Melissa O'Neil
|
---|
O'Neil in 2016
|
|
Born
| (
1988-07-12
)
July 12, 1988
(age 35)
Calgary
,
Alberta
, Canada
|
---|
Genres
| Pop
|
---|
Occupation(s)
| |
---|
Instrument(s)
| Vocals
|
---|
Years active
| 2005?present
|
---|
Labels
| Sony Music Canada
(2005?2007)
|
---|
Musical artist
Melissa O'Neil
(born July 12, 1988
[1]
) is a Chinese Canadian
[2]
actress and singer. In 2005, O'Neil won the third season of
Canadian Idol
. As an actress, she is known for her roles as Two / Rebecca / Portia Lin in the science fiction series
Dark Matter
and as Officer Lucy Chen on the police procedural drama series
The Rookie
.
[3]
Early life
[
edit
]
O'Neil attended
Lester B. Pearson High School
[4]
in
Calgary
, Alberta, where she performed in musicals, played rugby and was on the basketball team.
[5]
Career
[
edit
]
Canadian Idol
[
edit
]
In early 2005, while in high school, O'Neil auditioned for the third season of
Canadian Idol
. The judges were impressed by her vocals, and she made it through to the top 100 round. On the first day, she sang the song "Concrete Angel" by Martina McBride
a cappella
and again impressed the judges; but, on the final day of competition, she forgot the words to her chosen song and froze. Nevertheless, the judges were still so impressed by her singing abilities that she continued to the top 32. After scoring the highest number of votes in her semi-final group, again with "Concrete Angel", O'Neil was granted a place in the final 10 of the contest.
Although she was highly praised by the judges, O'Neil suffered huge setbacks in both the Top 10 and Top 9 weeks of the finals, as she was voted in both the bottom three and bottom two, respectively. Shocked by this, the judges urged viewers to vote for contestants like Melissa, who clearly had the best vocal abilities. From then on, O'Neil never fell back into the bottom three after delivering consistently praised performances, with judge
Zack Werner
declaring that she was "a threat to win the whole thing". On September 7, 2005, O'Neil made it into the final two of the competition, alongside
Rex Goudie
, and after yet more stunning performances, judge Werner famously stated that the headlines of the next day's newspapers would be "The King [Kalan Porter] is dead, long live the Queen." During the grand finale results show on September 14, 2005, O'Neil defeated Goudie to be crowned the third
Canadian Idol,
as well as the first female winner, first winner of Chinese descent, and (at 17) the youngest winner in the show's history.
Singer
[
edit
]
Immediately after her win on
Canadian Idol
, O'Neil received a congratulatory phone call from the
Canadian Prime Minister
Paul Martin
. She then signed a recording contract with
Sony BMG Canada
and released her first single, "
Alive
", which hit stores on October 4, 2005, and debuted at number one on the Canadian singles chart, a position it held for four weeks. The single went on to be certified four-times platinum by the
CRIA
.
On November 22, 2005, O'Neil's self-titled debut album,
Melissa O'Neil
, was released on Sony and debuted at number sixteen on the Canadian albums chart. The second single from her album, "
Let It Go
," was released in late 2005 and peaked at number seven on the singles chart. On February 7, 2006, O'Neil embarked on her first solo tour in
North Bay, Ontario
, named the Let It Go Tour after her second single. Her support act was her
Canadian Idol
runner-up,
Rex Goudie
. The third single release from O'Neil's album was "
Speechless
", which peaked at number thirty-one. In March 2006, her debut album was certified gold by the
CRIA
for 50,000 units shipped, and her first single "Alive" was covered by Becki Ryan in the movie
Flicka
. On September 16, 2006 O'Neil returned to the
Canadian Idol
stage during the grand finale of its fourth season. Here, she was surprised with the certified-gold-presentation disc of her debut album.
In 2007, O'Neil was nominated for a
Juno Award
as New Artist of the Year, alongside
Neverending White Lights
,
Tomi Swick
,
Patrick Watson
, and
Eva Avila
(the latter, her
Canadian Idol
successor
[6]
);
[7]
however, Swick took home the award.
[8]
In 2009, O'Neil became the lead vocalist for the Toronto funk band
God Made Me Funky
.
[9]
[10]
As described by Glenn Sumi, of
NOW Toronto
, "After winning the third season of Canadian Idol... O'Neil released a best-selling disc and then promptly began doing musical theatre, with roles in
Dirty Dancing
,
High School Musical
and the acclaimed Stratford production of
Jesus Christ Superstar
."
[11]
Musical theatre
[
edit
]
In the
Toronto, Ontario
, production of
Dirty Dancing
, O'Neil was a featured singer.
[12]
In the Drayton Entertainment production of
High School Musical On Stage
(in
St. Jacobs
and
Penetanguishene
), O'Neil played the role of Gabriella.
[12]
O'Neil's appearance as Martha/Maid by the Fire during the 2011 season's
Jesus Christ Superstar
was her
Stratford Shakespeare Festival
debut.
[13]
O'Neil was featured as a lead in the Stage West Calgary production of "British Invasion" alongside former lead singer of
The Guess Who
, Terry Hatty,
[14]
and made an appearance in
Camelot
.
[15]
She played
Eponine
in a sit-down production of
Les Miserables
in Toronto at the
Princess of Wales Theatre
, which ran from September 2013 through February 2014.
[16]
[17]
[18]
[19]
She won the
Dora Award
for Outstanding Female Performance for that role.
[20]
In March 2012, O'Neil made her Broadway debut in
Jesus Christ Superstar
, where she played Martha, Maid by the Fire and worked as understudy to the role of Mary Magdalene.
[21]
In 2013, O'Neil was promoted to play
Eponine
.
[22]
[23]
In March 2014, O'Neil returned to Broadway in a revival of
Les Miserables
, where she was a member of the ensemble and worked as understudy for the roles of Eponine and
Fantine
.
[24]
[25]
Acting
[
edit
]
O'Neil has been acting since 2015. She has had recurring roles in the 2015
CBC
TV drama called
This Life
that was set in Montreal, the
Cole Hauser
TV crime series
Rogue
, and the musical drama web series,
Lost Generation
, which was set in Berlin. The show was originally called
Pulse
and had a book and score written by
Duncan Sheik
.
[26]
In December 2014, O'Neil was cast in the starring role of Two / Rebecca / Portia Lin, on the
Syfy
TV series space opera
Dark Matter
.
[27]
It was a role she played from 2015 to 2017, for three seasons of the show.
In 2018, O'Neil played the role of Suki in
The CW
procedural
crime drama
iZombie
created by
Rob Thomas
and had another recurring role in the thriller
Condor
, a TV remake of
Three Days of the Condor
.
In October 2018, O'Neil was cast in the role of Officer Lucy Chen in the
ABC
television police drama series
The Rookie
, where she plays a fellow rookie police officer opposite
Nathan Fillion
.
[28]
[29]
Personal life
[
edit
]
O'Neil's maternal grandfather gave her a
Chinese
name which means "ladylike".
[11]
[30]
At the time when she was competing in
Canadian Idol
, O'Neil was said to be able to speak
Cantonese
, but not fluently.
[30]
Discography
[
edit
]
Albums
[
edit
]
Singles
[
edit
]
Year
|
Song
|
Canada
|
Certification
|
Album
|
2005
|
"Alive"
|
1
|
4xPlatinum (CRIA)
|
Melissa O'Neil
|
"Let It Go"
|
7
|
?
|
2006
|
"Speechless"
|
31
|
?
|
Other appearances
[
edit
]
Filmography
[
edit
]
Television and film roles
Year
|
Title
|
Role
|
Notes
|
2005
|
Canadian Idol
|
Herself
|
Contestant and winner on
season 3
|
2010
|
Broken Hearts
|
Brandi
|
Film
|
2015?2017
|
Dark Matter
|
Two / Portia Lin
|
Main role
|
2015
|
This Life
|
Sarah
|
Recurring role (season 1), 7 episodes
|
2016
|
Rogue
|
Jen
|
Recurring role (seasons 3?4), 8 episodes
|
Second Jen
|
Naomi
|
Episode: "Jenny Has the Gay"
|
2017
|
Ransom
|
Drita Jakupi
|
Episode: "The Artist"
|
Lost Generation
|
Tasha
|
Web series; recurring role, 5 episodes
|
2018
|
iZombie
|
Suki
|
Recurring role (season 4), 5 episodes
|
A Simple Favor
|
Beth T.A.
|
Film
|
Condor
|
Janice
|
Recurring role (season 1), 5 episodes
|
2018?present
|
The Rookie
|
Officer Lucy Chen / Sava "Juicy" Wu
|
Main role; 108 episodes
|
2022
|
The Rookie: Feds
|
Officer Lucy Chen
|
Episodes: "Face Off", "The Reaper"
|
Video Game roles
Theater
[
edit
]
- 2007?2009:
Dirty Dancing
[9]
- High School Musical
at the Drayton Theatre Festival
[10]
- Country Legends
at the Drayton Theatre Festival
[10]
- 2010:
British Invasion
at Stage West (Calgary)
[10]
- 2010:
Beauty and the Beast: The Savagely Silly Family Musical
as Bella at Elgin Theatre (Calgary)
[15]
- 2011:
Stratford Shakespeare Festival
:
Jesus Christ Superstar
&
Camelot
- 2012:
Jesus Christ Superstar
as Martha, Maid by the Fire and Mary Magdalene (understudy) at the Neil Simon Theatre (New York)
[35]
- 2013-14: Les Miserables: Princess of Wales Theatre
- 2014?2016:
Les Miserables
Ensemble and Fantine and Eponine (understudy) at the Imperial Theatre (New York)
[36]
Awards and honors
[
edit
]
- 2007:
Juno Award
, New Artist of the Year (nominee)
[37]
- 2014:
Dora Award
for Outstanding Female Performance for role of Eponine in
Les Miserables
[20]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Melissa O'Neil"
.
Playbill
.
- ^
ABC Celebrates #AANHPIHeritageMonth with The Rookie's Melissa O'Neil
, retrieved
2023-11-18
- ^
Hank, Melissa (15 October 2018).
"The Rookie star Melissa O'Neil reflects on Canadian Idol"
.
Canada.com
.
- ^
"Idol chit-chat" by Chris Simon,
The Barrie Examiner
(9 Dec, 2005). Retrieved from
ProQuest
352705409
- ^
Volmers, Eric (29 June 2015).
"Calgary actress Melissa O'Neil charts new path with sci-fi series"
.
Calgary Herald
.
- ^
"Quebec teen Eva Avila crowned new Canadian Idol"
. Retrieved
2021-01-13
.
- ^
"Junos?Nominees & Winners 2007?New Artist of the Year?View all Nominees"
.
JunoAwards.CA
. February 8, 2018
. Retrieved
November 8,
2019
.
See also this
PDF version of the same content
.
- ^
"News Archive: Furtado Wins Big at Junos"
.
CelebrityAccess.com
. November 8, 2019
. Retrieved
November 8,
2019
.
See also the
PDF version of Juno Awards web source
, which highlights the winner's name.
- ^
a
b
"God Made Me Funky on ET Canada!"
.
ET Canada
. 12 September 2009.
Archived
from the original on 2021-12-21.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Clevett, Jason (January 2010).
"God Made Melissa Funky: A Chat with Melissa O'Neil"
.
GayCalgary Magazine
. p. 9.
- ^
a
b
Sumi, Glenn (3 October 2013).
"Interview: Melissa O'Neil?Actor, Les Miserables"
.
NOW Toronto
.
- ^
a
b
"O'Neil embraces chances to play well-known character" by Nicole Million,
The Midland - Penetanguishene Mirror
(27 May 2009). Retrieved from
ProQuest
362903706
- ^
"God made them funky and musical stars" by Brian Kelly,
The Sault Star
(27 March 2015). Retrieved from
ProQuest
2221655420
- ^
"Standout singers capture essence of British Invasion; Retrospective highlights U.K. imports over 40 years" by Dan St Yves,
The Calgary Herald
(28 Nov, 2009). Retrieved from
ProQuest
243936984
- ^
a
b
Zekas, Rita (17 December 2010).
"Bella rocks a yellow silk chiffon cocktail dress"
.
Toronto Star
.
- ^
Ferri, Josh (February 13, 2013).
"It's Official! Ramin Karimloo, Melissa O'Neil & More Will Head to the Barricades in Toronto's Les Miserables"
.
Broadway.com
. Retrieved
November 8,
2019
.
- ^
Jones, Kenneth (February 13, 2013).
"Toronto's New Les Miz Will Star Ramin Karimloo, Genevieve Leclerc, Samantha Hill, Lisa Horner, Cliff Saunders"
.
Playbill.com
. Archived from
the original
on 2013-02-16
. Retrieved
November 8,
2019
.
- ^
Cameron, Kelly (February 13, 2013).
"Les Miserables, Once, Aladdin & More Set for Mirvish's 50th Season"
.
BroadwayWorld.com
. Retrieved
November 8,
2019
.
- ^
Gioia, Michael (February 2, 2014).
"Toronto Production of Les Miserables, Starring Ramin Karimloo, Ends Feb. 2"
.
Playbill.com
. Archived from
the original
on February 19, 2014
. Retrieved
November 8,
2019
.
- ^
a
b
Henry, Alan (24 June 2014).
"Dora Awards 2014: A List Of All The Winners!"
.
BroadwayWorld
.
- ^
"Inside Playbill Gallery: Jesus Christ Supersar, Who's Who in the Cast"
.
Playbill
. 22 March 2012.
- ^
LesMis.com Staff (July 14, 2015).
"Les Miserables Cast & Creatives: Melissa O'Neil"
.
LesMis.com
. Archived from
the original
on July 14, 2015
. Retrieved
November 8,
2019
.
- ^
Ahearn, Victoria (26 September 2013).
"Les Miserables role a 'dream come true' for Melissa O'Neil"
.
Toronto Star
.
- ^
Gioia, Michael (2 December 2013).
"Casting Now Complete for 2014 Broadway Revival of
Les Miserables
"
.
Playbill
. Archived from
the original
on 3 December 2013.
- ^
"Inside Playbill Gallery: Les Miserables, Who's Who in the Cast"
.
Playbill
. 23 March 2014.
- ^
Jarvey, Natalie (2 June 2016).
"Katie Findlay to Star in Go90 Musical Series 'Pulse'
"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
.
- ^
Vlessing, Etan (18 December 2014).
"Melissa O'Neil, Marc Bendavid Board Syfy's 'Dark Matter'
"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
.
- ^
Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (8 February 2018).
"
'The Rookie': Melissa O'Neil To Co-Star In Nathan Fillion's ABC Light Drama Series"
.
Deadline Hollywood
.
- ^
Volmers, Eric (12 October 2018).
"Green in Blue: Calgary's Melissa O'Neil hits the mean streets of L.A. as newbie cop in The Rookie"
.
Calgary Herald
.
- ^
a
b
51.ca Staff (September 23, 2005).
"加?新偶像有中?血? [The New Idol of Canada Has Chinese Descent]"
.
51.ca
(in Chinese)
. Retrieved
November 8,
2019
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link
)
- ^
"Perspective from an Idol's pedestal; Melissa O'Neil's star is rising thanks to a popular little talent show" by Andrea McAuliffe,
The Telegraph-Journal
(23 Feb, 2006). Retrieved from
ProQuest
423247207
- ^
"What's up with the Idols?" by Sandra Sperounes,
The Ottawa Citizen
(24 Dec, 2005) [Final Edition]. Retrieved from
ProQuest
240906515
- ^
IMDb.com. (2016, March 8).
The division
. IMDb.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3451374/
- ^
"Tom Clancy"
,
Wikipedia
, 2023-07-27
, retrieved
2023-07-30
- ^
"Jesus Christ Superstar"
.
Internet Broadway Database
. 2012.
- ^
"Les Miserables"
.
Internet Broadway Database
. 2014.
- ^
"Nominee O'Neil feels 'undeserving'" by Sean Myers, with files from Jeanette Stewart,
The Calgary Herald
(1 April 2007) [Final Edition]. Retrieved from
ProQuest
245501039
Further reading and viewing
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
Seasons
|
- 1
(2003)
- 2
(2004)
- 3
(2005)
- 4
(2006)
- 5
(2007)
- 6
(2008)
|
---|
Host
| |
---|
Judges
| |
---|
Correspondents
| |
---|
Winners
| |
---|
Winners' singles
| |
---|
Runners-up
| |
---|
Other alumni
| |
---|
Related articles
| |
---|