Actress Melora Hardin: Queen of the TV Screen

With grace, poise and an Emmy nomination, actress Melora Hardin stepped onto the FINE Magazine fashion photo shoot set brimming with confidence. The actress has spent the last few decades basking in the spotlight, working hard to earn a number of reoccurring and guest-starring roles in prominent TV shows. With a hefty resume and an award-winning smile, Hardin dominated our gala-themed photoshoot without breaking a sweat—but after playing everything from an amused, fast-talking therapist to a former flame for a leading lady, turning out stunning photos is an easy feat.

The daughter of actor Jerry Hardin—best known for his role as Deep Throat on The X-Files—acting is in Melora Hardin’s blood, and it’s always been on her mind. "When I was six years old I accompanied my dad to his commercial agents," explains Melora, describing how she fell in love with the trade. "I pestered my parents until they finally decided to let me go on ten auditions and had a plan that if I didn’t get anything, they’d ease me out of the business. But I got the first audition I went out on, and I was hooked!" 

Her passion for the industry shows; to date, Hardin has appeared in over 70 movies and television series, including NCIS, Friends, 27 Dresses, Gilmore Girls, Scandal and Falling Skies. With a wide array of guest roles under her belt, it’s perhaps difficult to differentiate between some of her past performances, but a few have stuck out in Hardin’s mind. "When I was a little girl I was pretty excited to be on The Love Boat because it was one of my favorite shows as a kid," Hardin explains. "I also loved doing two episodes of Little House on the Prairie because I had a huge crush on Matthew Labyorteaux (Albert Ingalls on the show), who became one of my very best friends—and still is to this day."

While Melora Hardin is most recognizable as the versatile actress who has been in almost every modern television show, her reoccurring and series regular work is just as extensive. From her first leading role as Cindy Prescott in 1977’s Thunder to her 45 episode run as Vice President of Northeast Sales Jan Levinson on The Office, Hardin’s no stranger to developing thoughtful, well-rounded characters. Her current project is playing Tammy Cashman on Transparent, which recently released its third season all at once on Amazon Prime’s streaming service. 

Amazon’s Transparent revolves around the Pfefferman clan as their patriarch reveals he has always identified as a woman. Playing a former lover (and eventual love interest) of eldest child and married woman Sarah Pfefferman, the role of Tammy Cashman garnered Hardin her first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. While the award wound up in the hands of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, the character Tammy has become a critical darling and granted Hardin some much-deserved recognition. "Tammy is such a rich role and unlike any character I’ve seen on TV," Hardin says. "It was just wonderful to feel that my peers and Academy voters felt that Tammy resonated enough with the audience that my portrayal of her should be recognized."

Transparent itself is no stranger to Emmy recognition; to date, the Amazon show has received twenty-one nominations and eight wins over the last two years. The show is quickly becoming a cultural touchstone, something iconic that will live on in people’s hearts for years after the series ends. It’s the progressive nature of Transparent, Hardin believes, that has endeared the show to viewers so quickly. "The greatest thing about being a part of Transparent is the good it’s doing in the world," Hardin says. "To open people’s minds and hearts with love and laughter to a part of society that has been other-ized for so long is really significant. Transgender people are just people getting through life the best that they can, like all of us."

Indeed, part of what makes Transparent so enthralling to watch is that the Pfefferman family is relatable—they undergo trials and tribulations of the heart and mind just like everyone else. From an unhappy marriage to employment struggles, Transparent runs the gamut of everyday situations with one culturally relevant exception—and while some might call the heavy focus on a transgender character a gimmick or an oddity, upon viewing the series, it’s apparent that relying on a gimmick is the exact opposite of what Transparent is doing. "The show is really about a family, and the father just happens to be transgender," illustrates Hardin. "[It’s] an amazing door into normalizing transgender people while exploring family dynamics." 

Apart from being A+ entertainment—filled with comedy, drama and heartbreaking moments—Transparent is having a real-world impact and broadening the conversation surrounding LGBT rights. Popular and available media like the Amazon hit is actively changing opinions daily—and Hardin is thrilled to be a part of it all. "To be on a show that is opening up and engaging in a larger conversation about the need to de-stereotype transgender people and include them in creative expression more honestly," Hardin says, "as well as helping to dissolve prejudice and misunderstandings that [lead] to far too many murders and suicides in the transgender community is incredible!" Few shows can boast such a positive cultural impact after only three seasons, but the Amazon series is breaking ground.

But then, Amazon has always been considered a groundbreaking media provider; along with Netflix, Amazon Prime was one of the first streaming services to develop original content and release it all at once, with every episode available on the same day. While binging TV is now many people’s preferred method of consuming media, for an actress like Melora Hardin, it changes the way a TV show is written and performed. "The through-line of a show is even more important now than ever before," explains Hardin. "When you know that your audience is watching two or three episodes at a time, you don’t have to keep reminding them of the details that have just occurred and can delve deeper into the characters and the narrative." The result? Stronger stories told at a faster pace designed to keep an audience hooked and entertained for hours on end.

And entertaining is what Melora Hardin does best. Whether she’s gracing the small screen in a myriad of television roles or dazzling as a singer and songwriter, Hardin’s charisma and dedication to her craft always shines through. Impassioned with acting from a young age, perseverance and hard work has landed Hardin numerous roles and opportunities, including ISSUES, an upcoming pilot with Freeform inspired by the life of Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief Joanna Coles. Earning new parts left and right, Melora Hardin continues to dominate and turn heads, the true queen of the television screen.

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