Greek-American actress Melina Kanakaredes was born on April 23, 1967 in Akron, Ohio. After attending classes at the Ohio State University for a while, she transferred to Point Park College in Pitssburgh, Pennsylvania, where she participated in synchronized swimming competitions before graduating with a theater arts degree in 1989. It was two years before, however, when she made her film debut, appearing in a short film called Carts.
Kanakaredes got her first major exposure 1991, when she was cast in the daytime soap Guiding Light. She originated the role of Eleni Cooper, and her portrayal earned her two Daytime Emmy nominations, in 1994 and 1995. After she left the show in 1995, she played guest roles in shows such as Due South, NYPD Blue, Leaving L.A. and The Practice. She made her feature film debut in 1996, starring in the action drama The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Her next high-profile television role came in 1999, when she was given the lead role in the television drama Providence. She played the role of Dr. Sydney Hansen, a successful plastic surgeon based in Beverly Hills who chose to leave her glamorous career and move back to her hometown of Providence, Rhode Island in an attempt to rebuild her life and be with her family. The series ran for five seasons in three years, and was a notable success, but production was abruptly halted after some cast members, including Kanakaredes, opted out of a sixth season.
Kanakaredes followed it up with another high-profile television role, this time in the police procedural drama CSI: NY. She plays the role of Stella Bonasera, the second-in-command of crime lab head Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise), whose determination and strong personality sometimes leads her to overstep her boundaries and affect others unjustly in the process. Thus, her character has to date four complaints on record.
