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Melina Kanakaredes

 
Actor: Melina Kanakaredes
 
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Actors
  • Born: Apr 23, 1967 in Akron, Ohio
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: '90s-2000s
  • Major Genres: Drama, Crime
  • Career Highlights: CSI: NY: Season 03, CSI: NY, 15 Minutes
  • First Major Screen Credit: Bleeding Hearts (1994)

Biography

With her genuine smile, earthy beauty, and striking green eyes, Melina Kanakaredes staked her claim on daytime television in The Guiding Light before expanding her talents to numerous other popular series and, eventually, the silver screen.

Born and raised in Akron, OH, the second-generation Greek-American was the third daughter of an insurance salesman and homemaker who began her career as an actress in a community theater production of Tom Sawyer at the age of eight. Later enrolling in Ohio State University to study music, dance, and theater but disheartened at poor inter-departmental relations, Kanakaredes opted for a conservatory education at Point Park College in Pittsburgh. Soon performing with the Pittsburgh Playhouse and appearing in commercials and industrial videos, Kanakaredes moved to New York after graduating magna cum laude and began working in dinner boat theater and off-Broadway productions. Taking her role as Greek immigrant Eleni Andros Cooper in The Guiding Light after being spotted by the William Morris Agency in 1991, Kanakaredes was nominated for two Emmys and soon began to expand to roles on NYPD Blue and OZ. Soon turning up in such features as The Long Kiss Goodnight and Rounders, the natural beauty began to gain even more footing in her feature aspirations with her turn in the Robert DeNiro heist-thriller The Score in 2001. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
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Wikipedia: Melina Kanakaredes
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Melina Kanakaredes
Born Melina Eleni Kanakaredes
April 23, 1967 (1967-04-23) (age 42)
Akron, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation Actress
Years active 1991–present
Spouse(s) Peter Constantinides (September 6, 1992-present) (2 children Zoe-b.May 23,2000 and Karina Eleni-b.January 25,2003)

Melina Eleni Kanakaredes (born April 23, 1967 in Akron, Ohio) is a Daytime Emmy Award-nominated Greek-American actress. She is also widely known for two starring roles on U.S. prime-time television drama series: playing Detective Stella Bonasera in CSI: NY and portraying Dr. Sydney Hansen in Providence.

Contents

Career

Kanakaredes's first television role was on the daytime drama Guiding Light, originating the role of Eleni Andros Spaulding Cooper from 1991 to 1995. She was nominated twice for a Daytime Emmy Award for her portrayal of Eleni.

Her most high-profile roles on television were as the series protagonist Dr. Sydney Hansen on Providence, which ran for five seasons (1999–2002), and since 2004 in a leading role on the CBS drama series CSI: NY as Det. Stella Bonasera.

Her other television credits include NYPD Blue (in a recurring role as reporter Benita Alden during that show's second season), Northern Exposure, Due South, Oz (TV series), The Practice, MTV's The Ben Stiller Show, and a Hallmark Hall of Fame adaptation of the Anne Tyler novel Saint Maybe.

Her appearances in movies include The Long Kiss Goodnight as Trin and 15 Minutes as Nicolette Karas, the girlfriend of Robert De Niro's character. She was considered for the lead role in My Big Fat Greek Wedding but had to turn it down due to her pregnancy.[1]

Personal life

Kanakaredes was born in Akron, Ohio, in a Greek-American family.[2] She is a second-generation Greek-American and is fluent in Greek.[3] Her two maternal uncles own and run a candy store in Akron called "Temo's Candy Company," a chocolate store established in its current location by Kanakaredes' great-uncle Christ Temo.[4] Melina's sister is an attorney in Akron, Ohio.

Melina Kanakaredes graduated from the Firestone High School in Akron.[2] She attended Ohio State University for a short time, and then transferred to Point Park College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Point Park in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in theater arts.[5]

She married Peter Constantinides[6] on September 6, 1992.[citation needed] The couple have two daughters, Zoe (b.May 23,2000) and Karina Eleni (b.January 25,2003).[6] She and her husband and a former restaurant consultant,[6] own the "Tria Greek Kuzina"[7] in Powell, Ohio.

Filmography

Film Role Other notes
Bleeding Hearts Daphne
The Guiding Light Eleni Andros TV Series

Nominated for a Soap Opera Digest award (1994)

Nominated for a Soap Opera Digest award (1994)

Nominated for a Daytime Emmy award

Nominated for a Daytime Emmy award

Won a PFSCA award
Due South Victoria Metclafe TV Series (3 episodes)
New York News Angelina Villanova
NYPD Blue Benita Alden TV Series (5 episodes)
The Long Kiss Goodnight Trin
Leaving L.A. Libby Galante
The Practice Andrea Wexler
Dangerous Beauty Livia
Rounders Barbara

(1998)
Saint Maybe Rita
15 minutes Nicolette Karas
Providence Dr Sydney Hansen Won a TV Guide Award (2001)

Nominated for a TV Guide Award (2000)
CSI: NY Detective Stella Bonasera 2004 to present

Won a Scream Award (2006)

Nominated for a Scream Award (2007)
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief Athena

References

  1. ^ Pierce, Scott D. (2003-02-16). "Mega-hit 'Wedding' had in a suspicious beginning". Deseret News (Salt Lake City. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20030216/ai_n11378238. Retrieved on 2008-07-11. 
  2. ^ a b Profile from "Women in Akron History" from a University of Akron website
  3. ^ Whitfield, Fredricka (2002-10-02). "Interview with Melina Kanakaredes". CNN. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0210/04/lt.09.html. Retrieved on 2008-07-11. 
  4. ^ Temo's candy is an Easter tradition in Akron, a March 2007 Akron Beacon Journal article via Topix.net
  5. ^ Past Distinguished Alumni from the Point Park University website
  6. ^ a b c Kanakaredes savors her married life from USA Today
  7. ^ Official website for Tria Greek Kuzina

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

Copyrights:

Actor. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Melina Kanakaredes".  Read more

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