Biography
Melissa was born and raised in Highland Park, Il. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Northwestern University where she studied theater. Upon graduating Northwestern she got her professional start on Chicago stages - debuting as the wide-eyed soon-to-be-corrupted Nadine in Michael John LaChiusa's The Wild Party and ending with a "fervent" (Chicago Tribune) portrayal of Nora in The Artistic Home's Riders to the Sea.
Melissa then moved to New York City, where she continued to hone her craft - studying with Austin Pendleton, and the late Wynn Handman, mentor to Richard Gere, Kathleen Chalfant, John Leguizamo, Chris Cooper and more. Upon playing Zooey in Don Juan in Chicago Off-Off Broadway, Playwright David Ives called her portrayal "radiant." She toured as Maggie in A Chorus Line, originated a solo adaptation of Lois Lowry's dystopian novel The Giver, and became an inaugural member of the WGAe's Digital Caucus after creating award-winning web series Missed Connections Live, a quirky & light-hearted re-imagining of Craigslist's Missed Connections.
Shortly thereafter, Melissa moved to Los Angeles and quickly transitioned to tv, where she appeared on Grimm (NBC), recurred on Grey's Anatomy (ABC), and won roles on True Detective (HBO), Masters of Sex (SHO), & This is Us (NBC).
She continued paving her own way, making her feature film debut in All I Want, an ensemble dramedy about the anxieties of modern relationships, which she co-wrote, produced and stars in. All I Want premiered at The TCL Chinese Theater at Dances with Films, won Best Narrative at Los Angeles Film and Script Festival, and is currently streaming across platforms.
She then wrote, co-directed and starred in R.V, an award-winning short film about the threat to women's reproductive rights, which has since screened around the world in addition to reaching half a million people online (and counting).
Her latest project solo show Marrying Jake Gyllenhaal, debuted at Edinburgh Fringe as part of their 2021 digital program. Melissa wrote, produced and stars in the autobiographical wild ride inspired by her Jewish Mom's insistence that Jake Gyllenhaal is her soulmate. Ms. Magazine covered her debut proclaiming, "In Marrying Jake Gyllenhaal, we witness Center's work standing on the shoulders of feminist giants."
Melissa now splits time between New York, where she resides in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
