Josie Bissett is recognized internationally for her role as the popular Jane Mancini in "Melrose Place," which ended its successful seven-year run in May 1999. To date, she has graced more than 40 magazine covers, including such publications as "TV Guide," "Rolling Stone," "Entertainment Weekly," "Shape's Fit Pregnancy," and "New Woman." Bissett was recently seen as Kathleen Bowman in ABC Family's breakout hit drama "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," created and executive produced by Brenda Hampton.
Bissett, a Seattle native, began her career at the age of 12 as a model in print advertisements and television commercials. She left home at 16 to further her career in Japan and the following year headed to Hollywood. She soon landed the role of Cara on "The Hogan Family," where she spent two seasons. Within two years of her arrival in Los Angeles, Bissett was cast on "Melrose Place" and quickly became one of television's most recognizable actors. In recent years, she has had the opportunity to explore many diverse and interesting characters in such projects as the ABC movies "The Fire Above" and "Dare to Love," the Fox telefilm "Deadly Vows," the USA Network's telefilm "Baby Monitor: Sound of Fear," the ABC Family telefilm "I Do, They Don't," as well as Lifetime's "Obituary" and "The Other Woman," based on the best-selling novel by Joy Fielding and directed by Jason Priestley. In 2009, she reprised the role of Jane Mancini, now Jane Andrews, in two episodes of the new "Melrose Place," which aired on Fox in 2009-2010.
Bissett has hosted numerous shows including "Parenting & Beyond" and the PBS educational special, "Teach More, Love More," which follows four families, each with a child in one of the four critical stages of early childhood development: newborn, infancy, toddlerhood, and preschool.
Bissett made her feature film debut in Oliver Stone's "The Doors," in which she played the wife of Doors' guitarist Robbie Krieger. Other film credits include the coming-of-age comedy "Book of Love" and the psychological thriller "Mikey."
In addition to her acting career, Bissett is also the published author of a number of books. Her first, "Little Bits of Wisdom," inspired by the birth of her first child in 2001 and now in its third printing, is a collection of parenting wisdom and child-rearing "tricks of the trade" gathered from more than 1,000 parents and grandparents throughout the world. In 2003, she completed a second book, "Making Memories," which featured more than 200 ways for parents to create rich family memories with their children. She has also written the children's books "Tickle Monster" and "Boogie Monster," which were written to encourage families to spend quality time together. The Mom's Choice Awards (MCA) named both interactive books among the best in family friendly products in 2009 and 2011, respectively. MCA named Bissett the 2008 "Celebrity Mom of the Year." Additionally, 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's Resurgence Regimen.
Bissett resides in Seattle with her son Mason and daughter Maya.
