Melanie Chandra
Melanie Chandra
Born
Melanie Kannokada

(1986-02-28) February 28, 1986[1][2]
Park Ridge, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation(s)Model, actress
Years active2008–present
Spouse
Neeraj Chandra
​
(m. 2015)​
Children2

Melanie Chandra (née Kannokada; born February 28, 1986) is an American actress, model, and co-founder of Hospital for Hope. She is best known for her roles as Malaya Pineda on the CBS medical drama Code Black and Mel in the Comedy Central television movie Hot Mess Holiday.

Early life and education

Chandra was born Melanie Kannokada to Malayali Indian parents in Buffalo Grove, Illinois.[3]

After high school, Chandra earned a Mechanical Engineering degree from Stanford University.[4] Upon graduation, Chandra initially began working at consulting firm McKinsey & Company, which she left to concentrate on her interest in modeling and acting. She stated that she found the management job "intellectually fascinating" but not something she wanted to do "getting up every morning".[3]

Career

After finishing college, Chandra entered and won the 2007 Miss India America contest.[3] Chandra worked as a model and commercial actress in national and international campaigns for Nescafe, Verizon, Glamour Magazine, P&G, Crocs, Acura, Herbal Essences, LG, and Clinique.[5] In fall 2011, she was selected as one of the five faces of Bare Escentuals international "Be A Force of Beauty" campaign.[6] In fall 2012, she was selected to model in a five-page editorial spread for Vogue India Magazine.[7]

Within a week of moving to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, Chandra successfully auditioned for guest star role in the CBS hit sitcom Rules of Engagement opposite comedian David Spade.[5] She starred in the CBS show Code Black and has guest starred in ABC Family's The Nine Lives of Chloe King, NBC's Parenthood and CBS's NCIS: Los Angeles. She also had a large recurring role on HBO's The Brink opposite Jack Black and Aasif Mandvi. In 2019, it was announced she will be developing a series called "Attachment" with HBO, alongside her co-creator and writer, Amy Aniobi, and Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine.[8] In 2019, Chandra stars in Surina and Mel, a show about two American-born South Asian women living in New York City figuring out adulthood.[9] In 2020, Variety announced Chandra was joining the cast of the Chris Blake quarantine comedy, Distancing Socially. The film was shot at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, using remote technologies and the iPhone 11. The film was acquired and released by Cinedigm in October 2021.[10]

In 2022, Chandra starred in the movie Lie Hard, a comedy about a pathological liar who borrows $4 million from a crime syndicate to purchase a mansion in order to impress his girlfriend's wealthy parents.[11]

In January 2023, Chandra voice acted as Mira in Meet Cute's series, The Lonely Wife. The story follows Mira, who is forced to take a hard look at her marriage when her husband’s childhood friend crashes with them for the weekend.

Personal

Chandra is also a co-founder of Hospital for Hope, a non-profit providing healthcare services in rural India.[4] She is also a trained pianist.[12] Chandra is a 2nd degree black belt in Shotokan Karate[5] and a two-time bronze medalist in the Pan American games, where she represented the United States in sparring as part of the United States Junior National Karate Team in São Paulo in 2000, Caracas in 2001, and Orlando in 2002.[3]

Filmography

Television

Year Title Network Role Notes
2011 Rules of Engagement CBS Simran Guest star
2011 The Nine Lives of Chloe King ABC Family Nikki Amaral Guest star
2012 Parenthood NBC Kirstin Mitai Guest star
2013 Writer's Block MTV Desi Vandana Series regular
2014 NCIS: Los Angeles CBS Ayesha Guest star
2015 The Brink HBO Fareeda Recurring
2016 Nashville ABC Stephanie Leigh Guest Star
2015–2017 Code Black CBS Malaya Pineda Series regular
2016 Brown Nation Netflix Roli Recurring
2017 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit NBC Lela Samra Guest star

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2010 Bicycle Bride Beena
2012Love Lies and SeetaSeeta McKinseyLeading Actress @ Indiefest 2012
Nominated – Best Actress @ World Music and Independent Film Festival
2013D for DopidiShaliniDebut Indian Telugu Film[13]
2015For Here or to Go?ShvetaIndo-American film[14][15]
2020 Draupadi Unleashed Sita Limited release[16]
2021 Distancing Socially Ella
2021 Hot Mess Holiday Mel TV movie[17]
2022 Lie Hard Katie Reynolds
2023 Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls Jesminder

References

  1. ↑ "6 Indian American Women Who Are Charting Their Own Creative Paths". Harper's Bazaar. 8 June 2022.
  2. ↑ "Today in History: Today is Monday, Feb. 28, the 59th day of 2022". [Wausau Pilot & Review]. 28 February 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 K. Pradeep (2012-02-08). "The Malayali quotient in Hollywood". The Hindu. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Melanie Kannokada: Stanford grad & Hollywood actor working for upliftment of poor in Jharkhand". timesofindia-economictimes. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 "Lifestyle interview: Melanie Kannokada". Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved December 25, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Bare Escentuals "Force of Beauty" Campaign features a South Asian Face – Anokhi Magazine – Fashion, Lifestyle & Entertainment – North America's Longest Running Quarterly Magazine About South Asian Pop Culture". anokhimagazine.com. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  7. ↑ "Scarlet Bindi – South Asian Fashion Blog by Neha Oberoi: Vogue India November 2012: Melanie Kannokada". scarletbindi.com. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  8. ↑ "'Insecure' Producer Signs Overall Deal at HBO (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 8 March 2019.
  9. ↑ "Who". Surina & Mel. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  10. ↑ Malkin, Marc (2020-10-07). "'Schitt's Creek' Actor Sarah Levy Cast in COVID-Inspired Indie 'Distancing Socially' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  11. ↑ Niles, Ian (2022-08-16), Lie Hard (Comedy), Comedy Movie, Complex Corp, retrieved 2022-10-18
  12. ↑ "About". Melanie Chandra. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  13. ↑ " Melanie Chandra interview about Telugu film D for Dopidi" idlebrain.com
  14. ↑ "'For Here or To Go?' Sparks U.S. Immigration Policy Dialogue". India West. 15 May 2015. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  15. ↑ "'For Here or To Go' Puts a Funny Face on Immigration Woes". IndiaWest. Archived from the original on July 24, 2013. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  16. ↑ "DRAUPADI UNLEASHED". Rotten Tomatoes. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  17. ↑ Cordero, Rosy (11 December 2021). "'Hot Mess Holiday': Melanie Chandra and Surina Jindal Expand On Diwali Celebration Beyond 'The Office'". Deadline. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
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