Alexandra Breckenridge has become a household name for playing Melinda Monroe, the heroine of Netflix’s smash-hit romantic drama series, Virgin River. Premiering in 2019, Virgin River kicks off with midwife Melinda moving away from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles to the titular small Northern California town. There, Melinda falls in love, deals with the guilt of her husband’s death, and butts heads with an arrogant doctor. Having aired six seasons, Virgin River has been renewed for season 7, with fans eager to find out what’s next in store for Melinda and her new husband, Jack Sheridan.

Prior to Virgin River, Breckenridge has had a steady and varied acting career for over 20 years. Those seeing the show for the first time might be curious as to why the character of Melinda Monroe looks so familiar, and it’s probably because of one of her many previous roles in popular movies and TV shows.

Katerina Pelham (True Blood)

Katerina Is Bill’s Security Agent

Before she starred in Virgin River, Alexandra Breckenridge had a recurring role in the HBO supernatural series, True Blood. Her character, Katerina Pelham, appeared in four episodes in the show’s fourth season. When a new coven of witches led by Marnie Stonebrook comes to Bon Temps, Bill (now the vampire king of Louisiana) sends his security agent Katerina undercover to see if the coven poses a threat to vampires.

After discovering that Marnie practices necromancy, Katerina has her imprisoned at Bill’s vampire compound. Not long after, Marnie’s spirit familiar possesses her body and uses mind control to force Luis Patiño to murder Katerina in revenge.

Young Moira O’Hara/Kaylee Rowe (American Horror Story)

Breckenridge Appeared In Both Murder House & Coven

Once again taking on a role with paranormal aspects, Alexandra Breckenridge appeared in American Horror Story: Murder House as Young Moira O’Hara. Moira was a housekeeper who worked for the Langdon family, until she was shot and killed by the wife, Constance. Years later, Moira’s ghost haunts the house in the visage of an older woman (Frances Conroy) — for most people, anyway. To straight men with large sexual appetites, Moira presents as a young and seductive woman. She tries several times to seduce Ben Harmon, but after rejecting her the final time, he finally sees her true self.

Though not among American Horror Story‘s most recurring actors, Breckenridge also had a two-episode run in American Horror Story: Coven, playing a witch with fire abilities named Kaylee Rowe. Kaylee is haunted by a troubled past and an inability to control her powers. Cordelia Foxx fails to convince her to join Miss Robichaux’s Academy, and it turns out that Kaylee is having an affair with Cordelia’s husband, Hank. Kaylee meets her end when Hank kills her, revealing himself to be a witch hunter.

Jessie Anderson (The Walking Dead)

Jessie Forms A Special Bond With Rick But Has A Tragic Ending

Breckenridge played an important role in seasons 5 and 6 of The Walking Dead as Jessie Anderson, one of the residents of Alexandria. Jessie is a kind-hearted person who lives with her husband Pete and their sons, Ron and Sam. When Rick and his group join the community, he and Jessie quickly form a bond. Rick later discovers that Jessie and her sons are being abused by Pete, and eventually, Rick kills him, which Jessie is at peace with.

Although it is hinted that Jessie and Rick have romantic feelings for each other, any chance of a relationship was cut short with Jessie’s tragic death in The Walking Dead season 6. After witnessing her son, Sam, being killed by walkers, Jessie is so overcome with grief that Rick is forced to cut off her arm so that she will let go of Carl, who is trying to pull her to safety. Jessie willingly allows herself to be torn apart by the walkers, leaving behind her son, Ron.

Claire (Christmas Around The Corner)

A Big-City Businesswoman Who Finds Love In A Small Town

In a departure from her previous darker roles, Alexandra Breckenridge starred in the Lifetime network’s Christmas romance movie, Christmas Around the Corner. Breckenridge plays Claire, a New York City venture capitalist who travels to a remote town in Vermont for the holidays. There she meets Andrew, the handsome owner of a quaint little bookstore. When Claire offers to help Andrew make a few changes to his business, he isn’t thrilled, but the two eventually end up falling for each other.

Christmas Around the Corner follows a formula that most fans of the genre will expect and embrace, including how the spirit of a small town can help one appreciate the little things in life. Still, it’s refreshing to see Breckenridge in a role that ends with her character getting a “happily ever after” for once, at least compared to her previous roles.

Sophie Larson (This Is Us)

One Of Kevin’s Major Love Interests

One of her most famous acting gigs before Virgin River was Breckenridge’s recurring role as Sophie Larson in the TV drama, This Is Us. Being a This Is Us side character with main character energy, Sophie is an independent woman who can hold her own against life’s trials. At a young age, she was once the love of Kevin Pearson’s life. The two married when they were just teenagers, but divorced a few years later when Kevin cheated on her.

12 years after their relationship ended, Kevin found Sophie and declared that he still had feelings for her. The two dated for a little while, but ended up parting ways once again. Sophie later gets engaged to someone new, and she and Kevin find closure at the funeral of her mother.

Alexandra Breckenridge’s Other Roles

Breckenridge Kicked Off Her Career With One-Episode Guest Appearances On Popular TV Shows

Alexandra Breckenridge’s career began in the early 2000s, when she took on a lot of small roles in TV and movies. Sometimes credited as Alex Breckenridge, she had single guest roles in several TV shows, such as Dawson’s Creek, Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Medium, and Law and Order: SVU. One of her first recurring roles was on the short-lived series Save Me, where she played Carly McKenna, the daughter of Anne Heche’s character, Beth. The show was canceled after just seven episodes in 2013.

Breckenridge has also appeared in a number of films, one of her first being an uncredited role in the comedy Orange County. She also played Janie Shepherd in the Frankie Muniz comedy Big Fat Liar, and she had a bit part in She’s the Man as Monique. In the 2010s, she did indie films like Zipper, Other People’s Children, and the horror thriller, Dark. And while Breckenridge has proved her range in her myriad roles, by far her most beloved to date is Melinda Monroe in Virgin River.