Melina Eleni Kanakaredes was born on the 23rd April 1967, in Akron, Ohio USA, and is a film, television and theater actress, probably best known for her role as Detective Stella Bonasera in the spin-off of the popular crime drama “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”, entitled “CSI: NY” (2004-2010). Her career in acting started in 1994, with the romantic drama movie “Bleeding Hearts”.
Have you ever wondered how rich Melina Kanakaredes is, as of early 2017? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Kanakaredes’s net worth is as high as $10 million, earned largely through her successful career in acting.
Melina Kanakaredes Net Worth $10 Million
Melina Kanakaredes is the daughter of Greek-American couple, Connie (nee Tamo) and Harry Kanakaredes. Her mother is one of the owners of a candy store in Akron, called “Temo’s Candy Company”, which is run by the other two owners, Melina’s maternal uncles. Her father was an insurance agent. The family has always been close-knit, and in touch with their Greek roots and culture, which is why she speaks fluent Greek. Melina dabbed her toes in acting at the age of eight, in a stage production of “Ton Sawyer” at their community theatre. Having fallen in love with the arts, she decided to pursue a degree in music, dance, and theatre at Point Park College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she performed in several roles at Pittsburgh Musical Theater, including the part of Mary Magdalene in the production of “Jesus Christ Superstar”. Melina also a beauty pageant contestant, a move she undertook in order to secure money for college. She was declared Miss Columbus, and then finished as the first runner-up for Miss Ohio. She graduated with honors in 1989.
Before her big break in film in “Bleeding Hearts” (1994), she went through several TV roles, most notable being that of Eleni Andros Cooper in “Guiding Light” (1992-1995), a soap opera for which she was nominated twice for a Daytime Emmy Award. The series is famous for being the longest running soap opera in American history, lasting from 1952 to 2009. She also had a few guest-starring roles, in television series such as “New York News” (1995), and “NYPD Blue” (1995), in both of which she played a journalist. In the later ‘90s, she also secured a couple of big screen credits: in 1996 she appeared in “The Long Kiss Goodnight” with Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson, and then in 1998 she starred in two movies – the crime drama “Rounders” with Mat Damon and Edward Norton, and period drama “Dangerous Beauty” with Catherine McCormack and Rufus Sewell, all adding steadily to her net worth.
However, all of her career-defining roles were on the small screen. The first was her performance as Dr. Sydney Hansen in the television drama “Providence” from 1999 to 2002, and for this role, Melina won the TV Guide Award for Favorite Actress in a Drama in 2000. Afterwards, she did a brief stint on Broadway, starring as Sally Bowles in the musical “Cabaret” (2003). Next came perhaps her most memorable role to date, that of Detective Stella Bonasera in “CSI: NY” (2004-2010), with co-stars including Gary Sinise, Carmine Giovinazzo, Anna Belknap, and Eddie Cahill. She played the outspoken, and at times rash detective for six seasons of this successful TV series, which increased her net worth significantly.
After she left the show in 2010, Melina starred in two movies, “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” (2010) in which she played Greek goddess Athena, and “Snitch” (2013), with Dwayne Johnson, Susan Sarandon, and Barry Pepper. She also appeared as a guest-star in “Hawaii 5-0” (2015), and the short-lived science fiction series “Extant” (2015). Her most recent project is the film called “Wake”, which is currently in pre-production.
Regarding her personal life, Melina resides in Los Angeles with her family, husband Peter Constantinides and their two daughters. Her family upholds the dedication to their Greek ancestry by travelling to Greece once a year, and visiting their relatives and friends. In her free time, Melina enjoys Pilates, reading, swimming, and listening to music, particularly James Taylor.
