Tonantzin Carmelo

Carmelo grew up in Orange County, southern California and is of Indigenous (Tongva and Kumeyaay) and Latina descent. As a youth, she participated in Native dances and music, touring with cultural groups throughout North America.{{cite web|title=Tongva actor Tonantzin Carmelo says change in roles for Indigenous talent 'a slow drip' - CBC Radio|website=CBC|date=2020-02-07|url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/lights-camera-oscars-meet-the-creators-decolonizing-hollywood-1.5450603/tongva-actor-tonantzin-carmelo-says-change-in-roles-for-indigenous-talent-a-slow-drip-1.5453238|access-date=2021-10-26}} She also became a technically trained dancer and performed with the modern dance company Daystar.

Carmelo attended the University of California, Irvine, where she earned a bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies and a minor in Dance. While in college, she began acting in theater productions and independent films.{{Cite web|url=https://www.aaanativearts.com/tonantzin-carmelo-tongva-kumeyaay|title=Tonantzin Carmelo, Tongva / Kumeyaay|date=February 26, 2017|website=AAA Native Arts}}

Carmelo began her professional acting career in an educational musical theater show produced by Carmen Zapata at the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts. The production toured the Los Angeles area.

In 2007, Carmelo played the leading role of Shayla Stonefeather in the thriller Imprint.

In addition, Carmelo is a choreographer. Her work was featured in the Amazon TV series, Undone, and in the opera, Sweetland.{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-03-01/sweet-land-opera-industry-review|title=Review: 'Sweet Land' astonishes. Opera in an L.A. park examines what it means to be American|date=March 2, 2020|website=Los Angeles Times}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/28/arts/music/sweet-land-opera.html|title=An Opera About Colonialism Shows How History Warps|first=Joshua|last=Barone|work=The New York Times |date=February 28, 2020|via=NYTimes.com}} She has also performed as a singer with the band Trio del Alma and has recorded on three albums for Canyon Records.

In 2012, Carmelo testified for the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on the images of Native Americans in Hollywood.{{Cite web|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-112shrg78924/html/CHRG-112shrg78924.htm|title=- RECLAIMING OUR IMAGE AND IDENTITY FOR THE NEXT SEVEN GENERATIONS|website=www.govinfo.gov}}{{Cite web | url=https://www.indian.senate.gov/sites/default/files/upload/files/old_hearings/TonantzinCarmeloFINALtestimony112912&pageid=12559.pdf | title=Testimony of Tonantzin Carmelo: “Reclaiming Our Image and Identity for the Next Seven Generations" | website=www.indian.senate.gov}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nativetimes.com/news/federal/8137-senate-committee-hears-testimony-on-native-identity|title=Senate Committee Hears Testimony on Native Identity|website=www.nativetimes.com}}

Carmelo has also appeared in several video games, including Dead Space, The Crew, Lego Marvel's Avengers, and Cyberpunk 2077. Her memorable motion-capture and voice performance portrayal of the villainous character Kendra Daniels for Dead Space led Maxim Magazine to add Kendra to their Hottest Video Game Babes of the Year list.{{Cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/maxims-hottest-video-game-babes-of-2008-5116728|title=Maxim's Hottest Video Game Babes of 2008|website=Kotaku|date=December 23, 2008 }} Today, the character continues to attract legions of loyal fans.

She has had an ongoing relationship with Native Voices at the Autry Museum in Los Angeles, where she has performed on stage and has served on the advisory board.{{Cite web|url=https://theautry.org/events/performing-arts/native-voices-presents-world-premiere-pure-native|title=Native Voices Presents the World Premiere of Pure Native|date=December 19, 2018|website=Autry Museum of the American West}}{{Cite web|url=https://pamelajpeters.com/2018/09/09/getting-to-know-los-angeles-tongva-actress%e2%80%8a-%e2%80%8atonantzin-carmelo/|title=Getting to know Los Angeles Tongva Actress — Tonantzin Carmelo|date=September 9, 2018}}

She is a member of the Tongva Language Committee for Revitalization.{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-col1-tongva-language-native-american-tribe-20190509-story.html|title=Tongva, L.A.'s first language, opens the door to a forgotten time and place|date=May 9, 2019|website=Los Angeles Times}}

On January 5, 2006, Carmelo was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries for her performance as Thunder Heart Woman in Into the West.

Carmelo also won the American Indian Film Festival award for Best Actress and was nominated for the Best Actress award at the Hoboken International Film Festival for this role. She was also named "An Indie Darling to Crave" at the Sundance Film Festival 2015 for her role as Teresa, opposite John C. Reilly in the film Entertainment. Below is a list of her awards and nominations.

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.tcarmelo.com Tonantzin Carmelo's official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811044415/http://www.tcarmelo.com/index.php |date=August 11, 2016 }}
• {{IMDb name|138371}}
• [http://www.canyonrecords.com/ Canyon Records Productions]
• [http://www.cistory.org/ California Indian Storytellers Association]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20121110094008/http://theautry.org/whats-here/about-native-voices Native Voices at the Autry]

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Category:Living people

Category:1976 births

Category:21st-century American actresses

Category:Actresses from Orange County, California

Category:American film actresses

Category:American television actresses

Category:American video game actresses

Category:American voice actresses

Category:University of California, Irvine alumni