CSI: NY

Background:

“She's breathtaking, and the talent is obvious. But what is not obvious is that she is so genuine. She comes from an extraordinary family. She has remained a wonderful human being. That's what I find so attractive.” Casting director Canice Kennedy on Melina Kanakaredes

Daytime Emmy-nominated American actress Melina Kanakaredes first came to the attention of public playing Greek immigrant Eleni Andros on the CBS daytime serial “Guiding Light” from 1991 to 1995. Delivering an outstanding performance, she netted two Soap Opera Digest nominations and her Daytime Emmy nominations. On the prime-time TV, the green eyed performer is most famous for her portrayals of Dr. Sydney Hansen on the NBC critically acclaimed series “Providence” (1999-2002), from which she won a TV Guide Award, and Det. Stella Bonasera on the CBS popular police drama “CSI: New York” (2004-present). She also has acted in several films, including Her debut, “Bleeding Hearts” (1994), “Dangerous Beauty” (1998), John Dahl's “Rounders” (1998) and “Into the Fire” (2005).

“Becoming a mother certainly changed me in many, many ways - most significantly was the dichotomy of being an adult, yet starting all over again. And watching my parents crawling around on the floor with my kids - and becoming children again - is the greatest gift ever.” Melina Kanakaredes

Currently, the wavy brunette haired-player enjoys her happy turns as a wife to Peter Constantinides, with whom she has been living for 16 years, and the mother of two girls, Zoe (born in 2000) and Karina (born in 2003). In her free time, she likes swimming, reading, listening to James Taylor and working out with the Pilates system. She also loves traveling and visiting her family in Ohio. Kanakaredes is a sports fan of the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Indians.

Magna Cum Laude

Childhood and Family:

Melina Eleni Kanakaredes was born on April 23, 1967, in Akron, Ohio, to parents Harry and Connie Kanakaredes, who worked as an insurance salesman and a homemaker, respectively.

She grew up in a Greek-American family, and is an active Greek speaker. She has two older sisters, Aretta and Lia. After graduating from Firestone High School in Akron, Melina briefly attended Ohio State University, where she studied music, dance and theater, before transferring to Point Park College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1989, she graduated magna cum laude with a BFA in theater .

On September 6, 1992, Melina tied the knot with Peter Constantinides, a chef and restaurateur whom he met in Ohio State in 1989. She gave birth to a baby girl named Zoe Constantinides on May 23, 2000. Her second daughter, Karina Eleni, was born on January 25, 2003 in Los Angeles, California. Melina and her husband have “Tria Greek Kuzina” in Powell, Ohio.

Providence

Career:

Born and raised Akron, Ohio, Melina Kanakaredes became involved in dance and theatrical productions when she was a teenager. While pursuing her studies in Pittsburgh, she appeared in commercials, industrial films and on stage at the Pittsburgh Playhouse and Pittsburgh Public Theatre. With a BFA degree in theater on her pocket, the former runner-up in the Miss Ohio beauty pageant headed to New York City in 1989 to become a full-time performer.

Her early years in NYC were filled with work on a dinner boat and in off-Broadway plays until she was discovered by a William Morris agent. Kanakaredes appeared in a number of TV commercials in 1991, including Kmart, Hyundai, Sony, Diet Rite and Rave, but did not enjoy first breakthrough until she was cast as Greek immigrant Eleni Andros Cooper on the CBS long-running daytime soap “Guiding Light.” She played the role for five years from 1991 to 1995, during which her character transferred from wide-eyed innocent to more mature mother and wife. For her bright presentation, the actress was handed two Daytime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (1994, 1995) and two Soap Opera Digest nominations for Outstanding Female Newcomer: Daytime (1992) and Hottest Female Star (1994). This exposure paved the way for Kanakaredes' subsequent primetime and film career.

Kanakaredes' first feature film role arrived when she landed a supporting role in “Bleeding Hearts” (1994), the Gregory Hines mismatched portrait of an interracial romance. She continued in the following year by making her primetime debut in ABC's “NYPD Blue,” playing the recurring role of the journalist girlfriend of Jimmy Smits (played by Bobby Simone), and then playing Victoria Metcalf, a woman from Mountie Benton Fraser's past, on the two-part finale of CBS' “Due South.” Later that same year, the actress graduated to series regular in the short-lived CBS drama “New York News,” portraying journalist Angela Villanova.

After having a small role in her second big screen outing, “The Long Kiss Goodnight” (1996), an action starring Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson, Kanakaredes starred with Christopher Meloni on the ABC drama “Leaving L.A.” (1997), playing Libby Galante, but the series only lasted for six episodes. She followed it up with guest roles on such shows as “The Practice” (1997, as Andrea Wexler) and “Oz” (1998, as A.D.A. Marilyn Crenshaw), and a supporting role opposite Blythe Danner and Edward Herrmann on the television movie “Saint Maybe” (1999). She also appeared in two excellent films in 1998: the historical drama “Dangerous Beauty” and John Dahl's “Rounders,” starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton.

In 1999, Kanakaredes finally hit the big time when she won the role of Dr. Sydney Hansen on the soapy but highly rated “Providence,” which aired on NBC for five season until 2002. Costarring with Seth Peterson as a successful California-based plastic surgeon who moved back to her New England home, she took home a 2000 TV Guide for Favorite Actress in a Drama and was catapulted to stardom following the shows' immediate success. Her mounting popularity was confirmed when she was tapped to become a celebrity spokesperson for Maybelline in 2001, for which she appeared in their national television and print campaigns.

Kanakaredes supported Robert De Niro in the action film “15 Minutes” (2001), where she played TV journalist Nicolette Karas, and after the demise of the critically-acclaimed series, she found herself taking on the role of Sally Bowles in a revival of the Broadway play “Cabaret.” She also costarred with Sean Patrick Flanery and JoBeth Williams in the indie-drama “Into the Fire” (2005), directed and written by Michael Phelan.

Still small screen proves to be best media for Kanakaredes. Beginning in May 2004, the TV vet starred opposite Gary Sinise on the hit forensic-oriented police drama “CSI: New York,” playing forensic investigator Stella Bonasera. The role has put the Ohio native back on the spotlight.

Awards:

• TV Guide: Favorite Actress in a Drama, “Providence,” 2000