Melina Kanakaredes Biography

Melina Eleni Kanakaredes Constantinides (born April 23, 1967) is an American actress. She is 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.

CBS confirmed in July 2010 that Kanakaredes would not be returning for the seventh season of CSI: NY.

Early life

Kanakaredes was born in Akron, Ohio, the daughter of Connie (née Temo; b. 1936), a candy company owner, and Harry Kanakaredes (b. 1928), an insurance salesman. She is a second-generation Greek-American and speaks Greek. 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's grandfather, Christ Temo. She has two sisters: Cornelia "Lia" (b. 1961) and Aretta Kanakaredes (b. 1962).

At age 8, Kanakaredes made her stage debut in a production of Tom Sawyer at Weathervane Playhouse in Akron, Ohio. She graduated from the Firestone High School in Akron. She attended Ohio State University for a short time, and then transferred to Point Park College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she performed roles in the professional theatre scene there, including the role of Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar at Pittsburgh Musical Theater. She graduated from Point Park in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in theater arts.

Career

Television

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 between 1999 and 2002, and as Det. Stella Bonasera on the CBS drama series CSI: NY. Kanakaredes left CSI: NY in 2010, after six seasons on the program.

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, The Practice, MTV's The Ben Stiller Show, and a Hallmark Hall of Fame adaptation of the Anne Tyler novel Saint Maybe.

Film

Kanakaredes's film appearances 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. She played the role of the Greek Goddess Athena in Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and starred in the 2013 drama Snitch alongside Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson.

Personal life

Kanakaredes married Peter Constantinides on September 6, 1992. Together, they have two daughters: Zoe (b. May 23, 2000) and Karina Eleni (b. January 25, 2003). She and her husband, a former restaurant consultant, owned the "Tria Greek Kuzina" in Powell, Ohio, but it has since closed. When she was once asked why she doesn't use her husband's last name professionally, she stated, "It's even more difficult to pronounce than my maiden name."

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1987	Carts		Short film
1994	Bleeding Hearts	Daphne
1996	'	Trin
1998	Dangerous Beauty	Livia
1998	Rounders	Barbara
2001	15 Minutes	Nicolette Karas
2010	Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief	Athena
2013	Snitch	Sylvie Collins

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1991"1995	Guiding Light	Eleni Andros Cooper	Recurring role
1995	Due South	Victoria Metcalf	3 episodes
1995	New York News	Angela Villanova	TV series
1995	NYPD Blue	Benita Alden	5 episodes
1997	Leaving L.A.	Libby Galante	6 episodes
1997	'	Andrea Wexler	Episode: "First Degree" Episode: "Sex, Lies and Monkeys"
1998	Oz	A.D.A. Marilyn Crenshaw	Episode: "Great Men"
1998	Saint Maybe	Rita	TV movie
1999"2002	Providence	Dr. Sydney Hansen	Lead role
2004	CSI: Miami	Stella Bonasera	Episode: "MIA/NYC Nonstop"
2004"2010	CSI: NY	Stella Bonasera	Lead Role
2005	Into the Fire	Catrina / Sabrina Hampton	TV movie
2008	CSI: NY	Det. Stella Bonasera (voice)	Video game

Awards/Nominations

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Production	Result
1992	Soap Opera Digest Awards	Outstanding Female Newcomer: Daytime	Guiding Light	Nominated
1994	Daytime Emmy	Outsanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series	Guiding Light	Nominated
1994	Soap Opera Digest Awards	Hottest Female Star	Guiding Light	Nominated
1995	Daytime Emmy	Outsanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	Guiding Light	Nominated
2000	TV Guide Awards	Favorite Actress in a Drama	Providence	Won
2001	TV Guide Awards	Actress of the Year in a Drama Series	Providence	Nominated

See also

• Famous Greek Americans