Melissa Sagemiller
Melissa Sagemiller is an American television and film actress. She is known for her performances in films "Get Over It" (2001), "Soul Survivors" (2001), "Sorority Boys" (2002), "The Clearing" (2004), "The Guardian" (2006) and "Mr. Woodcock" (2007). Sagemiller also starred in television dramas "Sleeper Cell" (2005–06), and "Raising the Bar" (2008–09), and from 2010 to 2011 had the recurring role as A.D.A. Gillian Hardwicke in the "". Early life. Sagemiller was born June 1, 1974, in Washington, D.C., to Donna Sagemiller, a political activist mother who worked as a comptroller during Jimmy Carter's presidency, and Charlie Evans, a  professional American football player father, who played in the NFL for the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins. She attended Georgetown Day School. Her entry into the performing arts was at age 3 when she began studying tap dance, ballet, jazz dance and modern dance. She made her stage debut in "To Kill a Mockingbird" when she was 9 years old, and soon after she became a regular on her local stage. At 14, however, acting took a backseat to modeling after Sagemiller was scouted by Eileen Ford in a jewelry shop. She eventually left modeling to take an  undergraduate degree in Art History at the University of Virginia. Career. Shortly after graduation, she decided to return to acting full-time, and studied at the Stella Adler Conservatory, New York University's Stonestreet Studio and at Michael Howard Studios. Sagemiller was mentioned in "Movieline" magazine in August 2001. In November 2001, Sagemiller appeared in "Gear" magazine. In early career, she starred on number of teen films, like "Get Over It" and "Sorority Boys", and was lead actress in 2002 thriller "Soul Survivors". On television, Sagemiller portrayed the character Michelle Ernhardt in the TNT series "Raising the Bar" from 2008  to 2009. After that series was cancelled, Sagemiller joined "" in a recurring role as ADA Gillian Hardwicke. She replaced Paula Patton when Patton departed the series after just one episode. Sagemiller was featured in ten episodes of the 12th season of SVU. She was replaced in the 13th season by Stephanie March and Diane Neal. In 2013, she was cast as a lead on "Chicago Fire" spinoff "Chicago P.D.", but left during pre-production. Sagemiller is one of numerous actresses who have accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault and harassment. Personal life. Sagemiller became engaged in July 2006 to her  Sleeper Cell co-star Alex Nesic after he proposed to her in the South of France. The couple have two children.