Alison Ann Sweeney (born September 19, 1976) is an American dramatic actress, reality show host, director and author. Sweeney is best known for her portrayal of Samantha "Sami" Brady on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives, a role she has played under contract with the show since January 6, 1993. In this role, she has earned a Daytime Emmy Award nomination, four Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Fan Voted Daytime Emmy Award. In 2007, she became the host of The Biggest Loser, and left the series at the end of the sixteenth season in 2015.
Sweeney is of Irish descent. Sweeney has two brothers. She studied Economics at UCLA but left due to her commitment to Days of Our Lives. On July 8, 2000, Sweeney married David Sanov, after dating for nearly three years. The couple has two children: a son born on February 25, 2005, and a daughter born on January 12, 2009. The family currently lives in Los Angeles.