Melissa Fumero facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Melissa Fumero
Fumero promoting Brooklyn Nine-Nine in 2019
Born	Melissa Gallo (1982-08-19) August 19, 1982 (age 42) Lyndhurst, New Jersey, U.S.
Alma mater	New York University (BFA)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2004–present
Spouse(s)	David Fumero ​ (m. 2007)​
Children	2

Melissa Fumero (born August 19, 1982) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Amy Santiago in the TV comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. She also played Adriana Cramer in the soap opera One Life to Live. Melissa has also lent her voice to animated shows like M.O.D.O.K. and Digman!. She is married to actor David Fumero and they have two sons.

Early Life and Acting Dreams

Melissa Gallo was born in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, on August 19, 1982. Her parents came to the U.S. from Cuba when they were teenagers. Her mom was a homemaker and hairdresser, and her dad taught math.

Melissa grew up in Guttenberg and moved back to Lyndhurst when she was six. Her family spoke Spanish at home.

As a child, Melissa loved making and performing plays. She also started taking dance lessons. When she was ten, she saw a Broadway show called The Secret Garden. This made her want to become an actress. Her parents then sent her to acting classes.

She enjoyed theater classes because everyone focused on performing. She kept taking dance and acting classes until she finished high school. Melissa dreamed of going to New York University (NYU). Her parents used their savings and took out loans so she could attend. She graduated in 2003 with a degree in drama.

Starting Her Acting Career (2004–2012)

Right after her last exam at NYU, Melissa got a role on the soap opera One Life to Live (OLTL). She played Adriana Cramer, starting on January 20, 2004. She also appeared in two episodes of All My Children in 2005. Melissa left OLTL in 2008 but returned for a few guest appearances until 2011.

In 2008, she starred in a film called Tiny Dancer. She played a 17-year-old girl named Ati who is convinced to dance. For this role, Melissa learned a Spanish Harlem accent and trained a lot in modern dance.

After One Life to Live, Melissa wanted to try comedy. She got a role in Important Things with Demetri Martin in 2009. In the years that followed, she appeared in other popular TV shows. These included Gossip Girl, Royal Pains, The Mentalist, and CSI: NY.

Becoming a Star on Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013–2020)

Melissa Fumero got her first main role in 2013. She was cast as the female lead in a new comedy show for Fox. This show became Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is about a group of New York Police Department detectives in Brooklyn.

Melissa played Amy Santiago, a detective who follows rules and is very competitive. To get ready for the show, Melissa and the cast received police and firearm training. Melissa and Stephanie Beatriz, who played Rosa Diaz, were the two main Latina actresses on the show. They both felt it was important to show different types of Latina characters.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine first aired on September 17, 2013. It was very popular and received good reviews. Critics praised Melissa's acting, especially how well she worked with Andy Samberg, who played Jake Peralta.

In 2015, the cast of Brooklyn Nine-Nine was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award. Melissa also received an Imagen Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She later won this award in 2022.

During the third season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Melissa was pregnant. The show's writers included this in the story by having Amy go undercover as a pregnant woman. The directors used tricks to hide Melissa's real pregnancy, like placing her behind objects.

In May 2018, Fox canceled Brooklyn Nine-Nine after five seasons. Fans quickly started online campaigns to save the show. Just one day later, NBC decided to pick up the show for a sixth season. Melissa said it was a very emotional 36 hours. The sixth season premiered on January 10, 2019, to high ratings.

Melissa also tried directing an episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. She directed the episode "Return of the King" in 2019. She felt it was important for more women of color to direct.

In 2020, Melissa voiced Antonia in Disney Junior's Elena of Avalor. She also appeared in the TV series One Day at a Time. She was very excited to work with Gloria Estefan on that show.

Melissa Fumero promoting Brooklyn Nine-Nine in 2019

Recent Projects (2021–Present)

In the animated series M.O.D.O.K., Melissa voiced Melissa Tarleton. This character is the 17-year-old daughter of the main supervillain, MODOK. The show was released in May 2021 and received great reviews. Critics especially liked the voice acting.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine aired its eighth and final season starting in August 2021. Reviews for the season were mostly positive.

After Brooklyn Nine-Nine ended, Melissa wasn't sure if she wanted to do another workplace comedy. But she loved the script for Netflix's comedy Blockbuster. She knew the writer, Vanessa Ramos, from Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Melissa connected with her character, Eliza, a mom facing marriage problems. Blockbuster premiered in November 2022.

In 2021, Melissa was cast in the comedy film Bar Fight!. She played Nina, who fights with her ex-boyfriend over their favorite bar. The film was released in November 2022.

Melissa also joined the cast of the animated TV series Digman! as Bella Digman. She reunited with Andy Samberg, who voices the main character. In 2023, she directed two episodes of the sitcom Primo. In 2024, Melissa started hosting a comedy podcast called More Better with Stephanie and Melissa with Stephanie Beatriz.

Personal Life

Melissa Fumero met actor David Fumero on the set of One Life to Live. They got engaged in late 2006 and married on December 9, 2007. They have two sons. Their first son was born on March 24, 2016, and their second on February 14, 2020.

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

Podcast

Audiobooks

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Melissa Fumero para niños