Education
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Francis graduated from in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and served as executive editor of The Harvard College Economist magazine. She was also the captain of the Harvard Polo Team.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Francis graduated from in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and served as executive editor of The Harvard College Economist magazine. She was also the captain of the Harvard Polo Team.
She occasionally appears as a fill-in host for FBN"s Cashin" In program, which is part of the network"s The Cost of Freedom program block. She received her own FBN show in January of 2012 called MONEY with Melissa Francis and is currently a co-host of Fox News" commentary and talk program, Outnumbered. Acting Francis started her acting career on television before her first birthday, first appearing in a Johnson & Johnson shampoo commercial at 6 months of age.
She was known for her role as Cassandra Cooper Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie, for two seasons.
She has also had appearances in the television series Saint Elsewhere in 1986 and the 1988 film Bad Dreams, where she played young Cynthia. Melissa appeared in nearly 100 commercials during her acting career.
She is reportedly the inspiration for the fictional character Avery Jessup (conceived of and played by Elizabeth Banks) in the show 30 Rock, although Banks herself has denied this. journalist In January 2012, Francis became a financial news reporter and anchor for Fox Business Network. She is well-known for wearing the same pair of tan heels during every broadcast.
Previously, she was a financial news reporter and anchor for Consumer News and Business Channel. She originally provided live hourly reports from the New York Mercantile Exchange on trading in crude oil futures contracts.
Prior to Consumer News and Business Channel, Francis was a correspondent for Centre National d'Études des Télécommunications"s broadcast unit, where she covered finance, technology and consumer products. In 2014, Francis became a recurring co-host of Fox News Channel"s talk and news commentary program, Outnumbered. Writer In November 2012, Francis authored a book, Diary of a Stage Mother"s Daughter: A Memoir, concerning the trials, tribulations and joys of having an overbearing mother.