Melora Hardin, best known for her role as Jan Levinson on the hit NBC series “The Office,” will sing the National Anthem prior to the running of the “AAA 400” NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Oct. 2 at Dover International Speedway.
Hardin’s impressive career spans a variety of mediums, including numerous television series, films, live concerts and music albums. In 2009, she starred in two high-profile feature films — “17 Again” opposite Zac Efron and “Hannah Montana: The Movie,” both of which debuted at No. 1 at the box office on back-to-back weekends. Her other big screen credits include “Thank You for Smoking,” “27 Dresses,” “The Comebacks,” “The Hot Chick,” “Soul Man” and “Absolute Power” with Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman. She also just made her directorial debut with the feature film “You,” currently available on DVD.
Busy as a working actress since the age of six, Hardin only just got around to creating her first singing act in 2008 with the help of director Richard Jay-Alexander and musical director Ben Toth. Her live show, “At the Watercooler,” played for three nights to rave reviews in Los Angeles at The Catalina Jazz Club on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. She has taken her current act, “An Evening with Melora Hardin,” all around the country and will be singing in New York City at the famed cabaret club Feinstein’s at the Regency on Dec. 11 and 12, 2011.
On stage, she played the lead role of Fantine in the August 2008 Hollywood Bowl concert rendition of “Les Misérables.” She followed that up by making her Broadway stage debut in 2009, starring as Roxie Hart in “Chicago.”
Writing and performing songs since the age of eight, she has sung in many productions, including the Disney feature “The Rocketeer,” where she was honored to work with the legendary arranger Billy May. She also played the Chanteuse Ghost in the Disney TV movie “Tower of Terror” and a crazy cabaret singer in the short-lived series “Man & Machine.”
Hardin has produced and self-released two albums titled “Meloradrama” and “Purr,” both of which have large cult followings. Last year she recorded “All the Way to Mars,” her third album, which features songs from Broadway, as well as standards, pop music and a few tunes she penned herself. The album showcases Hardin’s amazing vocal versatility and range, and is available in stores nationwide and online at Amazon and iTunes.
In October, Hardin begins shooting her new, hour-long comedy called “The Wedding Band,” which will premiere on TBS in June of 2012. She plays “Rutherford,” the hilarious event planner, and Hardin is excited that some of her original songs will be featured in the show.
Hardin’s performance of the “Star Spangled Banner” adds to a list of entertaining events surrounding the Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2011 race weekend. A full list of fan attractions can be found on DoverSpeedway.com.
Dover Motorsports PR
