Melissa Francis

Melissa Francis
Born	Melissa Ann Francis (1972-12-12) 12 December 1972 Los Angeles, California
Other names	Missy Francis
Occupation	Television journalist, anchor, child actress
Years active	1973–present
Spouse(s)	Wray Thorn (1997–present)
Children	3

Melissa Ann Francis (born December 12, 1972) is a former child actress and current television journalist for the Fox Business Network and Fox News.  She occasionally appears as a fill-in host for FBN's Cashin' In program, which is part of the network's The Cost of Freedom program block. She received her own FBN show in January of 2012 called MONEY with Melissa Francis and is currently a co-host of Fox News' commentary and talk program, Outnumbered.

Education

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Francis graduated from Harvard University in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and served as executive editor of The Harvard College Economist magazine. She was also the captain of the Harvard Polo Team.

Career

Acting

Francis started her acting career on television before her first birthday, first appearing in a Johnson & Johnson shampoo commercial at 6 months of age. She was known for her role as Cassandra Cooper Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie, for two seasons. Other television appearances include two series regular roles: Morningstar/Eveningstar and Joe’s World, and three films including Man, Woman and Child, where she played Paula Beckwith. She has also had appearances in the television series St. Elsewhere in 1986 and the 1988 film Bad Dreams, where she played young Cynthia. Melissa appeared in nearly 100 commercials during her acting career. She is reportedly the inspiration for the fictional character Avery Jessup (conceived of and played by Elizabeth Banks) in the show 30 Rock, although Banks herself has denied this.

Television journalist

In January 2012, Francis became a financial news reporter and anchor for Fox Business Network. She is well-known for wearing the same pair of tan heels during every broadcast.

Previously, she was a financial news reporter and anchor for CNBC. She originally provided live hourly reports from the New York Mercantile Exchange on trading in crude oil futures contracts.

Prior to CNBC, Francis was a correspondent for CNET's broadcast unit, where she covered finance, technology and consumer products.

In 2014, Francis became a recurring co-host of Fox News Channel's talk and news commentary program, Outnumbered.

Writer

In November 2012, Francis authored a book, Diary of a Stage Mother's Daughter: A Memoir, concerning the trials, tribulations and joys of having an overbearing mother.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1979	Scavenger Hunt	Jennifer Motley
1983	Man, Woman and Child	Paula Beckwith
1988	Bad Dreams	Young Cynthia
2009	Race to Witch Mountain	TV reporter	Uncredited; reporting the events in television
2012	The Dictator	Local News Reporter

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1978	The Ghost of Flight 401	Kid	TV film
1979	Champions: A Love Story	Sally	TV film
1979	Son-Rise: A Miracle of Love	Thea	TV film
1979–80	Joe's World	Linda Wabash	Main role (11 episodes)
1980	Mork & Mindy	Little Mindy	Episode: "A Mommy for Mindy"
1980	When the Whistle Blows	Deenie	Episode: "Love Is a Four-Letter Word"
1981	Midnight Lace	Cathy, age 11	TV film
1981	A Gun in the House	Diana Cates	TV film
1981–82	Little House on the Prairie	Cassandra Cooper Ingalls	Main role (21 episodes)
1984	Something About Amelia	Beth Bennett	TV film
1985	Hotel	Jodi Abbott	Episode: "Rallying Cry"
1985	CBS Schoolbreak Special	Tina	Episode: "The War Between the Classes"
1986	St. Elsewhere	Cynthia	Episode: "Family Affair"
1986	Morningstar/Eveningstar	Sarah Bishop	Main role (7 episodes)
1988	A Year in the Life	Eunice	Episode: "Common Ground"
1989	ALF	Miss Williams	Episode: "Baby, Come Back"
1990	Hardball		Episode: "A Death in the Family"

External links

• Fox Business bio
• Melissa Francis at the Internet Movie Database