Melissa Joan Hart will always be best remembered as Sabrina Spellman on hit sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch. But with the Netflix series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina proving to be immensely popular, there has been renewed interest in its more family friendly predecessor. Though Hart has been quick to point out the contrast between her Sabrina and Netflix's incarnation, she has said that "I love the fact that the character lives on". Hart's Sabrina was characterized by her witty charm and sincere awkwardness, with many teens identifying with her trials and tribulations. She will forever occupy a special nostalgic place in the hearts of many '90s and early 2000s kids.
Since her role as Sabrina ended in 2003, Hart has flirted with many different career trajectories, having reinvented herself as a businesswoman, a television director, and even a political activist. Here's everything she's been up to since her most iconic role.
10 She Opened A Candy Store
Through her role as Sabrina, Hart amassed an impressive net worth of approximately $13 million. This financial stability led to her starting her own business, Sweet Harts Sweets candy store. The store launched in 2009 in Sherman Oaks, California, and former Sabrina co-star Soleil Moon Frye attended the launch to offer her support.
Unfortunately, things went sour for Sweet Harts in 2011 when a former employee sought legal action against Hart. Shana Kharineh has accused Hart of racially motivated wrongful termination, among many other serious allegations.
9 'Dancing With The Stars'
In 2009, Hart competed on Dancing with the Stars. Her dance partner was Mark Ballas, who is famed for his impeccable choreography skills.
She exhibited aptitude for the competition and was highly praised by the judges for her Charleston. However, the reception thereafter was mixed and she was eventually eliminated in week 6.
8 Dabbling With Horror Movies
Hart isn't the sort of actress we typically associate with horror movies, but she branched out into the genre with 2009's Nine Dead. It was produced by her mother, Paula, who also worked on Sabrina. The horror movie focuses on 9 strangers who are kidnapped and must try to solve the mystery of their abduction or else one person will be killed every 10 minutes. Unfortunately, it largely received negative reviews.
7 'Melissa & Joey'
In 2010, Hart once again found fame as the lead in a sitcom. For five years, she starred alongside Joey Lawrence in Melissa & Joey, in which she plays a politician, Mel, who hires Joey to be a male nanny ('manny') to her niece and nephew. The show proved to be popular with audiences and Hart was both charming and funny in the role.
6 'Robot Chicken'
Robot Chicken is a quirky adult-oriented show that relies on utilizing toys and puppets for comedic effect. We appreciate the fact that Hart can poke gentle fun at her long-time character Sabrina, which is just what she did when she guest starred on the series. In the episode "Executed by the State", Hart reprised her Sabrina role and also voiced Aunt Hilda, who were both humorously depicted through dolls. She voiced a far more malevolent version of Sabrina, a comical contrast to the overwhelming wholesomeness of the original character.
5 Activism
Following the devastating spate of school shooting across the US, Hart and fellow actress Julianne Moore joined the New York faction of activist group, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.
Hart marched with hundreds of others in the 2016 protest against lax gun laws. The organization was founded in 2012 in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school shooting.
4 'God's Not Dead 2'
A sequel to God's Not Dead, Hart appeared in 2016 Christian movie God's Not Dead 2. She plays Grace, a deeply religious history teacher, who faces legal action when a student files a complaint after Grace incorporates her Christian faith into her lessons. The movie received overwhelmingly negative reviews, with critics arguing that its depiction of Christian persecution was unrealistic.
3 She Joined Gary Johnson's Presidential Campaign
Having already played a politician in Melissa & Joey, Hart joined Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson in his bid for the presidency in 2016. She took up the role of Connecticut chairwoman and praised Johnson highly: "I want to break away from this two-party system and I think it's important for people to know that there's another candidate out there who really toes the line between Democrat and Republican", she told People.
2 Venturing Into Directing
These days, Hart is much more interested in working behind the camera than in front of it. She has directed episodes of numerous TV shows, including Young Sheldon, The Goldbergs, and The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia. Clearly, Hart is adept as a director and we hope that she continues down this path.
1 'The Casagrandes'
Hart can now be heard among the voice actors of Nickelodeon animated comedy, The Casagrandes. She plays Becca Chang, a quirky zoologist. The show is a spinoff of another Nickelodeon series, The Loud House, in which she also voiced the character. As Hart is the mother of 3 young children, venturing into kids' cartoons is a welcome career move, as she can share and enjoy her work with her family.