Melina Kanakaredes

Melina Kanakaredes is an American actress best known for her role as Detective Stella Bonasera in the CBS drama CSI: NY from 2004-2010. She also starred in Providence and the soap opera Guiding Light, for which she received two Daytime Emmy nominations. Kanakaredes has appeared in a few movies, including The Long Kiss Goodnight, 15 Minutes, Rounders, and as Athena in Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thiefhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005074/ She was considered for the lead role in My Big Fat Greek Wedding but declined due to her pregnancy.http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20030216/ai_n11378238/

Kanakaredes was born in Akron, Ohio to Constance Temo and Harry Kanakaredes. Melina is the youngest of three sisters. She is a second-generation Greek-American and speaks Greek fluently.http://www.filmreference.com/film/76/Melina-Kanakaredes.html After graduating from Firestone High School in 1986 she briefly attended Ohio State University to study music, dance and theater, then transferred to Point Park College in Pittsburgh.http://www.tv.com/melina-kanakaredes/person/1643/summary.html She is married to Peter Constantinides and has two children, Zoe and Karina Eleni. She currently lives in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley. Kanakaredes enjoys reading, swimming, working out with the Pilates system, traveling, and listening to James Taylor.http://www.tv.com/melina-kanakaredes/person/1643/summary.html She is an avid sports fan of the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Bulls.http://www.tv.com/melina-kanakaredes/person/1643/summary.html

Kanakaredes' first notable role was on Guiding Light as Eleni Andros from 1991-1995. She left to further her acting career and appeared in series such as Due South, NYPD Blue and Leaving LA before landing a role as Sydney Hansen in Providence. She was on the show from 1999-2002. In 2004 she originated the role of Stella Bonasera on CSI:NY, introduced as a spinoff on CSI: Miami (which was a spinoff of the original CSI.

After 6 seasons on CSI: NY chose not to renew her contract and left before she could be properly written off the show. She was replaced by actress Sela Ward.http://www.mediaspy.org/report/2010/07/13/us-melina-kanakaredes-leaves-csi-ny/