Melissa De Sousa
{{short description|American actress}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Melissa De Sousa
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1967|9|25}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/artist/melissa-desousa-vn15777496/filmography|title=Melissa DeSousa | Movies and Filmography|website=AllMovie}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.tvinsider.com/people/melissa-de-sousa/|title=Melissa De Sousa - Actress|date=December 18, 2022|website=TV Insider}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = Actress
| yearsactive = 1992–present
}}
Melissa De Sousa is an American actress. She made her big screen debut playing the leading role in the 1998 comedy film Ride. She starred as Shelby in the 1999 romantic comedy-drama film The Best Man and later reprised her role in its 2013 sequel The Best Man Holiday and the 2022 Peacock series The Best Man: The Final Chapters.
Early life
A Panamanian,{{cite web |url=http://www.panamacouncilny.com/rost.html |title=The Roster |publisher=Panamanian Council of New York |accessdate=2008-07-15 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724084512/http://www.panamacouncilny.com/rost.html |archivedate=2008-07-24 }} 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.{{Citation needed |date=May 2023}}
Career
De Sousa made her television debut appearing in an episode of television drama series The Trials of Rosie O'Neill in 1992 and later that year starred in CBS Schoolbreak Special episode "Words Up!". She later made guest-starring appearances on Living Single, Getting By, Silk Stalkings, The Sinbad Show, Married... with Children, ER and The Wayans Bros.. In 1994, De Sousa portrayed drug-addicted actress Neely O'Hara in the syndicated soap opera Valley of the Dolls based on Jacqueline Susann's 1966 novel Valley of the Dolls. In 1998, she starred opposite Damon Wayans in the short-lived Fox sitcom Damon, and made her big screen debut playing the female leading role in the comedy film Ride. The film received mixed reviews from critics.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1082431-ride|title=Ride | Rotten Tomatoes|date=March 27, 1998|website=www.rottentomatoes.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/1998/film/reviews/ride-1200453017/|title=Ride|first=Lael|last=Loewenstein|date=March 30, 1998}}
In 1999, De Sousa starred as Shelby in the comedy-drama film The Best Man receiving NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture nomination for her performance.{{Cite web|url=https://www.blackfilm.com/0202/features/f-naacp.shtml|title=february 2000 | blackfilm.com | features | naacp image awards nominees|website=www.blackfilm.com}} The film received positive reviews from critics.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_best_man|title=The Best Man | Rotten Tomatoes|date=October 22, 1999|website=www.rottentomatoes.com}} The following year she appeared in the action comedy film Miss Congeniality, and the prison drama film Lockdown.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1120513-lockdown|title=Lockdown | Rotten Tomatoes|date=January 5, 2014|website=www.rottentomatoes.com}} In 2001, she starred in the independent comedy film 30 Years to Life.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/30_years_to_life|title=30 Years to Life | Rotten Tomatoes|date=June 7, 2002|website=www.rottentomatoes.com}} On television, she was regular cast member in the Fox drama series, The Street, the UPN sitcom Second Time Around (2004–2005), and the BET sitcom Reed Between the Lines (2011). She also had recurring roles in the UPN sitcom One on One from 2002 to 2003, and the VH1 comedy-drama Single Ladies in 2015. In 2006, De Sousa starred opposite Matthew Perry in the TNT original movie The Ron Clark Story, which garnered an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Made For Television Movie. She guest-starred on Castle, Shameless, Criminal Minds and Elementary.
In 2013, De Sousa reprised her role as Shelby in the comedy-drama film The Best Man Holiday. It was a commercial success, grossing $72.8 million worldwide on a production budget of $17 million, and received positive reviews from critics.{{Cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2403632641/|title=The Best Man Holiday|website=Box Office Mojo}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_best_man_holiday_2013|title=The Best Man Holiday | Rotten Tomatoes|date=November 15, 2013|website=www.rottentomatoes.com}} In 2018, she played the leading role in the Urban Movie Channel comedy-drama series, Ladies of the Law.{{Cite web|url=https://movieweb.com/best-melissa-de-sousa-performances-ranked/|title=Best Melissa De Sousa Performances, Ranked|first=Jake|last=Dee|date=September 28, 2023|website=MovieWeb}} The following year she had recurring role as Mirta Herrera in the Showtime comedy series On Becoming a God in Central Florida. In 2021, De Sousa had a recurring role in the final season of CW superhero series Black Lightning as Police Chief Ana Lopez.{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/02/black-lightning-melissa-de-sousa-recur-season-4-the-cw-series-1234689658/|title='Dynasty' Casts Luke Cook; Melissa De Sousa Joins 'Black Lightning'|first=Denise|last=Petski|date=February 9, 2021}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.essence.com/entertainment/melissa-de-sousa-black-lightning/|title=Exclusive: Melissa De Sousa Joins The Cast Of 'Black Lightning'|date=May 25, 2021|website=Essence}} Later that year she joined the cast of Fox prime time soap opera, Our Kind of People.{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/10/our-kind-of-people-melissa-de-sousa-mckinley-freeman-fox-drama-series-recurring-1234850956/|title='Our Kind Of People': Melissa De Sousa & McKinley Freeman Join Fox Drama As Recurring|first=Denise|last=Petski|date=October 6, 2021}} In 2022, she reprised her role as Shelby in the comedy-drama miniseries The Best Man: The Final Chapters which streamed on Peacock.{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/02/the-best-man-final-chapters-limited-series-original-cast-peacock-malcolm-d-lee-dayna-lynne-north-morris-chestnut-melissa-de-sousa-taye-diggs-regina-hall-terrence-howard-sanaa-lathan-nia-lo-1234688009/|title='The Best Man' Limited Series With Original Cast Ordered By Peacock From Malcolm D. Lee & Dayna Lynne North|first=Nellie|last=Andreeva|date=February 9, 2021}}
Personal life
De Sousa currently resides in New York.
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 1996
| Spark | Nina | Short |
| 1998
| Ride | Leta | |
| 1999
| Shelby | |
| rowspan=2| 2000
| Lockdown | Krista | |
| Miss Congeniality
| Karen Krantz, Miss New York | |
| rowspan=2| 2001
| Natalie | |
| I Shaved My Legs For This
| Melissa | |
| 2002
| Claudia | |
| 2003
| Sheila | |
| 2005
| Lucy Boxer-Seras | |
| rowspan=2| 2006
| Marissa Vega | TV movie |
| Saturday Night Life
| Darlene Maye | Short |
| 2007
| Lieutenant O'Neal | TV movie |
| rowspan=2| 2008
| A Good Man Is Hard To Find | Monica | Video |
| Danny Fricke
| Erika Valdez | TV movie |
| 2009
| The Killing of Wendy | Angie | |
| rowspan=2| 2010
| The Bannen Way | Catalina | |
| Ashes
| Camille | |
| 2012
| She Is Not My Sister | Stacey | |
| 2013
| Shelby | |
| 2014
| C.R.U. | Michelle Hughes | |
| 2015
| Supermodel | Detective Lacey | |
| 2017
| Haters | Graciela | Short |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| rowspan=2| 1992
| Cricket | Episode: "Sweet Sixteen" |
| CBS Schoolbreak Special
| Melissa Skyler | Episode: "Words Up!" |
| rowspan=3| 1993
| Randee | Episode: "Do the Fright Thing" |
| Silk Stalkings
| Ellie Rose | Episode: "Tough Love" |
| Living Single
| Lisa | Episode: "In the Black Is Beautiful" |
| rowspan=3| 1994
| Actress | Episode: "David Goes Skiing |
| Valley of the Dolls
| Neely O'Hara | Main Cast |
| Living Single
| Carmen | Episode: "Who's the Boss?" |
| 1995
| Simon | Brenda | Episode: "Simon Hunts a Rat" |
| rowspan=2| 1996
| Jaclyn | Episode: "The Hood, the Bud & the Kelly: Part 1 & 2" |
| ER
| Estella | Episode: "Baby Shower" |
| rowspan=2| 1997
| Charmaine | Episode: "I Do..." |
| Moesha
| Jennifer | Episode: "Age Ain't Nothing But a Number" |
| 1998
| Damon | Stacy Phillips | Main Cast |
| 1999
| Donna | Recurring Cast |
| 2000–01
| Donna Pasqua | Main Cast |
| 2002–03
| Natalie Odessa | Recurring Cast: Season 2-3 |
| 2004–05
| Coco Herrera | Main Cast |
| 2006
| Christine Nelson | Episode: "The Ghost Within" |
| 2009
| CHICK: Within Me Lives a Superhero | Wildfire | Episode: "Episode #1.1 & #1.5" |
| 2010
| Castle | Liz Penn | Episode: "A Deadly Game" |
| 2011
| Gabriella Jimenez | Main Cast: Season 1 |
| 2013
| Tina | Episode: "May I Trim Your Hedges?" |
| 2015
| Austin Aguilera | Main Cast: Season 4 |
| 2017
| Shauna | Episode: "College Bound" |
| rowspan=3| 2018
| Adele McCord | Episode: "Bad Moon on the Rise" |
| Elementary
| Luz Horowitz | Episode: "The Visions of Norman P. Horowitz" |
| Ladies of the Law
| Tina | Main Cast |
| 2019
| On Becoming a God in Central Florida | Mirta Herrera | Recurring Cast |
| rowspan=2| 2021
| Ana Lopez | Recurring Cast: Season 4 |
| Our Kind of People
| Alex Rivera | Recurring Cast |
| 2022
| The Best Man: The Final Chapters | Shelby Taylor | Main Cast |
| 2024
| Bel-Air | Steph | Episode: "Out All Night" |
Accolades
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Awards ! Category ! Recipient ! Outcome |
|---|
| 2000
| NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | {{nom}} |
| 2003
| Black Reel Award for Outstanding Independent Film Actress | {{nom}} |
| 2014
| American Black Film Festival | Acapulco Black Film Festival for Best Ensemble Cast | {{won}} |
| 2015
| American Black Film Festival | American Black Film Festival Award for Best Actress | C.R.U. | {{nom}} |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|0211726}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:De Sousa, Melissa}}
Category:Actresses from New York City
Category:American film actresses
Category:American people of Panamanian descent
Category:American television actresses