Melissa Benoist facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Melissa Benoist
Benoist at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	Melissa Marie Benoist (1988-10-04) October 4, 1988 (age 36) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Alma mater	Marymount Manhattan College (BA)
Occupation	Actress singer
Years active	2000–present
Spouse(s)	Blake Jenner ​ ​ (m. 2013; div. 2017)​ Chris Wood ​ (m. 2019)​
Children	1

Melissa Marie Benoist (born October 4, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her exciting roles on TV.

Her first big role was playing Marley Rose in the musical comedy-drama show Glee from 2012 to 2014. She became even more famous for playing the main character, Supergirl, in the superhero TV series Supergirl from 2015 to 2021. This show was part of a bigger superhero world called the Arrowverse.

Melissa has also been in many movies, including the drama Whiplash (2014) and the action thriller Patriots Day (2016). In 2018, she made her first appearance on Broadway, playing the famous singer Carole King in the musical Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.

Early life and education

Melissa Benoist was born in Houston, Texas. She grew up mostly in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado with her mother after her parents separated. She has two sisters, Jessica and Kristina, and five half-siblings. Growing up in Colorado, she loved exploring national parks and being in nature.

She started taking dance classes when she was three years old, learning jazz, ballet, and tap. When she was four, her aunt put her in a church play, and from then on, she loved performing in children's theater in her hometown.

As a teenager, Melissa performed anonymously at Disneyland during the summers. She sang songs from musicals with a school called the Academy of Theatre Arts. She also performed in many local plays, like Cinderella and A Chorus Line. Instead of going to high school graduation parties, she was performing in the play Evita.

In 2006, The Denver Post newspaper called Melissa one of Colorado's top five "Can't Miss Kids." She finished high school in 2007 and then moved to New York City to become a musical theater actress. She went to Marymount Manhattan College and first studied musical theater. Later, she changed her focus to general theater because she loved 19th-century Russian plays. She graduated in 2011 with a degree in Theatre Arts.

Career

2008–2011: Early work

Melissa Benoist's first movie was Tennessee in 2008, where she acted alongside singer Mariah Carey. After that, while still in college, she made guest appearances on popular TV shows like Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Blue Bloods, Homeland, and The Good Wife.

2012–2014: Rise to prominence with Glee and film roles

Benoist in 2015 at the 6th Annual Thirst Project Gala

In May 2012, Melissa auditioned for the musical comedy-drama series Glee. She sang different songs for her five auditions. In July, she did two screen tests in California and got the part! She played Marley Rose in the fourth and fifth seasons of Glee. Her first appearance was in the first episode of season four, called "The New Rachel". She started working right away because the creators had been looking for Marley for a long time.

Melissa's first performance on Glee was a duet of "New York State of Mind" with Lea Michele. This song became very popular. In 2013, she and her Glee co-star Darren Criss appeared with Josh Duhamel at the Kids' Choice Awards. That same year, she became an ambassador for Coca-Cola's new product, Coke Mismo. She traveled to Manila, Philippines, to promote the drink and meet fans.

Melissa also started appearing in movies. She played Nicole in the 2014 drama film Whiplash, which won awards at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. In 2014, she joined the movie The Longest Ride. She also had a role in the 2015 film Danny Collins, playing Jamie, a hotel desk clerk. That same year, Melissa played Becky Thatcher in Band of Robbers, a modern version of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

2015–present: Supergirl and Broadway debut

In October 2015, the superhero series Supergirl premiered on CBS, with Melissa Benoist in the main role of Kara Zor-El. She was the first woman to lead a prime-time superhero TV series since Wonder Woman in 1979! The first episode was watched by many viewers. Melissa received great reviews for her portrayal of Supergirl. The show later moved to The CW network.

Benoist at 2017 San Diego Comic-Con

Melissa also played Supergirl in special crossover episodes with other superhero shows like The Flash and Arrow. She even directed one episode during the fifth season of Supergirl. For her role as Supergirl, she won the Breakthrough Performance Award at the 42nd Saturn Awards and two Best Actress awards at the Saturn Awards. The series finished in November 2021 after six seasons.

In May 2016, Melissa was cast as Katherine Russell in the drama film Patriots Day. In June, she was set to star in the comedy-drama film Sun Dogs. She also appeared in a video for the Human Rights Campaign to honor the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting. In April 2017, Melissa played Rachel Koresh in the miniseries Waco.

On May 7, 2018, it was announced that Melissa would play Carole King in the Broadway show Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. This was her first time performing on Broadway! Melissa said that performing in theater felt like "coming home" and was a "manifestation of a lot of her childhood dreams." In February 2021, she started her own production company called Three Things Productions.

In June 2022, it was announced that Melissa would star in the HBO Max series The Girls on the Bus. She will play Sadie McCarthy, a journalist covering a presidential campaign. Melissa is also a producer for this series. In September 2024, she joined the cast of the Netflix family drama The Waterfront. In December 2024, it was announced that Melissa will star in a new NBC drama series called Duo, which her company will also produce.

Other ventures

On October 26, 2021, Melissa published her first book, Haven’s Secret. This is the first book in The Powers series, a fantasy series for middle schoolers. Melissa wrote the book with her sister Jessica Benoist and author Mariko Tamaki. Haven's Secret was recognized as a 2022 Kansas Notable Book.

Personal life

During her first semester in college, Melissa was learning to ride a bike when a taxi backed into her. This left a small scar above her eyebrows. She also has a tattoo of a bicycle on her left foot.

In 2015, it was announced that Melissa married her Glee co-star Blake Jenner. They later divorced in December 2017.

In 2016, Melissa met Chris Wood when he joined the cast of Supergirl. Their romantic relationship began in 2017. Melissa said they met at "the perfect time in our lives." In October 2017, Melissa helped Chris launch his "IDONTMIND" campaign, which aims to reduce the stigma around mental health and provide resources. Melissa has talked about her own experiences with depression and anxiety attacks since she was 13 years old. She said that Chris's words encouraged her to share her own struggles.

Melissa and Chris announced their engagement on February 10, 2019, and got married in September 2019. On March 4, 2020, they announced they were expecting their first child. They welcomed their son on September 25, 2020.

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

Theatre

Soundtrack performances

Awards and nominations

Images for kids

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  Melissa Benoist at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con

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  Melissa Benoist in 2015 at the 6th Annual Thirst Project Gala

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  Melissa Benoist at 2017 San Diego Comic-Con

See also

In Spanish: Melissa Benoist para niños