Josie Bissett Biography

Jolyn Christine Heutmaker (born October 5, 1970), known professionally as Josie Bissett, is an American actress best known for her role as Jane Mancini on the television series Melrose Place.

Early life

A native of Seattle, Washington, Bissett began her career in front of the camera at the age of 12 as a model in print advertisements and television commercials.

Career

At age 16, she left home and moved to Japan to further her career. At age 17, she headed to Hollywood, California.

In early 1990, Bissett played a recurring role on the sitcom The Hogan Family for two seasons. In 1992, she was cast as fashion designer Jane Andrews-Mancini on the prime time soap opera Melrose Place. Bissett remained with the series for five and a half seasons until halfway through the 1996-97 season when she suffered a real-life miscarriage. She then took some time off from the series, but returned to the show in 1998 for its final season. In 2009-10, Bissett made guest appearances in two episodes of The CW's updated version of Melrose Place, reprising her role as Jane Andrews-Mancini.

She has made appearances in such projects as the telefilms The Fire Above and Dare to Love on ABC, Deadly Vows on FOX, Baby Monitor: Sound of Fear on USA, and I Do, They Don't on ABC Family. She has also made numerous guest-starring appearances, such as a 2003 appearance on NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In 2008, she began a recurring role on the ABC Family TV series The Secret Life of the American Teenager. She starred in the Lifetime Television original film The Other Woman, based on the novel by Joy Fielding and directed by Jason Priestley. It debuted on June 28, 2008.

Bissett's feature film debut was in 1991, in Oliver Stone's The Doors, as the girlfriend of Doors' guitarist Robby Krieger. Her subsequent films include the coming-of-age comedy Book of Love and the psychological thriller Mikey.

Bissett has hosted television series on the topic of parenting, including Parenting & Beyond, which offered parents creative solutions to everyday problems. She also hosted the PBS educational special Teach More, Love More which follows four families, each with a child in a stage of early childhood development.

She has appeared on several magazine covers, including TV Guide, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Shape's Fit Pregnancy and New Woman.

Bissett has been the face of several national commercial campaigns, including Neutrogena's skin care line, Dr. Scholl's Pedicure Essentials, and Murad Skin Care.

She has also been the spokesperson of the 1997 Lee National Denim Day with the Lee Company, a VF Company, A leader in quality apparel. This was to help raise money for the fight against breast cancer and for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

She has co-edited two books, Little Bits Of Wisdom and Making Memories, which compile parenting stories and advice from parents around the world. She also authored a children's book, Tickle Monster, released in April 2008.

Personal life

Bissett and actor Rob Estes (who also starred on Melrose Place) were married in 1992, and divorced in 2006. Bissett suffered a miscarriage in 1996, but the couple later had two children together "? Mason Tru (born 21 July 1999) and Maya Rose (born 14 April 2002). Bissett resides in Seattle.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1989	Hitcher In The Dark	Daniela Foster	also known as Paura nel buio
1990	Desire	Jessica Harrison	as Josie Bisset
1990	Book of Love	Sophie Armstrong
1991	The Doors	Casey Scott
1991	All-American Murder	Tally Fuller	Straight-to-video
1992	Halfway House	Debbera "Debbie" Sutherland
1992	Mikey	Jesse Owens

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1990	Doogie Howser	Crista Benson	Episode: "Attack of the Green-Eyed Monster"
1990	Quantum Leap	Becky	Episode: "Rebel Without a Clue - September 1, 1958"
1990-91	The Hogan Family	Cara	Recurring role (seasons 5-6), 16 episodes
1991	Parker Lewis Can't Lose	Sarah	Episode: "Teens from a Mall"
1991	Posing: Inspired by Three Real Stories	Claire	Television movie; also known as I Posed for Playboy
1992	P.S. I Luv U	Dianne Peters/Lisa	Episode: "The Chameleon"
1992	Secrets	Gabby Smith	Television movie
1992	Burke's Law	Connie O'Neal	Episode: "Who Killed the Fashion King?"
1992-97, 1998-99	Melrose Place	Jane Andrews-Mancini	Main role (season 1-5, 7), 172 episodes
1994	Deadly Vows	Bobby Gilbert Weston	Television movie
1995	Dare to Love	Jessica Wells	Television movie
1998	Baby Monitor: Sound of Fear	Ann Lenz	Television movie
1999	The Sky's On Fire	Jennifer Thorne	Television movie
2003	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Jennifer Fulton	Episode: "Choice"
2005	I Do, They Don't	Carrie Lewalyon	Television movie
2006	Obituary	Denise Wilcox	Television movie
2008	Joy Fielding's The Other Woman	Jill Plumley	Television movie
2008-13	The Secret Life of the American Teenager	Kathleen Bowman	Main role, 90 episodes
2009-10	Melrose Place	Jane Andrews	Episodes: "Vine ", "Santa Fe"
2013	Christmas with Tucker	Jill	Television movie
2014	Paper Angels	Lynn Brandt	Television movie
2015	A Mother's Instinct	Nora Betnner	Television movie
2016	Pregnant at 17	Sonia Clifton	Television movie
2016	The Wedding March	Olivia	Television movie
2017	The Wedding March	Olivia	Television movie