Melissa Lianne Woods was born November 5, 1987 in Rossendale, Lancashire, to Karen Woods, a stay at home mum, and Ian Woods, an account manager. She has an older brother, Chris and a dog, Todd.Melissa was raised in Rossendale, Lancashire. She took her first step toward acting at the age of eight, attending the Carol Godby Theatre Workshop. Singing, dancing and acting lessons soon led to being signed by Linton Management Casting, followed by a number of T.V. and commercial roles. After graduating from Haslingden High School in June 2006, Melissa moved to Florida, to work at Walt Disney World in Entertainment. In June 2012 Melissa graduated from the London School of Economics with a BSc in Finance and Law. She then signed with Rare Talent Actors Management.Melissa starred in a number of commercials and later had roles in the channel 4 Horror Fest, In the Flesh (2014), directed by Johnny Campbell, as a Party Girl in the BBC Drama, From There to Here (2014) and as a Flashback character to the lead role in Stephen Poliakoff's, epic drama, Close To The Enemy (2016). She played the lead role of Wendy Sewell in an episode of Judge Rinder Crime Stories (ITV 2016) before taking on a small role in the ITV Drama Victoria (2016) and then as Emma in an episode of ITV Drama Corontation Street (2017). Melissa's upcoming work includes starring roles in short films Trippy and Play Along and then as Claire O'Hara in the Feature Film, Mary O'Hata (Biffa Productions 2019). Melissa has recently signed with a US based manager and agency and will continue her work in Los Angeles in 2019.Melissa is a talented violinist and can also play the piano. She started off as in musical theatre and is a strong singer and dancer. Her favourite sports include tennis and skiing. And she is also the author of the best-selling children's book series 'Lissys' World.' The series is set to be turned into a children's T.V. show for a well-known American Network. Show less «