Who's The Boss, Melrose Place, Teen Steam. It doesn't matter what Alyssa Milano has appeared in—she's always been adored. Now heading up The WB's witchy trio on Charmed, the actress proves her popularity hasn't diminished even one little ounce. It's not surprising, though, she's always been an always girl...

ALWAYS WORKING
"I think the script must have already been written at that point," says Alyssa about her first acting gig. "I really don't know how else to explain it." You see, Alyssa didn't go to her first big audition expecting to audition. Her babysitter took her along to an open call for the Broadway show Annie. Lo' and behold, she was one of four kids singled out and a career was born—at the age of seven.
     After that, it was just a short jump to her role as Samantha on Who's The Boss, a part that would allow America to watch Alyssa mature from a child to a young woman. "It's not easy growing up in the business, and I think the only reason I'm still alive is because I was able to go home each night," shares the Charmed star. "It was important to my mom that when I came home, there was a meal on the table. I could just walk through the door and be a totally normal daughter."
     Making the transition from child actor to adult actor was "exhausting" says Alyssa, yet she somehow managed. Appearing in films like Embrace of the Vampire, Poison Ivy II: Lily and Fear helped the world realize Alyssa had grown up and was ready for grown-up roles. One person who took notice? Mr. Aaron Spelling, who cast Alyssa as the feisty Jennifer Mancini on Melrose Place, then later cast the star in Charmed. "We were looking for someone with sparkle," said Spelling, after offering his former employee the role. "Alyssa was the perfect choice."

ALWAYS LOVING
With her career always in motion, Alyssa has also kept her personal life on the move as well. As a teenager, she dated such teen pin-up hunks as Kirk Cameron. Her first serious romance began in 1993, when she met actor Scott Wolf (of Party of Five fame) on the set of the film Double Dragon. Their two-year relationship ended with a broken engagement. It was, in Alyssa's words, "an awful heartbreak."
     An even bigger heartbreak, though, was the divorce from her husband, singer Cinjun Tate. Married on New Year's Day in 1999, the union lasted just 11 months before both parties decided it just wasn't working. "I guess I didn't think it through properly—it should have grown into a friendship and remained that, period," she says. But Alyssa doesn't have any regrets over her short stint as a wife. "I learned so much from him about love and about myself. Just because it ended doesn't mean that it wasn't beautiful."
     On the single scene again, Alyssa is definitely looking for a future that includes a husband and children. "I want kids desperately. I have a bit of a nesting complex. I need to take care of a lot of things," she confesses.
     No matter what those "things" are that eventually pop up in her life, we're sure this bright star will come through shining. Just like she always does.