Melissa De Sousa
 | This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (March 2021) |
Melissa De Sousa | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 25, 1967 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1992–present |
Melissa De Sousa (born September 25, 1967) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Shelby in the 1999 romantic comedy-drama film The Best Man, its 2013 sequel The Best Man Holiday, Gabriella Jimenez in BET's Reed Between the Lines (2011), and Ana Lopez in Black Lightning.
Early life[]
Born and raised in New York City by Panamanian parents,[1] Melissa De Sousa attended the High School of Performing Arts as a ballet major, and began her career as a principal dancer with The Alvin Ailey American Dance Company before transitioning into acting.
Career[]
De Sousa is best known for her performance as the Shelby in the Universal Studio franchise The Best Man and The Best Man Holiday starring opposite Terrence Howard, for which she earned an NAACP Image Award nomination. Currently recurring as "Mirta Herrera" on Showtime's On Becoming a God in Central Florida, she also led the cult hit series Single Ladies for BET.
De Sousa also starred opposite Matthew Perry in the TNT original presentation of The Ron Clark Story, which garnered an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Made For Television Movie. Other film work includes Laurel Canyon, Miss Congeniality, and Constellation. Her television credits include series regular roles on Reed Between The Lines, Second Time Around, One on One, The $treet, Valley of the Dolls, and Damon. Guest star credits include Criminal Minds, Elementary, Shameless, and countless others.
In 2021, De Sousa appeared in the final season of Black Lightning as Police Chief Ana Lopez.
Personal life[]
De Sousa currently resides in New York.
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Ride | Leta | |
| 1999 | The Best Man | Shelby | |
| 2000 | Lockdown | Krista | |
| 2000 | Miss Congeniality | Karen Krantz, Miss New York | |
| 2001 | 30 Years to Life | Natalie | |
| 2001 | I Shaved My Legs For This | Melissa | |
| 2002 | Laurel Canyon | Claudia | |
| 2003 | Biker Boyz | Sheila (uncredited) | |
| 2005 | Constellation | Lucy Boxer-Seras | |
| 2008 | A Good Man Is Hard To Find | Monica | |
| 2009 | The Killing of Wendy | Angie | |
| 2010 | The Bannen Way | Catalina | |
| 2010 | Ashes | Camille | |
| 2012 | She Is Not My Sister | Stacey | |
| 2013 | The Best Man Holiday | Shelby | |
| 2014 | C.R.U. | Michelle Hughes | |
| 2015 | Supermodel | Det. Lacey |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Trials of Rosie O'Neill | Cricket | Episode: "Sweet Sixteen" |
| 1992 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Melissa Skyler | Episode: "Words Up!" |
| 1993 | Getting By | Randee | Episode: "Do the Fright Thing" |
| 1993 | Silk Stalkings | Ellie Rose | Episode: "Tough Love" |
| 1993–1994 | Living Single | Carmen / Lisa | 2 episodes |
| 1994 | The Sinbad Show | Actress | Episode: "David Goes Skiing |
| 1994 | Valley of the Dolls | Neely O'Hara | 65 episodes |
| 1995 | Simon | Brenda | Episode: "Simon Hunts a Rat" |
| 1996 | Married... with Children | Jaclyn | 2 episodes |
| 1996 | Spark | Nina | Short |
| 1996 | ER | Estella | Episode: "Baby Shower" |
| 1997 | The Wayans Bros. | Charmaine | Episode: "I Do..." |
| 1997 | Moesha | Jennifer | Episode: "Age Ain't Nothing But a Number" |
| 1998 | Damon | Stacy Phillips | 7 episodes |
| 1999 | Grown Ups | Donna | 2 episodes |
| 2000–2001 | The $treet | Donna Pasqua | 12 episodes (7 aired in US) |
| 2002–2003 | One on One | Natalie Odessa | 12 episodes |
| 2004–2005 | Second Time Around | Coco | 13 episodes |
| 2006 | The Ron Clark Story | Marissa Vega | TV movie |
| 2006 | Saturday Night Life | Darlene Maye | Short |
| 2006 | Ghost Whisperer | Christine Nelson | Episode: "The Ghost Within" |
| 2007 | Bats: Human Harvest | Lieutenant O'Neal | TV movie |
| 2008 | Danny Fricke | Erika Valdez | TV movie |
| 2009 | CHICK: Within Me Lives a Superhero | Wildfire | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | Castle | Liz Penn | Episode: "A Deadly Game" |
| 2011 | Reed Between the Lines | Gabriella Jimenez | 20 episodes |
| 2013 | Shameless | Tina | Episode: "May I Trim Your Hedges?" |
| 2015 | Single Ladies | Austin Aguilera | 5 episodes |
| 2017 | Haters | Graciela | TV movie |
| 2017 | Criminal Minds | Adele McCord | Episode: "Bad Moon on the Rise" |
| 2018 | Elementary | Luz Horowitz | Episode: "The Visions of Norman P. Horowitz" |
| 2018 | Ladies of the Law | Tina | Main role |
| 2019 | On Becoming a God in Central Florida | Mirta Herrera | Recurring role, 5 episodes |
| 2021 | The Best Man: The Final Chapters | Shelby | Recurring role, 10 episodes |
| 2021 | Black Lightning | Ana Lopez | Recurring role |
References[]
- ^ "The Roster". Panamanian Council of New York. Archived from the original on 2008-07-24. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
External links[]
- 1967 births
- Actresses from New York City
- Panamanian actresses
- American film actresses
- American people of Panamanian descent
- American television actresses
- Hispanic and Latino American actresses
- Living people
- People from New York City