Melissa Navia

{{Short description|American actress}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Melissa Navia

| image = Melissanavia002.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Melissa Navia in 2010.

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1984|08|24}}

| birth_place =

| other_names =

| occupation = Actress

| partner = Brian Bannon (d. 2021)

| known_for = Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

| notable_works =

}}

Melissa C. Navia (born August 24, 1984) is an American actress known for playing helmsman Erica Ortegas in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022{{ndash}}present).{{cite news |author1=Jack Quann |title='Star Trek' actress Melissa Navia talks Ireland, grief and 'Strange New Worlds' |url=https://www.newstalk.com/news/star-trek-actress-melissa-navia-talks-ireland-grief-and-strange-new-worlds-1347189 |access-date=28 May 2022 |work=Newstalk |date=24 May 2022}}{{cite news |author1=Tom Chang |title=Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Star Melissa Navia Talks Lt. Ortegas |url=https://bleedingcool.com/tv/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-star-melissa-navia-talks-lt-ortegas/ |access-date=28 May 2022 |work=Bleeding Cool |date=28 April 2022}}{{cite news |author1=Cameron Roy Hall |title=Why Lt. Erica Ortegas From Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Looks So Familiar |url=https://www.looper.com/873339/why-lt-erica-ortegas-from-star-trek-strange-new-worlds-looks-so-familiar/ |access-date=28 May 2022 |work=Looper |date=24 May 2022}}{{cite news |author1=Adam B. Vary |title='Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Breakout Melissa Navia on Lt. Ortegas' Swordplay and Sexuality: 'Everybody Should Be a Bit Queer' |url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-melissa-navia-ortega-sexuality-1235308285/ |access-date=2 July 2022 |work=Variety |date=2 July 2022}}

In 2013, Navia won the award for best actress at the Wild Rose Independent Film Festival for her role as Dawn in the sci-fi movie The Paragon Cortex. In 2015, she had a recurring role in the TV series Common Charges. In 2017, she had a guest role as Elena Gabriel, an astronaut bound for a life on Mars, in Showtime's series Billions. In 2018, she had a recurring role as Moana in AMC's series Dietland.{{cite news |author1=Cesar Arredondo |title=Latina Actress Melissa Navia Joins New 'Star Trek' Streaming Series |url=https://www.zenger.news/2021/04/02/latina-actress-melissa-navia-joins-new-star-trek-streaming-series/ |access-date=30 May 2022 |work=Zenger |date=2 April 2021}}

Personal life

Her partner, Brian Bannon, died in 2021, three days after being diagnosed with leukemia.{{cite news |author1=Chris Peterson |title=Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Melissa Navia pays tribute to her late partner, Brian Bannon |url=https://www.dailystartreknews.com/read/melissa-navia-pays-tribute-to-her-late-partner-brian-bannon |access-date=28 May 2022 |work=Daily Star Trek News |date=26 May 2022}}{{cite news |author1=Michael McHugh |title=Star Trek Melissa's love for Ballyshannon's 'Bickie' |url=https://www.donegallive.ie/news/south-donegal/820739/star-trek-melissa-s-love-for-ballyshannon-s-bickie.html |access-date=3 June 2022 |work=Donegal Live |date=25 May 2022}}

Awards and nominations

class="wikitable sortable"
Year

! Award

! Category

! Work

! Result

! {{Ref heading}}

2013

| Wild Rose Independent Film Festival

| Best Actress

| The Paragon Cortex

| {{won}}

|

Filmography

=Film=

class="wikitable sortable"
scope="col" | Year

! scope="col" | Title

! scope="col" | Role

! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes

2011

| Love Eterne

| Medina

|

2011

| Break Point

| The Woman

| Short

2011

| Metal Gear

| Marabel Killian

| Short

2012

| That's What She Said

| East Village Lucky Joy Patron

|

2012

| Red Tulips: A Story About Forgetting

| Cop Girl

| Short

2012

| Girl Most Likely

| Assistant

|

2013

| Highly Specialized, Highly Committed

| Reyes

|

2013

| Sleeping with the Fishes

| Casey

|

2013

| The Paragon Cortex

| Dawn

|

2013

| Legacy

| Grace

| Short

2014

| Love Eterne [Mourning]

| Medina

| Short

2014

| Grind

| Fighting Woman #1

| Short

2014

| Growing Up and Other Lies

| Raja

|

2014

| Amira & Sam

| Police Clerk

|

2014

| What It Was

| Hilary

|

2014

| Tremor Team 12

| Agent Melanie Gregg

|

2015

| Temecula

| Janet

| Short

2015

| The Chosen

| Sabrina

|

2016

| Interwoven

| Voicemail Message #26

|

2016

| Working Poor

| Melissa

| Short

2016

| Hymns

| Irene

|

2017

| New York Normal

| Melanie

|

2018

| Love Me Anyway

| Jack

|

2018

| Bel Canto

| Esmeralda

|

2019

| Tower of Silence

| Lior

|

2019

| Room 220

| Officer Lex Diaz

| Short

=Television=

class="wikitable sortable"
scope="col" | Year

! scope="col" | Title

! scope="col" | Role

! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes

2014

| El Capo

| Reporter

| 1 episode

2015

| Common Charges

| Wendy

| 7 episodes

2015

| Mix-Matched

| Maggie

| 1 episode

2015

| The Affair

| Waitress

| 1 episode

2017

| Billions

| Elena Gabriel

| 1 episode

2018

| Homeland

| EMT Julie

| 1 episode

2018

| Dietland

| Moana

| 2 episodes

2021

| New Amsterdam

| Co-Pilot Eva Schafer

| 1 episode

2021

| Bull

| Tidal

| 2 episodes

2022–present

| Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

| Lt. Erica Ortegas

| 16 episodes

2022–2023

| The Ready Room

| Herself

| 2 episodes

References

{{Reflist}}