Birth Name ... Ashley Welkos
other names...Ashley Ward,
Her stage name is Maitland Ward. Was told to change her name when she started her acting career because "Ashley" was too commonplace.
Height..
5' 11"
She was up for the lead in the WB show "Zoe, Duncan, Jack, and Jane" which, because it's produced by Disney & Touchstone, lead to a holding contract with Disney and eventually to "Boy Meets World."
Date Of Birth ... February 3rd, 1977
Place Of Birth ... Long Beach, California
Ward says of her role on Boy Meets World, "I feel I have a lot in common with Rachel," "For instance, Rachel is the new kid on the block in 'Boy Meets World' and in real life so am I -- I'm joining a show that's established, having been on the air for five years already. As far as the character herself," continued Ward, "I like her. She's fair and honest -- good qualities every friend and roommate should have."
"I think she senses it," says Ward about the obvious attraction of the characters. "They fall all over themselves to be nice to her, but she wants to keep it platonic because she just got out of a relationship."
Alas a real-life situation that many men can relate to unfolds on Friday nights. "On the other hand," continues Ward, "she's attracted to both of them because of their different personalities."
she was attracted to the character because "she's very intelligent and also likeable. She's sensitive and caring at the same time - she's a blend of everything. She's got a lot of good qualities that come through, and she's not a one-dimensional character."
Ward grew up in Long Beach on a steady diet of old movies seen at home. (Her favorite actor is Jimmy Stewart whose middle name was Maitland.) A student of the University of Southern California and California State University-Long Beach, Ward has taken three years of film classes and hopes to receive her degree when the series completes its run.
She is involved with her favorite charities, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the American Diabetes Association, enjoys working out and doing yoga.
Hobbies include traveling, collecting antiques and healthy gourmet cooking.
Maitland Ward comes to primetime, as so many stars before her, from the trenches of soap land. The latest addition to the popular TGIF sitcom "Boy Meets World" spent the years 1994-1996 on "Bold & The Beautiful," playing Jessica Forrester who was raped by a boyfriend who also tried to set her on fire.
Ward says being on a soap improved her technical acting skills. She landed the part on "Bold" when she was 17 and still in high school.
"I learned how to get lines down in 20 minutes - it was amazing," she says. Ward and "Bold" parted ways amicably because "There was really no place to go; they wanted me to have a recurring role,"
, Maitland didn't actually pursue a professional career until that time.
now she is the smart and sexy Rachel, or the 'Jack Tripper' of a TV trio.
"Will & Matt were fighting over which one of them is Janet and which is Chrissy," she says of the comparison to "Three's Company."
The outcome of this impasse? "They decided that Will would be Janet and Matt would be Chrissy. And Will's like 'Wait a minute I'm the dumb one' -- So I don't think we've decided. We're waiting for Mr. Furley and Larry."
With a soap under her belt, a co-starring role on a still-hot sitcom and an independent film on the festival circuit, Maitland Ward is truly a rising star.
After graduating from high school, Maitland attended Cal State University at Long Beach while continuing to focus on her acting.
Gamma Theta
California State University, Long Beach
Rachel McGuire on "Boy Meets World" and formerly Jessica Forrester on "The Bold and the Beautiful"
Gamma Theta Sorority sister:
Lauren Roman
Theta Zeta
University of Virginia
Laura Kirk English
on "All My Children" since 1995
Ward won Sixteenth Annual Youth in Film Awards
1993-1994
Maitland Ward - "The Bold and the Beautiful" CBS
Transcript:
Maitland Photo Album
Maitland's Bold & the Beautiful Photo Album
Maitland's Boy Meets World Photo Album
Maitland Credits
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