Melyssa Ford

Melyssa Ford
Born	November 7, 1976 (1976-11-07) (age 35) Toronto, Ontario
Other names	Jessica Rabbit
Height	5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)[1]
Hair color	Brown
Eye color	Light Brown
Measurements	34D-20-38[2]

Melyssa Savannah Ford (born November 7, 1976) is a Canadian model and actress.^[3] She attended York University and studied in the field of forensic psychology.^[4] Ford's father is Afro-Barbadian and her mother is Russian and Norwegian. She is often referred to as Jessica Rabbit, after the character from the animated film Who Framed Roger Rabbit whose voluptuous figure Ford's is said to resemble.^[1][5]

Entertainment career

In the late 1990s, music video director Little X discovered Ford while she was working as a bartender at a Toronto nightclub and helped launch her music video career.^[6] She has appeared in music videos, men's magazines, television programs and films.^[1] Ford was an on-air personality for Sirius Satellite Radio's Hot Jamz channel.^[7] She sells a line of calendars and DVD.^[8]

In a 2008 CNN interview, Ford said that when making music videos she often asked herself whether she was "perpetuating a negative stereotype" about black women. When she was asked whether music videos, overall, are "demeaning to women", Ford replied, "Yes, I definitely have to say that."^[4]

Selected music videos

1997

• "The Thing to Do" (Glenn Lewis)

1998

• "Northern Touch" (Rascalz featuring Checkmate, Kardinal Offishall, Thrust and Choclair)
• "Bout Your Love" (Glenn Lewis)
• "Anywhere" (112 featuring Lil' Zane)

1999

• "Let's Ride" (Choclair)

2000

• "Big Pimpin'" (Jay-Z featuring UGK)
• "Cherchez LaGhost" (Ghostface Killah featuring U-God)
• "Shake Ya Ass" (Mystikal)
• "Thong Song Remix" (Sisqó)

2001

• "Knock Yourself Out" (Jadakiss)

2003

• "You Don't Know My Name" (Alicia Keys)

2004

• "Happy People" (R. Kelly)
• "Yeah!" (Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris)

Selected magazine appearances

• King
• Maxim
• Smooth [Ford was the author of an advice column for Smooth]
• XXL and XXL Eye Candy

Selected television appearances

• 2000: Soul Food (Showtime)
• 2003: Playmakers (ESPN)
• 2004: How I'm Livin' (BET) [Ford was a host of How I'm Livin']
• 2004–2006: BET Style (BET) [Ford was a host of BET Style]
• 2007: Entourage (HBO)
• 2007: The Game (The CW)
• 2008: Byte Me: 20 Hottest Women of the Web (E!)
• 2008: The Black Poker Stars Invitational (BET)

Selected filmography

• 2000: Turn It Up
• 2004: Psyche
• 2007: God's Prayer
• 2008: Three Can Play That Game
• 2008: Days of Wrath
• 2008: Love For Sale
• 2009: Good Hair
• 2011: Video Girl

Video game appearance

• 2007: Def Jam Icon

See also

• Hip hop models

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Century, Douglas (May 2, 2004). "How to Succeed in Videos Without Really Dancing". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/02/fashion/02VIDE.html. Retrieved February 4, 2009. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ Ford, Melyssa (2005). "Calendar Girl". In Byrd, Ayana D.; Solomon, Akiba. Naked: Black Women Bare All about Their Skin, Hair, Hips, Lips, and Other Parts. Perigee. p. 221. ISBN 0-399-53163-7. 
3. ^ Internet Movie Database
4. ^ ^{a b} "Black in America: Video Vixens Too Revealing?". CNN. July 24, 2008. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0807/24/ltm.02.html. Retrieved January 25, 2009. 
5. ^ Ogunnaike, Lola (August 31, 2004). "New Magazines for Black Men Proudly Redefine the Pinup". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9404E5DD1731F932A0575BC0A9629C8B63. Retrieved December 22, 2008. 
6. ^ "Melyssa Ford". Vibe. September 2008. http://www.vibe.com/celebs/vixens/feature.html?id=211. Retrieved January 25, 2009. ^{[dead link]}
7. ^ "Hot Jamz". Sirius Satellite Radio. Archived from the original on October 14, 2008. http://google.com/search?q=cache:Zr7vSfT_cIwJ:www.sirius.com/servlet/ContentServer%3Fpagename%3DSirius/CachedPage%26c%3DChannel%26cid%3D1104779639899%26flash%3Dnoflash. Retrieved January 25, 2009. "Hot Jamz is about to get a lot hotter: Melyssa Ford has joined our squad!" 
8. ^ Ford. "Calendar Girl". Naked. pp. 219–220. 

External links

• Melyssa Ford Online Official website
• Melyssa Ford at the Internet Movie Database
• Black in America: Video Vixens Too Revealing?, CNN, July 24, 2008 (Video interview)

Persondata
Name	Ford, Melyssa
Alternative names
Short description	Canadian-American hip-hop model, actress, and television personality
Date of birth	November 7, 1976
Place of birth	Toronto, Canada
Date of death
Place of death