Melina Kanakaredes

To many fans, Melina Kanakaredes (pronounced Kah-nah-KAH-ree-deez) is known as 'Victoria' in the Due South episode "Victoria's Secret." She portrayed the only woman Fraser had loved, and who almost destroyed him with her revenge...

However, Melina is nothing like the devious Victoria Metcalf... except for her classic beauty.

The youngest of three daughters of an insurance salesman and homemaker, Melina grew up in Akron, Ohio, spending much of her time at the family's candy store, Temo's Chocolate Company. She attributes her zest for life and performing in part to her family; she's a second-generation Greek. Her community had one Greek church, and they were always active in the community. When she sang at community events, the people always supported her.

She began singing with her sisters at community events, and at age 8, she debuted in a community theater production of Tom Sawyer. She found her acting skills in demand at a nearby Jesuit high school, which was an all-boys school.

As a teenager, she continued her involvement in dance and theatrical productions, working summers in New York with various companies. She graduated from Firestone High School in 1985. From there she went to Ohio State University, where she became first runner-up at the Miss Ohio Pageant. She then transferred to Point Park College. The school was affiliated with the Pittsburgh Playhouse, enabling her to appear in commercials, industrial films, and on stage at the Pittsburgh Playhouse and Pittsburgh Public Theater. She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theater/acting from Point Park.

After graduation, she began her professional career in theater, performing in both classic and musical productions. She moved to New York City, landing her first off-Broadway appearance in the play State of the Art. During the weekends, she supported herself as a cocktail waitress. Soon thereafter, Melina was spotted by an agent from William Morris and won the role of Eleni Andros Cooper for four years on the daytime soap opera The Guiding Light, earning her two Emmy nominations.

The character of Eleni Cooper was special to Melina, as Eleni was Greek, and her time on that soap opera garnered her a strong fan following. To this day, fans still remember her character.

Melina moved on to prime time television, as westward as well to Los Angeles. Her first TV series, New York News, which looked good in concept, attracted neither critics nor viewers, and was cancelled after only eight episodes. She made a recurring appearance as reporter Benita Alden on NYPD Blue, then appeared in the two-hour Due South episode, "Victoria's Secret", as Fraser's old love.

Three movies followed: The Long Kiss Goodnight with Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson; Dangerous Beauty (AKA Venice), a feature about courtesans; and Bleeding Hearts, directed by Gregory Hines. She went back to television, but a development deal with NBC yielded nothing.

She chose the role of former police detective Libby Gallante in the ABC series Leaving L.A., a comedy-drama about life in the rather busy Los Angeles coroner's office, because of the depth and intelligence of the character. To prepare herself for the role, she spent a few days as a coroner's trainee, which included going out on a grisly double homicide-suicide.

Unfortunately, the viewing audience did not accept this series as part of their regular viewing habits, and it was cancelled after several episodes. However, Melina would always be welcomed back by a legion Due South fans who would love to see her reprise her role of the villainous Victoria. Alas, this Mountie show ended without a resolution to the Victoria storyline, for Melina was otherwise occupied with film work when asked to reprise her role.

Melina's television series, Providence debuted in January 1999 to excellent ratings. She played plastic surgeon Sydney Hansen, who goes home to attend a wedding, and when tragedy strikes, she decides to re-evaluate her life and stay in Providence. Says Melina: "The best thing about it is that we are all still having a really good time making the show and if that's any indication than I really think people are going to enjoy it."

As of 2003, Melina resided in the San Fernando Valley with her husband, a professional chef. Both she and her husband are quite involved with their families and the Greek culture, and both speak Greek fluently. They travel as often as possible to Greece to visit friends and family. She enjoys working out, swimming, reading, and listening to James Taylor music. She's a fan of the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Indians.

Other Tidbits:

• Melina's first name was derived from the Greek prefix Meli, which means 'honey.' It came from the nurses at the hospital, who were always calling her Honey.
• Her last name means 'son of a single son,' which is ironic as her parents had three daughters and no sons.
• According to a Greek Due South fan, her last name means 'a walnut'.

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