Tonantzin Carmelo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tonantzin Carmelo
Tonantzin Carmelo in 2021
Born	1976 (age 48–49) Orange County, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress

Tonantzin Carmelo is an American actress known for her exciting roles in movies, TV shows, and plays. She gained recognition for her part in the Steven Spielberg miniseries, Into the West. For this role, she was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award, which is a big honor in acting.

Recently, Tonantzin has been busy filming new TV series. In 2021, she worked on The English for the BBC and La Brea for NBC. In 2024, she joined the cast of Dark Winds on AMC. She also started filming NCIS Origins for CBS, playing a character named Tish Kwa'la.

Early Life and Education

Tonantzin Carmelo grew up in Orange County, California, which is in southern California. She has both Indigenous and Latina family roots. When she was younger, she loved participating in Native dances and music. She even traveled across North America with cultural groups, sharing her heritage. She also became a skilled dancer and performed with a modern dance group called Daystar.

Tonantzin went to the University of California, Irvine. There, she earned a degree in Environmental Studies and also studied Dance. While in college, she started acting in plays and independent films.

Acting Career Highlights

Tonantzin Carmelo began her professional acting journey in a musical theater show. It was produced by Carmen Zapata at the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts and toured around the Los Angeles area.

In 2007, she played the main character, Shayla Stonefeather, in the thriller movie Imprint.

Besides acting, Tonantzin is also a choreographer, which means she creates dance routines. Her dance work has been shown in the Amazon TV series, Undone, and in an opera called Sweetland. She is also a singer and has recorded three albums with the band Trio del Alma for Canyon Records.

In 2012, Tonantzin spoke to the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. She talked about how Native Americans are shown in Hollywood movies.

Tonantzin has also lent her voice and acting skills to several video games. These include popular titles like Dead Space, The Crew, Lego Marvel's Avengers, and Cyberpunk 2077.

She has a long-standing connection with Native Voices at the Autry Museum in Los Angeles. She has performed on stage there and has also been part of their advisory board. Tonantzin is also a member of the Tongva Language Committee for Revitalization, helping to bring back the Tongva language.

Awards and Nominations

Tonantzin Carmelo has received several awards and nominations for her acting. On January 5, 2006, she was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for her role as Thunder Heart Woman in Into the West. This award recognizes outstanding performances by actors.

She also won the Best Actress award at the American Indian Film Festival and was nominated for Best Actress at the Hoboken International Film Festival for the same role. In 2015, she was called "An Indie Darling to Crave" at the Sundance Film Festival for her role as Teresa in the film Entertainment.

Here is a list of her awards and nominations:

Film and Television Roles

Tonantzin Carmelo has appeared in many films and TV shows. Here are some of her roles:

Video Game Roles

Tonantzin Carmelo has also voiced characters in several video games: