Alexandra Hetherington Breckenridge is an American actress. She began her career with supporting roles in the teen comedy filmsBig Fat Liar and She's the Man. Breckenridge later played reporter Willa McPherson in the FX series Dirt and had a supporting role in the short-lived series The Ex List. She starred in the first season of FX's American Horror Story, ', as young Moira O'Hara, and played Kaylee in the third season, '. Breckenridge also played Jessie Anderson in the AMC series The Walking Dead and Sophie in the NBC series This Is Us. She is also the voice of various characters in the animated television seriesFamily Guy. Since 2019, Breckenridge has played lead character Melinda "Mel" Monroe in the Netflix series Virgin River.
In 2000, Breckenridge guest starred as Shelly Weaver in Freaks and Geeks. When she was 15, she met James Franco at an audition. She was surprised that Franco recognized her on the set of Freaks and Geeks. She also guest starred in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, ', Dawson's Creek, JAG, Medium, and Undeclared. Breckenridge also guest-starred as Francise in three episodes of Opposite Sex. In 2002, she appeared in the film Big Fat Liar, starring Frankie Muniz, as Jason Shepherd's older sister Janie. Breckenridge has had numerous voice roles in the animated television series Family Guy. During an interview with FHM, she stated: "When I first went for Family Guy, I auditioned for a guest voice. I don't know why, but Seth MacFarlane really likes the sound of my voice. I'll never understand that. He just liked me and they call me back all the time to do different things." Breckenridge often does celebrity impressions in the series, such as Sarah Jessica Parker and Renée Zellweger. She also had roles in MacFarlane's web seriesCavalcade of Cartoon Comedy. Breckenridge also guest starred in the episode "With Friends Like Steve's" of American Dad!, also created by MacFarlane. In 2006, Breckenridge starred as Monique in the film She's the Man. She has also appeared in a couple of series that have later been canceled, such as the FX drama series Dirt from 2007 to 2008, in which she played Willa McPherson, a young upstart writer. In 2009, Breckenridge co-starred in the independent filmThe Bridge to Nowhere, directed by Blair Underwood. In 2012, she had a role in the film Ticket Out. Breckenridge had a recurring role in season four of HBO's True Blood as Katerina Pelham and also in of FX's American Horror Story as young Moira O'Hara, the ghost of a maid trapped in the house in which she was employed. In addition, she returned for two episodes in season three of the series, ', as Kaylee, a young witch who excels in pyrokinesis. From 2015 to 2016, Breckenridge portrayed Jessie Anderson, a character from the comic book series of the same name, in season five and season six of the AMC post-apocalyptic horror series The Walking Dead. In 2015, she co-starred in the psychological thriller Dark from executive producer Joe Dante and director Nick Basile. In 2017, Breckenridge appeared in the recurring role of Sophie, Kate's childhood friend and Kevin's ex-wife, in the first season of the NBC drama series This Is Us. She was promoted to a series regular for the second season, and appeared in one episode in the third season and two episodes in the fourth season. Since 2019, Breckenridge has played lead character Melinda "Mel" Monroe in the Netflix series Virgin River.
Personal life
In September 2015, Breckenridge married guitarist Casey Hooper. In September 2016, she gave birth to the couple's first child, a son. In August 2017, she announced that they were expecting their second child; their daughter was born in December 2017. Breckenridge has several tattoos, which get covered by make-up for her on-screen projects, but not during photoshoots. She has said about them: "We cover them up. Some make-up artists are better than others, but there's airbrushing, and there's a sort of latex waterproof paint, body paint obviously."
