Melissa McIntyre

Like the character she played on the television series "Degrassi: The Next Generation," Melissa McIntyre has been gradually carving out an identity for herself as an actress. As an infant, she landed a small role in "Timesweep," a 1987 fantasy/horror movie about a haunted film studio that transports visitors to otherworldly scenarios. While she had the relatively unheralded part of a nest alien, it led to further acting opportunities in her native Canada throughout the '90s, including theatre, television shows, even a radio program. However, her big break came in "Degrassi: The Next Generation," a teen drama that continued the popular fictional universe started by '79's "The Kids of Degrassi Street." From 2001 to 2008, she played Ashley Kerwin, a popular high schooler who underwent numerous makeovers--including Goth and punk-rock looks--while dealing with sex and drugs and pursuing a music career. During this time, McIntyre also appeared in several made-for-TV "Degrassi" movies and lent her voice to the character Cornflower in the animated "Mattimeo: A Tale of Redwall." Once Nickelodeon picked up "Degrassi: The Next Generation" in 2002, she became a star in the U.S. as well as Canada.