Melina Kanakaredes
Raised in Akron, Ohio, Melina Kanakaredes was a performer even as a child. She attended Ohio State University before transferring to Point Park College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There, she performed in the local theaters while earning a BA in Theater Arts. Her first onscreen role came on the daytime soap opera "Guiding Light" (CBS, 1952-2009). She was nominated twice for a Daytime Emmy Award for her portrayal of Eleni Andros Cooper on the show. Her first primetime series experience was a series regular role on "New York News" (CBS, 1995), starring Mary Tyler Moore and Madeleine Kahn. After that series ended, she played a recurring role on "NYPD Blue" (ABC, 1993-2005) and was a series regular on the short-lived "Leaving LA" (ABC, 1997) an office comedy about the Los Angeles coroner. Kanakaredes had her biggest success to date with "Providence" (NBC, 1999-2002). She played the leading role on the show about a big city plastic surgeon who returns to her small hometown. The series ended its run in 2002, after five seasons, but Kanakaredes did not stop to take a break, appearing in a supporting roles before returning to a spot as a series regular on "CSI: NY" (CBS, 2004-2013). After six seasons, Kanakaredes left the series and continued to appear in supporting roles before returning to series TV in the medical drama "The Resident" (Fox 2018-).