Melanie Chandra is an actor, writer, and producer who gravitates toward stories with honesty, edge, and heart. She’s drawn to characters who live in the gray areas - where humor and hurt overlap - and to projects that widen the lens for women and the South Asian community.
She’s best known for her series-regular role as Dr. Malaya Pineda on CBS’s Code Black and for starring in Hot Mess Holiday, Comedy Central’s first buddy comedy led by two South Asian women, which she also executive-produced with Surina Jindal and Kal Penn.
Melanie’s work spans drama and comedy across film, television, and streaming. Her credits include Grey’s Anatomy, New Amsterdam, Elsbeth, Law & Order: SVU, Parenthood, Rules of Engagement, Nashville, HBO’s The Brink, Netflix’s Brown Nation, and the Sundance-selected feature Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls.
Originally from Illinois, Melanie studied mechanical engineering at Stanford - and improvisation, which ultimately pulled her back toward the career she imagined as a kid. After a brief stretch in corporate America, she pivoted to acting and has been building a multifaceted creative life ever since.
She was one of the first Indian American women to lead a global beauty campaign as the face of Bare Escentuals’ “Be a Force of Beauty.” She also co-founded Hospital for Hope India, a nonprofit that brings healthcare to underserved villages in Jharkhand.
Outside of her screen work, Melanie is a second-degree black belt in karate, a trained pianist, and someone who continues to look for ways to merge discipline, joy, and advocacy in the stories she tells.
Photo Credit: Corey Hayes