Maitland Ward

Maitland Ward (born Ashley Maitland Welkos; February 3, 1977) is an American model, cosplay star, and former television actress. She is known for playing Rachel McGuire on the ABC original series Boy Meets World and Jessica Forrester on the CBS soap opera 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.[1] She landed that role, which was her first ever acting role, when she was 18 and still a junior in high school.[2] 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 1997 television film 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 2004comedy film White Chicks with Shawn and Marlon Wayans.[3]

Cosplay and social media
After retiring from acting Ward began engaging in cosplay and making appearances at various comics conventions.[4] 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.[5] She has also appeared as Jessica 6 from Logan's Run and as Red Sonja.[6] In recent years she has also made comics convention appearances wearing only body paint.[4]

She has been posting nude or topless photographs of herself on Snapchat and Instagram several times a week since mid-2013, gaining a large following on both sites.[7] In April 2016 she posted her first nude pictures to social media of her being body painted for Luciano Paesani for a Los Angeles exhibition called "Living Art."[6]

Personal life
Ward married real estate agent Terry Baxter on October 21, 2006.[8] The couple met on set and she credits their friendship and humor for the success of their relationship.[9]

After getting married, Baxter and Ward moved to New York, where they lived for two years. While they were there, Ward studied writing and screenwriting at New York University.[6]

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