Melinda Shankar

Melinda Shankar was born on February 18, 1992, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada to Canadian parents of Hindu Indo-Guyanese descent who immigrated to Canada.{{cite web |url=http://www.stabroeknews.com/2010/the-scene/02/13/melinda-shankar-returns-to-guyanese-roots-to-film-new-movie/ |title=Stabroek News - Melinda Shankar returns to Guyanese roots to film new movie |publisher=www.stabroeknews.com |access-date=2010-08-12|date=2010-02-13 }} She has two older sisters and a brother, who is also an actor. She was raised in Orleans, Ontario, a suburban section of Ottawa.

Her father owned a karate school in Ottawa, with her beginning to study the practice at three.{{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=Lisa |date=2015-07-28 |title=Melinda Shankar, the Degrassi star dishes about her seven great seasons on the hit show |url=https://streetsoftoronto.com/melinda-shankar-the-degrassi-star-dishes-about-her-seven-great-seasons-on-the-hit-show/ |access-date=2024-03-09 |website=Streets Of Toronto |language=en-US}} She began to study ballet at the same age. Shankar currently has a black belt in karate.{{cite web|last=Powell |first=Catherine |url=http://showmetheskyline.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/melinda-shankar-interview-inside-degrassi-series/ |title=Melinda Shankar Interview (Inside Degrassi Series) « Back-Pocket Believers |publisher=Showmetheskyline.wordpress.com |date=2011-04-16 |access-date=2017-02-13}} She attended Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School in Ottawa until grade 11 before moving to Toronto when she was sixteen, following her casting in Degrassi: The Next Generation in 2008.{{cite web|url=http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/movies/story.html?id=7fbfd91e-7973-4a6c-a1b2-3623e28d7898 |title=Ottawa actress lands principal Degrassi role |access-date=2010-08-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628221432/http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/movies/story.html?id=7fbfd91e-7973-4a6c-a1b2-3623e28d7898 |archive-date=2011-06-28 }}

Shankar began her career as a child model and appeared in numerous print advertisements, including a Procter & Gamble billboard in Los Angeles.{{citation needed|date = January 2016}} Shankar's mother was an actress and her paternal grandfather was a director in Guyana. Shankar's father would often drive up to five hours from Ottawa to Toronto for her auditions.{{cite web|url=http://www.openchest.com/oc-in-print/actress-melinda-shankar/ |title=OC Interview: OPEN CHEST Interview with Actress Melinda Shankar - Open Chest with Raj Girn |publisher=Openchest.com |access-date=2017-02-13}}{{cite web|author=Laura Cummings Published on March 06, 2009 |url=http://www.orleansstar.ca/Living/Well-being/2009-03-06/article-641765/Orleans-teen-scores-television-series/1 |title=Orléans teen scores television series - Well-being - Orléans Star |publisher=Orleansstar.ca |date=2009-03-06 |access-date=2017-02-13}}

In 2008, she debuted as an actress in the popular CTV television series Degrassi, joining the cast as an incoming 9th grade student.{{Cite web|url=http://www.hollywood.com/celebrity/5339898/Melinda_Shankar|title=Melinda Shankar | Biography, Photos, Movies, TV, Credits | Hollywood.com|date=June 27, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090627194123/http://www.hollywood.com/celebrity/5339898/Melinda_Shankar|archive-date=2009-06-27}} Shankar appeared in a total of seven seasons, until its finale in 2015.File:Melinda Shankar and Andra Fuller at 2013 Canadian Screen Awards Nominee Reception.jpg at 2013 Canadian Screen Awards Nominee Reception]]In 2009, she starred in a television series on YTV called How To Be Indie. She played the lead role of Indira "Indie" Metha for two seasons. The series aired its final episode on October 24, 2011. For her role, Shankar won a Gemini Award in 2011 and a Canadian Screen Award in 2013.{{Cite web|url=http://www.academy.ca/About-the-Academy/Awards-Database?flow=person&step=1&byp-award-v=5&byp-winners-v=False&byp-name-v=Melinda+Shankar|title=You are being redirected...|website=www.academy.ca}}

She co-starred alongside Jennifer Stone and Vanessa Morgan in the 2010 children's television film Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars.{{Cite news |last=MacDonald |first=Gayle |date=2010-03-23 |title=The mother-daughter movie script |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/the-mother-daughter-movie-script/article1209719/ |access-date=2024-03-09 |work=The Globe and Mail |language=en-CA}}

Shankar was cast in her first feature film, Festival of Lights in 2010. The movie was filmed on location in New York City and Georgetown, Guyana. Her father served as production manager for the film due to his familiarity with the locations in Guyana.

She has appeared in all three of the Christmas with a Prince television film franchise as Bella since 2018.{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Prerna |date=2022-08-07 |title=Where Was Christmas with a Prince Filmed? |url=https://thecinemaholic.com/where-was-christmas-with-a-prince-filmed/ |access-date=2024-03-09 |website=The Cinemaholic |language=en-US}}

In 2013, Shankar and a longtime childhood friend began working on an image consulting business.{{cite web |url=http://www.pressthefashionmagazine.com/apps/blog/show/29676476 |title=Miss Conception launch |last=Mayele |first=Grace |date=2013-07-04 |website=pressthefashionmagazine.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402153834/http://www.pressthefashionmagazine.com/apps/blog/show/29676476 |archive-date=2015-04-02 |url-status=dead |access-date=2017-02-13}} On February 22, 2014, they launched Miss Conception, a professional styling and image agency based in Toronto.{{cite web |first=Jayda |last=Ivy |title=Melinda Shankar's Miss Conception is Officially Open for Business! |website=613style.com |date=2014-02-21 |url=http://www.613style.com/melinda-shankar-miss-conception-open-for-business/ |access-date=2017-02-13}} By no later than October 2017, the Miss Conception website had been shut down.{{cite web |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019225943/http://miss-conception.com?reqp=1&reqr= |title=miss-conception.com |website=Internet Archive |date=2017-10-19 |quote=This page is unavailable for archiving. The server returned code: because server does not respond. |access-date=2025-02-10}}

{{As of|2012|March}}, Shankar resided in Toronto's Willowdale neighbourhood.{{cite web |first=Omar |last=Mosleh |title=Growing up through her Degrassi role |website=mytowncrier.ca |date=2012-03-12 |url=http://www.mytowncrier.ca/growing-up-through-her-degrassi-role.html |access-date=2014-02-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304101832/http://www.mytowncrier.ca/growing-up-through-her-degrassi-role.html |archive-date=2014-03-04 |url-status=dead}}

Shankar is a supporter of the Breaking Boards, Breaking Chains campaign, an event to raise funds for young survivors of sexual assault in Bolivia.{{Cite web |last=Guardian |first=Etobicoke |date=2017-04-25 |title=Melinda Shankar, board break-a-thon supports Bolivian sex assault survivors |url=https://www.toronto.com/things-to-do/melinda-shankar-board-break-a-thon-supports-bolivian-sex-assault-survivors/article_cef6e26c-d3b3-56f4-a690-28a15204a17f.html |access-date=2024-03-09 |website=Toronto.com |language=en}}

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Category:1992 births

Category:21st-century Canadian actresses

Category:Actresses from Ottawa

Category:Canadian actresses of Indian descent

Category:Canadian child actresses

Category:Canadian female karateka

Category:Canadian film actresses

Category:Canadian television actresses

Category:Canadian people of Indo-Guyanese descent

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century Canadian sportswomen