Melonie Diaz (born April 25, 1984) is an American actress who has appeared in many independent films, including four shown at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.[1] She received Independent Spirit Awards nominations for performances in films A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006) and Fruitvale Station (2013). From 2018 to 2022, she appeared as one of the main roles as Mel Vera on the remake television series Charmed on The CW.
Melonie Diaz | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Diaz in 2024 | |
| Born | April 25, 1984 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Tisch School of the Arts |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Notable credit | Mel Vera in Charmed |
| Spouse | Octavio Genera (m. 2020) |
| Children | 1 |
Early life
editDiaz was born in New York City, and was raised along with her elder sister on the Lower East Side ("Loisaida" or Alphabet City, Manhattan), by parents of Puerto Rican descent.[2][3] She became interested in acting at the Henry Street Settlement and subsequently attended the Professional Performing Arts School in Manhattan.
She completed a degree in Film Production at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, and has made numerous off-Broadway and workshop appearances including Medea at Bullet Space, the Hip Hop Theater Festival at P.S. 122, and the New York City Fringe Festival.
Career
edit
She started her film career with a supporting role in Tom DiCillo's Double Whammy (2001) and later landed roles in Jim McKay and Hannah Weyer's From an Objective Point of View and Peter Sollett's Raising Victor Vargas (both 2002). Television work at this time included an episode of Law & Order and a pilot for Queens Supreme (both 2003).
Her breakthrough roles came as Blanca in Catherine Hardwicke's Lords of Dogtown (2005) and as Laurie in Dito Montiel's A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006) which earned her an Independent Spirit Awards nomination for Best Supporting Female. She was subsequently cast by Jamie Babbit in the lead role of Anna in Itty Bitty Titty Committee (2007) as well as a role in Hamlet 2, Be Kind Rewind, and also played Christina in American Son in 2008.
She appeared in the Mary J. Blige video "We Got Hood Love" which debuted on May 10, 2010.
In 2012, she starred in the indie romantic comedy, She Wants Me with Josh Gad and Kristen Ruhlin. In a hyped-up, Woody Allen, Annie Hall-type film, she plays a girl who gets caught in a love triangle between aspiring artists and a celebrity.
In 2013, she appeared in Fruitvale Station, a film based on the shooting of Oscar Grant. The film premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, where it earned the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic and the Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic. The film had its international premiere at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, where it played in the Un Certain Regard section and won the Un Certain Regard Best First Film award. For her work in the movie she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female.
She has expressed a desire to return to Tisch in order to complete her degree in filmmaking, citing director Kathryn Bigelow as an inspiration.[4]
In 2014 she appeared briefly on an episode of Girls as Susan, a friend of Jessa Johansson's. That same year she appeared in Ryan Piers Williams' film X/Y alongside America Ferrera as well as The Cobbler starring Adam Sandler.
In February 2018, Diaz was cast in the lead role of Mel Vera in The CW's fantasy drama series Charmed, a reboot of the 1998 series of the same name.[5] The reboot "centers on three sisters in a college town who discover they are witches".[6][7]
Diaz co-starred in the dystopian thriller The First Purge, the prequel to 2013's The Purge and the fourth installment in The Purge franchise.[8][9][10][11] The film was released July 4, 2018.[12][13][14]
Personal life
editDiaz is married to singer Octavio Genera, having eloped during the COVID-19 pandemic. She announced her pregnancy with their first child in March of 2021.[15]
Filmography
editFilms
editTelevision
edit| Year | Series | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Queens Supreme | Mr. Diaz's Daughter | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2003 | Law & Order | Bettina | Episode: "Ill-Conceived" |
| 2010 | Nip/Tuck | Ramona Perez | 3 episodes |
| 2010 | CSI: Miami | Ivonne Hernandez | Episode: "Manhunt" |
| 2010 | Rizzoli & Isles | Mia | Episode: "When the Gun Goes Bang, Bang, Bang" |
| 2011 | Person of Interest | Paula Vasquez | Episode: "Number Crunch" |
| 2012 | Ro | Ro | 6 episodes |
| 2014 | Girls | Susan | Episode: "Dead Inside" |
| 2016 | The Breaks | Damita | Main role |
| 2017 | Room 104 | Meg | Episode: "Ralphie" Nominated — Imagen Foundation Award for Best Supporting Actress - Television |
| 2017 | Elementary | Tanya | Episode: "Hurt Me, Hurt You" |
| 2018–2022 | Charmed | Mel Vera | Main role Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress Fantasy/Sci-Fi[16] |
| 2024 | American Horror Stories | Mary Gentile | Episode: "The Thing Under the Bed" |
References
edit- ^ Keeps, David A. (2008-01-25). "Melonie Diaz: This year's Queen of Sundance". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
- ^ Melodie Diaz from Papermag 11 September 2009
- ^ Terrero, Nina (16 July 2013). ""Fruitvale Station" actress Melonie Diaz shares why film speaks to race relations today". NBC Latino.
- ^ "Melonie Diaz". Vanity Fair. July 14, 2013. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
- ^ Swift, Andy (March 25, 2018). "Charmed Reboot: How Does The CW's Pilot Compare to the Original Series?". TVLine. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (February 20, 2018). "Charmed: Melonie Diaz Cast as Lesbian Witch Mel in CW Reboot". TVLine. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 20, 2018). "Charmed: Melonie Diaz Cast As A Lead In The CW Reboot Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
- ^ "WATCH: Trailer For The First Purge Shows Us A Deadly Origin Story". Awards Circuit. April 6, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
- ^ Burke, Carolyn (April 6, 2018). "The First Purge Trailer & Poster Want to Make America Great". Screen Rant. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (February 20, 2018). "CW's Charmed Reboot Pilot Casts Fruitvale Station Star Melonie Diaz". Variety. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
- ^ Erbland, Kate (January 31, 2018). "The First Purge Teaser Trailer Will Make America Great Again, Complete With Government-Sanctioned Murder — Watch". Indiewire. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
- ^ Ridgely, Charlie (January 30, 2018). "The First Purge Gets Official Poster and Release Date". ComicBook.com. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
- ^ The First Purge at Metacritic
- ^ Sokol, Tony (April 6, 2018). "The First Purge Trailer and Release Date". Den of Geek. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
- ^ Garrison, Anna (March 21, 2021). "Is 'Melonie Diaz Pregnant? The 'Charmed' Actress Eloped Mid-Pandemic". Distractify. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (19 June 2019). "Teen Choice Awards: Shadowhunters, Riverdale, The Flash Lead Nominations". TV Line.
