Lisa Ann Walter

An energetic comedienne and actress who has opened for The Band on the concert stage and starred in the short-lived Fox series "My Wildest Dreams" (1995), Lisa Ann Walter scored as Claudine, Whoopi Goldberg's best friend in the feature film "Eddie" (1995). She began her career at age six, and in the 90s was appearing Off-Broadway as Brandy in the South Street Theatre's production of "Battery." Walter began performing on the stand-up stage, where her act was termed "boisterous" by critics. She was the opening act for The Band on their "Jericho" tour. Fox signed her in 1995 expecting series success, but her vehicle, "My Wildest Dreams" (1995), in which Walter was a career woman trying to balance the elements of her life did not click. In 1996, she co-created and starred in the short-lived ABC sitcom "Life's Work," in which she was an assistant US attorney in Baltimore balancing home and work. She went on to be cast in "The Test" (FX, 2001-02), the films "War of the Worlds" (2005), "Dependent's Day" (2016) and "Remember Amnesia" (2019). More recently, she plays Melissa Schemmenti in the award-winning series "Abbott Elementary" (ABC, 2021-).