Tracy (Linsdey) Melchior portrays "Tess," the mysterious nanny who arrived unannounced with 5-year old "Benjy" at her side, on Sunset Beach. From a young age Melchior grew up on a ranch in Colorado with her mother, a successful breeder of Arabian horses. Linsdey's love of horses started early and has continued through her life, she grew up on horseback, owns her own horse, Bulldozer, and competes regularly on the Class A Arabian show circuit.

Melchior attended Colorado State University where she began modeling and discovered an interest in acting. In 1989 she moved to southern California to pursue acting as a career. Melchior's first job, that earned her SAG card, was a horseback riding stunt double in an Old Spice commercial. The make-up artist on the shoot was taken with Melchior's beauty and took it upon himself to share his opinion with the director. The director recast Melchior on the spot and sent the original actress home.

Melchior enrolled and studied acting at Larry Moss' studio, her next credit was an episode of the critically acclaimed series, My So Called Life on ABC. Leads followed in the tv movie Search and Rescue with Robert Conrad for NBC and multiple syndicated series including Weird Science, Campus Cops, Silk Stalkings, High Tide and Hercules. She appeared briefly on Young and The Restless (CBS) as "Veronica." Melchior decided to take some time off to re-evaluate her life. She admitted, "this acting thing just ain't panning out" as she had hoped. She moved from Los Angeles to San Bernardino County to clear her head, spend more time with her fiancee and her horse and decided to not focus so intensely on acting. She focused her efforts on school and chose psychology as a graduate degree.

Ironically, the Sunset Beach audition came along almost immediately. Melchior's one other experience with Aaron Spelling was an audition for the series Savannah. She, not so fondly remembers, "I was so nervous about meeting Mr. Spelling that I blew it!"

Melchior is an active member of the Citizens Advisory Board of the American Police Hall of Fame, a charity close to her heart that helps families of fallen officers. She is a fan of country western music and currently resides in San Bernardino County as a newlywed with husband, Rob, an LAPD SWAT officer. Her birthday is June 22.