Virgin River star Alexandra Breckenridge: other roles of Mel Monroe actress - who is her famous husband?

Netflix romantic drama series, Virgin River, starring Alexandra Breckenridge, Martin Henderson, and Tim Matheson will return for a hotly anticipated fifth season tomorrow (Thursday 5 September). 

The Netflix original series has proved incredibly popular since the first season aired on the streaming platform in 2019.

Virgin River has made stars of its main cast, as for many it marks the biggest show of their careers so far, with tens of millions watching each season within weeks of its release.

To learn more about male lead Martin Henderson check out out profile on the lead actor, but for everything you need to know about the series star Alexandra Breckenridge, read on:

Who is Alexandra Breckenridge?

Alexandra Breckenridge is a 41 year old American actress from Connecticut who is best known for her role on Netflix romantic drama series Virgin River, though she has plenty of other prestige shows under her belt. 

Breckenridge began acting as a teenager, moving to LA to pursue her career, and in 2000 she got her first mainstream screen role as Shelly Weaver, a supporting character in one episode of teen comedy series Freaks and Geeks.

She later gained more prominent supporting roles in shows including Life Unexpected and True Blood, and provided additional voices in more than 60 episodes of animated comedy series Family Guy.

She starred in the first season of American Horror Story and appeared as a different character in one episode of season three. In the last decade she has had bigger roles, playing Jessie Anderson in season five and six of The Walking Dead, and Sophie Larson on comedy drama series This Is Us.

Breckenridge also starred in several TV movies including the romantic comedies Christmas Around the Corner, and Love in Store.

She is due to star alongside Danny Masterson in thriller In Limbo, about a man who loses his wife to suicide and must help her escape purgatory. Breckenridge will play the deceased wife, Amy in the project which is currently in production.

Who does Alexandra Breckenridge play on Virgin River?

Breckenridge plays Melinda Monroe in Virgin River - Monroe is a nurse practitioner and midwife who is overwhelmed by her busy life in LA and decides to move to the idyllic northern California town of Virgin River. The first season of the show follows her transition from city living to rural life.

Mel doesn’t find the move as easy as she had hoped and realises that escaping her past torments is not as simple as a house move. 

But, whilst living in Virgin River, Mel meets and soon falls in love with Jack Sheridan, played by Martin Henderson, a former US Marine and the owner of a bar.

At the current point in the Netflix series, which is based on the Virgin River books by author Robyn Carr, Mel is engaged to Jack and pregnant with their child.

Is Alexandra Breckenridge married?

Yes, Breckenridge is married to guitarist Casey Hooper, whom she met at a Grammys after party years before she secured her leading role in Virgin River.

Hooper is a successful musician - he is Katy Perry’s lead guitarist, having shared a stage with her at many of her gigs, and is also a member of the band SurfMaster. 

After dating for a while, the pair got married at a ceremony held in Dunton Springs, Colorado, in September 2015 - their eighth wedding anniversary is next week  (13 September).

What is Alexandra Breckenridge’s net worth?

An exact net worth for the Virgin River star has not been confirmed, but various estimates have suggested that Breckenridge is worth around $2 million.

The salaries of Virgin River cast members have not been made public but Netflix is believed to spend about $3 million per episode, compared to around $7 million per episode for the first season of The Crown.

Claire Foy is believed to have been paid $40,000 per episode of The Crown, in which she starred as a young Queen Elizabeth II. Due to The Crown’s higher budget, it is likely that Breckenridge makes around half this amount, or $20,000 per episode of Virgin River.