It may have taken a little longer for her than some actresses to land a starring role, but the acclaimed Bellamy Young has more than made up for it. She is best known for her role as Mellie Grant, the politically ambitious First Lady who becomes President in the Shonda Rhimes political thriller “Scandal,” which aired on ABC from 2012-2018.
The role garnered her plenty of accolades, including a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Entertainment Weekly’s 25 Best Characters on TV, NY Post’s Top 10 TV Actors, and a TV Guide Magazine Fan Favorite Award.
Young was born in 1970 as Amy Maria Young in Asheville, North Carolina. When joining the Screen Actors Guild, she changed her name to Bellamy since there was already an Amy Young registered. This was a nod to her late father's best friend, Bill, who helped to raise her after her father died. Young initially studied Physics at Yale University, but ultimately found her passion in English and theatre.
After graduating from Yale in 1991, Young spent a summer at the British American Drama Academy, where she began her acting career on stage. During the mid-1990s, she appeared in several on- and off-Broadway productions, including the original production of “The Life,” Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Merrily We Roll Along,” and Randy Newman’s “Faust.”
Young made her television debut in 1995 in a recurring role on the NBC daytime soap opera “Another World” as Dr. Courtney Evans. From 2000 to 2011, Young made over 30 guest appearances on television shows across many genres, including “Supernatural,” “The Drew Carey Show,” “The X Files,” “ER,” “Frasier,” and “The West Wing.”
After her run on “Scandal” ended in 2018, Young starred in the FOX drama “Prodigal Son,” which was the highest-rated new show on any network in the fall of 2019. Most recently, she had a starring role in the ABC family drama “Promised Land.”
Young is also a dedicated philanthropist and is the honorary chair for the domestic violence nonprofit Helpmate, which has helped raise funds for victims of domestic violence. As an animal rights activist, she served as a national spokesperson for the Humane Society’s campaign The Shelter Pet Project, and raised money for Operation Blankets of Love, which provides comfort items to animal shelters.