Quick Facts
Biography
Maitland Ward (born Ashley Maitland Welkos; February 3, 1977) is an American actress. She is known for playing Rachel McGuire on the ABC original series Boy Meets World and Jessica Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful.
Acting Career
Ward starred as Jessica Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful, where she appeared from 1994 to 1996. She landed that role, which was her first ever acting role when she was 18 and still a junior in high school. Ward had guest-starring roles on USA High and the seventh season of ABC's Home Improvement; and co-starred with Jay Thomas and Mario Lopez in the dramatic movie Killing Mr. Griffin.
Her character of Rachel McGuire was added to Boy Meets World in 1998, at the beginning of the sixth season, as a main cast member. This role lasted until the series ended in 2000. After Ward's stint on Boy Meets World, she appeared in the independent film Dish Dogs, a romantic comedy in which she co-stars with Brian Dennehy, Matthew Lillard and Sean Astin. Later, she appeared in the 2004 comedy film White Chicks with Shawn and Marlon Wayans.
Cosplay and Social Media Celebrity
After retiring from acting she started doing cosplay and making appearances at various Comic Con events. Her first cosplay was a slave Princess Leia outfit and she was given the idea from photographers that she worked with on the red carpet. She has also appeared as Jessica 6 from Logans run and Red Sonia. In recent years she has also started making Comic Con appearances where she is nude with the exception of body paint.
She has been posting naked or nearly naked pictures of herself on Snapchat and Instagram several times a week since mid-2013 and has gained a large following on both sites. She does not receive money for her pictures and instead does it to push boundaries, show different sides of herself and have fun. On April 15th she posted her 1st nude pictures to social media of her being body painted for Luciano Paesani for a LA exhibition called "Living Art."
Personal life
Ward married real estate agent Terry Baxter on October 21, 2006. The couple met on set and she credits shared friendship and humor for the success of their relationship.
After getting married Baxter and Ward moved to New York for two years. While she was there she studied writing and screenwriting at NYU.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994–1996 | Bold and the Beautiful, TheThe Bold and the Beautiful | Jessica Forrester | Recurring role (12 episodes) |
| 1997 | Killing Mr. Griffin | Candice Lee | TV film |
| 1998 | USA High | Tina | Episode: "Buddies" |
| 1998 | Home Improvement | Christy | Episode: "The Old College Try" |
| 1998–2000 | Boy Meets World | Rachel McGuire | Main role (45 episodes) |
| 1999 | Bold Affair, AA Bold Affair | Eleanor | |
| 2000 | Dish Dogs | Molly | Video |
| 2002 | Boston Public | Rachel Newman | Episode: "Chapter 43" |
| 2004 | White Chicks | Brittany Wilson | |
| 2005 | Out of Practice | Staci | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2007 | Rules of Engagement | Dani | Episode: "Young and the Restless" |
| 20?? | A Perfect Chaos | Maxine Landry | In development |
Awards and nominations
- Soap Opera Digest Awards
- 1995: Nominated, Outstanding Female Newcomer – The Bold and the Beautiful
- Young Artist Awards
- 1995: Won, Best Performance by a Youth Actress in a Daytime Series – The Bold and the Beautiful
- 1996: Nominated, Best Performance by a Youth Actress in a Daytime Series – The Bold and the Beautiful