Editing Melissa Joan Hart (section)

== Early life ==
Hart was born in [[Smithtown, New York]], the first child of [[Paula Hart]] (née Voje), a producer and talent manager, and William Hart, a carpenter, [[shellfish]] purveyor, [[oyster]] hatchery worker, and entrepreneur.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/melissa-joan-hart/165755 |title=Melissa Joan Hart News, Melissa Joan Hart Bio and Photos |work=[[TV Guide]] |access-date=June 23, 2010}}</ref><ref name="melissajoanhart.ning.com" /> Her maternal grandfather, Stanley John Voje, was a [[United States Navy|Navy]] veteran and [[Catholic]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.memorialsolutions.com/sitemaker/sites/Haisle1/obit.cgi?user=285679Voje|title=In Memory of Stanley John Voje – Haisley Funeral Home, Fort Pierce, FL|work=memorialsolutions.com|access-date=July 27, 2015}}</ref> Hart grew up in [[Sayville, New York]].

Hart's parents had four other children after Melissa: Trisha, Elizabeth, Brian, and [[Emily Hart|Emily]], who are all in acting. Her parents divorced in the early 1990s, and she moved with her mother and siblings to [[New York City]]. In 1994, her mother married television executive Leslie Gilliams, who is best known for his appearance on [[MasterChef (American season 5)|Season 5 of ''MasterChef'']] in 2014, when he finished in 3rd place. Hart has three half-sisters: Alexandra, Samantha, and Mackenzie.<ref name="melissajoanhart.ning.com" />

Hart was named after the [[Allman Brothers]] song "[[Melissa (The Allman Brothers Band song)|Melissa]]", while her middle name, Joan, came from her maternal grandmother.