A Daytime Emmy Award-nominated actress, Melina Eleni Kanakaredes Constantinides is best known for her starring roles as Dr. Sydney Hansen in Providence and as Detective Stella Bonasera in CSI: NY.
Early Life
The youngest of three sisters, Melina Kanakaredes was born and raised in Akron, Ohio. Melina is a second-generation Greek-American born 23rd of April 1967. Melina is the youngest daughter of Constance “Connie” Temo (a homemaker) and Harry Kanakaredes (a retired insurance agent). Her two older sisters are Cornerlia born in 1961 and Aretta born 1962. Growing up in Ohio, she spends most of her time at the family’s candy store, Temo’s Chocolate Company. Temo’s Chocolate Company was established by her grandfather, Christ Temo and was mostly operated by her two maternal uncles.
Melina grew up in a close-knit family which actively participates during community events. Having one Greek Church in the community, she began singing with her sisters at an early age during community events. And at the age of eight (8), she debuted in a community-theater production of Tom Sawyer.
Melina became a member of the synchronized swim team at Firestone High School. And during her teenage years, her love for the musical theater began to grow. In 1985, Melina graduated from Firestone High School and went to Ohio State University in Columbus where she joined the synchronized swim team. By accident, she discovered the world of beauty pageants at the age of 18. One of her professors encouraged her to join so she could get scholarship money for school. From borrowing a dress and doing a number from Chicago called “All That Jazz”; Melina eventually went on winning Miss Columbus. From there on, she became first runner-up at the Miss Ohio Pageant.
She then transferred to a smaller, conservatory-type school in Pittsburgh, Point Park College. She appeared on stages of the Pittsburgh Playhouse and Pittsburgh Public Theater. While still in school, she debuted for her first television commercial for a contraceptive called Semicid. Melina eventually graduated cum laude from Point Park College, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theater/acting.
Career
After graduation, she moved to New York City where she appeared on her first off-Broadway play called State of the Art. She stayed in a one-window, basement apartment as she worked as a cocktail waitress to pay for the rent. Melina’s big break came when she was spotted by an agent from William Morris which enabled her to land a recurring role on the CBS daytime drama Guiding Light. For four years, she played the role of a Greek local caterer named Eleni Andros Cooper on the daytime soap opera, earning her two Daytime Emmy nominations.
Moving westward in Los Angeles, Melina also moved to primetime television where she played as a reporter in a short-lived CBS sitcom, New York News. Also a reporter, she made recurring appearances on NYPD Blue as Benita Alden. She also appeared in a two hour episode titled “Victoria’s Secret” in a joint Canadian-American sitcom project, Due South.
Over the next few years, Melina was a cast in three movies: The Long Kiss Goodnight, Dangerous Beauty and Bleeding Hearts. Returning to television, she then played as Libby Gallante, a former police detective in a quirky sitcom for ABC, Leaving L.A.
Melina then went on to play as a plastic surgeon, Dr. Sydney Hansen on Providence which debuted in January 1999. After a series of tragedies, Sydney decided to abandon her lucrative cosmetic-surgery career in Beverly Hills and return to her hometown in Providence and run a clinic for the poor. Providence eventually pulled in impressive ratings as Melina portrayed Dr. Sydney by heart. Filled with uplifting messages, Providence is one of the highest rated dramas on network television.
Melina landed a starring role on the hit CBS TV series CSI: NY (Crime Scene Investigation: New York) that premiered on September 22, 2004. The crime-solving TV series follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers. She played as Detective Stella Bonasera for six seasons as CBS confirmed last July 2010 that Melina would not be returning for the 7th season of CSI: NY.
In 2010, Melina played as Athena (goddess of wisdom) in a fantasy-adventure film titled Percy Jackson& the Olympians: The Lightning tief.
Personal Life
Melina met Peter Constantinides, a professional chef, at an Ohio State organization for Greek-American students, and the two eventually tied the knot and became husband and wife on the 6th of September 1992. The importance of having close family became evident as over 500 guests were invited during the wedding. The couple currently resides in San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles with their two daughters. Their two lovely daughters are Zoe (born 23rd of May 2000) and Karina Eleni (born 25th of January 2003).
Melina’s favorite past time includes swimming, reading, working out and listening to James Taylor music. Fan of the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago Bulls, Melina loves watching baseball and basketball games. She also loves traveling, especially to Greece to visit friends and family.