Melissa Marie Benoist, born October 4, 1988[1], is an American actress and singer. She is known for her role as Kara Zor-El/Kara Danvers (Supergirl) on Supergirl along with other appearances in the Arrowverse franchise. She had a main role in Glee for two seasons.
Personal Life[]
Benoist was born to Jim and Julie Benoist[2] in Littleton, Colorado. She went to Arapahoe High School in Littleton.[2] In high school, Melissa felt like an outsider and was made fun of. She did a lot of extracurricular theater shows. She says she was a wallflower and spent a lot of time by herself, like eating lunch, but she was okay with it.[3] She graduated from Arapahoe in 2007.[4] Instead of attending graduation parties, she performed the play "Evita" with other cast members at the shut-down Country Dinner Playhouse.[5] She graduated from Marymount Manhattan College in 2011.[6]
She was in a relationship with Glee co-star Blake Jenner with them becoming engaged in 2013. It was reported that the couple got married in 2015, however claims were reported that the couple married in 2013.[7][8][9][10] Benoist would file for divorce citing irreconcilable differences for the reason in December 2016 and it would be finalized in December 2017.[10]
She has been in a relationship with Chris Wood since 2017; the couple announced their engagement in February 2019.[11] They were married on September 1, 2019.[12] Their couple's son, Huxley Robert, was born in September 2020.[13]
Career[]
Melissa made her film debut in Tennessee. In May,[14] she auditioned for Glee in New York at the Roundabout Theatre Company. She sang different songs for her five auditions: "Fidelity" by Regina Spektor, "King of Anything"
by Sara Bareilles, a Colbie Caillat song, and some musical theater songs. In July,[14] she got two screen tests in California for Ryan Murphy, the casting directors, and executive producers. Because the creators had been looking for Marley for a long time, she started working the day she found out she got the job.[3][15]
She and Darren Criss appear with Josh Duhamel in the opening of the 2013 Kids' Choice Awards.[16]
She was chosen, along with fellow Glee cast members Jacob Artist, Dean Geyer, and Becca Tobin as an ambassador for Coca Cola's new product, P10 300 ml Coke Mismo.[17][18] In June 2013, they were flown to Manila, Philippines to endorse the product by visiting different malls and meeting with fans.[19][20]
She was recently cast in Imagine, an indie film. She will portray Jamie, a desk clerk at a hotel frequented by one of her favorite rock stars of all time.[21]
Benoist was announced, in January 2015, to be tapped to portray Kara Zor-El/Kara Danvers (Supergirl) in the CBS's series, Supergirl.[22]. The series migrated to Vancouver and the CW network for its second season.
Filmography[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Tennessee | Laurel (age 18) | |
2010 | The Good Wife | Molly | ("Nine Hours") |
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Ava | ("Wet") | |
Blue Bloods | Renee | ("Privilege") | |
Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Jessalyn Kerr | ("Delicate") | |
2011 | Homeland | Stacy Moore | ("Grace" and "Clean Skin") |
2012 | Glee | Marley Rose | 2012 - 2014, recurring/main role (35 episodes) |
2014 | Whiplash | Nicole | |
2015 | Band of Robbers | Becky Thatcher | |
The Longest Ride | Marcia | ||
Danny Collins | Jamie | ||
Supergirl | Kara Danvers/Supergirl | 2015 - 2021, main role/director (126 episodes) | |
2016 | |||
Arrow | 2016 - 2018, 2020 (5 episodes) | ||
DC's Legends of Tomorrow | 2016 - 2017, 2020 (3 episodes) | ||
The Flash | 2016 - 2019 (5 episodes) | ||
Patriots Day | Katherine Russell | ||
Lowriders | Lorelei | ||
2017 | Billy Boy | Jennifer | |
Sun Dogs | Tally Petersen | ||
2018 | Freedom Fighters: The Ray | Overgirl | voice |
Waco | Rachel Koresh | miniseries (6 episodes) | |
2019 | Batwoman | Kara Danvers/Supergirl | ("Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Two") |
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot | Chronic | ||
The Stew | Susan | short | |
2020 | Robot Chicken | Laura/Malorie Hayes | voice ("Sundancer Craig in: 30% of the Way to Crying") |
Theatre[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | The Sound of Music | Little Brigitta[2] | Town Hall Arts Center production |
2006[23] | Bye Bye Birdie | Kim McAfee[24] | Town Hall Arts Center production |
2006 | A Month in the Country | Vera | Town Hall Arts Center production |
2006[24] | A Chorus Line | Bebe | Town Hall Arts Center production |
2007 | Rodger and Hammerstein's Cinderella | Title Character | Town Hall Arts Center production |
2007 | Footloose | Ariel[25] | Town Hall Arts Center production |
2007[26] | Evita | Peron's young mistress[27] | Country Dinner Playhouse's final production |
2009[28] | Throughly Modern Millie | Millie Dilmount | Marymount Manhattan College production |
2009[29] | As You Like It | Rosalind | Marymount Manhattan College production |
2011[30] | The Unauthorized Biography of Samantha Brown | Kelly | Goodspeed Musical production |
Links and Social Networks[]
Quotes[]
“ |
I believe in making my opportunities and that I am responsible for my own future. I am going to be really careful about it and take it one step at a time, and hopefully it will turn out for the best. But I love it so much I don't think I would give it up for anything else.[2] |
” |
—Melissa Benoist |
Trivia[]
- She was a fan of Glee before she joined the cast.[3]
- Like the character she portrays, she also comes from a single parent family.[3]
- She went to Marymount Manhattan College[24] and graduated in 2011. Jenna Ushkowitz also attended, but graduated in 2007.[6]
- She likes Marley's wardrobe.[3]
- She has two sisters named Jessica and Kristina.
- She likes singing classic jazz and would like to sing any Ella Fitzgerald, Rosemary Clooney, or Etta James. If she could sing a contemporary song, she would sing something by Mumford & Sons.[3]
- She loves the song "At Last" by Etta James.[3]
- Her passion lies in acting rather than singing and she is interested in doing movies.[3]
- She hopes girls watching find strength in Marley's struggles.[3]
- She loves female singer-songwriters.[3]
- She is obsessed with Michael Fassbender.[31]
- She saw Matthew Morrison on Broadway in New York. She loved his performance in "A Light in the Piazza."[24]
- In 2006, she was one of Denver Post's five "Can't Miss Kids."[2]
- As a teen, she performed anonymously at Disneyland for three summers with the Academy of Theatre Arts run by Paul Dwyer and Alann Worley in Littleton.[27]
- She was in a relationship with Nicholas Vorderman, who is a photographer.[32]
- She has three tattoos: a wolf on her left wrist, a feather and the word "free" on the back of her neck, and a bicycle on her left foot.[33]
- Her dog Farley is something that always makes her feel better.[34]
- She has always wanted to visit Rio de Janeiro and see the Amazon.[35]
- One of her guilty pleasure songs is MMMBop by Hanson.[36]
- She would choose Legolas over Gimli.[37]
- Her first time overseas was to the Philippines as a Coca Cola ambassador.[20]
- She and AnnaSophia Robb went to the same high school.[38] They were both up for Choice Television Breakout Star at the 2013 Teen Choice Awards.
- The recording studio was her biggest obstacle when she first began the show. She had rarely used one before and found it challenging.[39]
- She says she is terrible at athletics.[15]
- Her best friends are Jacob and Becca (confirmed in an interview).
- She is the second Glee actor to play a DC superhero (Supergirl) in her own show, following Grant Gustin.
- Interestingly, the characters of Jake and Ryder sang Superman to her in Dynamic Duets. Supergirl is Superman's cousin in the comics.
- She is the only alive former series regular not to appear in any form during the final season.
- She was invited in the series finale for I Lived performance, but was unable to come due to her Supergirl commitment.
- She was the first Glee actress to have an Oscar-winning film.
- She is one of five actors in Glee to also be in Supergirl. The others are Blake Jenner, Peter Facinelli, Grant Gustin and Darren Criss.
- She met both her ex-husband and current husband on television shows that they worked on and played romantic interests. (Blake Jenner - Glee, Chris Wood - Supergirl)