Biography
Melinda Michael is an actor for film and television, voice over, and motion capture. Her resolute passion for acting has been her driving force to live a life that inspires, heals and moves the heart, by bringing powerful stories to life that positively impact audiences, challenge limiting thoughts, elevate consciousness, and unify humanity. Her journey has brought her to live in the hubs of Toronto, Vancouver, and Los Angeles.
Melinda began performing on stage since the age of three in dance and music recitals. She fell in love movies and film scores at an early age, and with theatre after she asked her parents for a ticket to go to "The Phantom of the Opera" in Toronto to celebrate her fourth birthday, an experience that left her in such awe that she has had an unwavering calling to perform ever since. At that moment, Melinda knew that acting was what she was meant to do. She became a member of Original Kids Theatre Company and landed her first role with them as Alice in "Alice in Wonderland." Melinda subsequently acted in every show put on by her elementary school, high schools and university, which consist of her lead roles as Olivia in "Twelfth Night", and Ortensia in "The Mistress of the Inn", and ensemble in the musical productions of "Chicago", "Once On This Island", and "The Wiz". She worked with the Young Americans during their world tour, received her Grade 8 level examination in piano from Conservatory Canada, and twice attended The Shakespeare School's summer programmes in Stratford, Ontario. She competed internationally with the Amabile Choirs of Canada, recording various CD's and, with them, embarked on some of her most pivotal life experiences, including singing for Queen Elizabeth II, wining Gold at the Choir Olympics in Germany, and singing at the WWI monument in Vimy Ridge, France.
Melinda shifted her focus to film and television, and trains extensively in this craft at premiere acting schools in Toronto, Los Angeles, and at the renowned New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. Melinda is an avid seeker for life-long learning. Her undergraduate degree was in English, History and Psychology at the University of Toronto. She has also lived abroad in Italy during several summers to learn Italian, as well as study Fashion and Footwear Design in Florence. Outside of her acting career, Melinda studies Spirituality and offers Energy Healing (Certified Reiki Practitioner), is a mental health advocate with a focus on holistic nutrition, body movement and yoga, and continually travels the world to learn about the languages, history and cultures of people around the globe. Melinda enjoys challenging herself through dedicated physical training in Martial Arts (Muay Thai with Sweden's prior national coach, as well as celebrity trainer Peter Lee Thomas), and is proud to have done her own stunt work on set. President of a non-profit organization that offers sound healing meditation to the community through a practice called 'kirtan', Melinda facilitates these community events to promote peace of mind and teach youth how to meditate. A representative of many ethnicities from around the world, Melinda is notably versatile.
Melinda Michael's credits include Hallmark's FIT FOR A PRINCE (as Julia, nemesis-turned-ally of Cindy, played by Natalie Hall), the CW's THE 100 (as Ankara, rival to Marie Avgeropoulos' character Octavia), Netflix's HEMLOCK GROVE (acting opposite Bill Skarsgard), and in MURDOCH MYSTERIES (as Esther Fields) on Hulu. Most recently, Melinda was working in Bollywood in a couple feature film projects, landing starring roles. When asked what a dream role would be for Melinda, she says: "To play an Arwen-inspired elven warrior in an adaption of one of my all time favorites, LORD OF THE RINGS. I love other-worldly movies! That, and a character that pays homage to an Ancient Roman or Grecian historical figure."
