beloved horse.


Child of Rage
1992 · 1h 34m
A priest and his wife adopt a brother and sister, but the girl has terrible outbursts of rage. They get her in treatment and try to find out the reason for this.


Raising Cain
1992 · 1h 32m · US
Child psychologist Carter Nix is a loving and caring family man, but under this appearance lies a dark and troubled past. Grappling with the consequences of this past on his own psyche and the influence of his returning father and violent brother Cain, Carter becomes involved in a series of murders and kidnappings. Meanwhile, his wife Jenny rekindles an old love affair, placing herself in the crosshairs of her increasingly unstable husband.


Grass Roots
1992 · 2h 35m · US
This sequel to the 1983 miniseries, "Chiefs," continues the saga of the Lee family with Will Lee, an ambitious Georgia lawyer running for the U.S. Senate at the same time he is forced by a local judge to defend a young man in a murder trial. On top of this, he becomes the target of an assassin hired by a white-supremacist organization.


My Brother's Wife
1989 · 1h 36m · US
Barney is a guy who comes home for his father's funeral. Eleanor, his brother's wife who is Barney first love meets him and they go to the club where they first met. And Barney recalls how things kept them apart like his need to act out at his father. And his fear of commitment.


K-9
1989 · 1h 41m · US
The extravagant cop Michael Dooley needs some help to fight a drug dealer who has tried to kill him. A "friend" gives him a dog named Jerry Lee (Officer Lewis), who has been trained to smell drugs. With his help, Dooley sets out to put his enemy behind the bars, but Jerry Lee has a personality of his own and works only when he wants to. On the other hand, the dog is quite good at destroying Dooley's car, house and sex-life...


Cameron's Closet
1988 · 1h 27m · UK
A father who experiments with his son's psychokinetic powers is unaware that these experiments have released a demon from hell which lives in his son's closet, preparing to take over the young boy's soul.


Harry's Hong Kong
1987 · 2h · US
A private eye becomes the target of both a Chinese syndicate and the police during an investigation into the mysterious death of an old friend.


Wanted: Dead or Alive
1987 · 1h 44m · US
Nick Randall is a Los Angeles-based bounty hunter and an ex-CIA operative who is asked by a former co-worker to help track down terrorist Malak Al Rahim. However, Malak Al Rahim is also looking for Randall, forcing a showdown on the waterfront.