Melissa Benoist

Background

Melissa Benoist was born in Houston, Texas on October 4, 1988, to Jim and Julie Benoist, who divorced when she was 13 years old. She has two sisters, Jessica and Kristina. She began taking dance courses at the age of three and acted in a church play directed by her aunt at the age of four. She graduated from Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colorado, in 2007 and Marymount Manhattan College in New York City in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in theater arts.

Benoist began her career as a young teen with the Academy of Theater Arts at Disneyland, where she appeared in local stage performances. Her acting career began with the film “Tennessee” in 2008. She appeared on many television shows in 2010, including “Blue Bloods,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” and “The Good Wife.” She was cast as Stacy Moore in an episode of the series “Homeland” the following year. Her breakthrough role was in the 2012 television series “Glee.” She had to audition five times at the Roundabout Theater Company in New York, and each time she had to sing five different songs. She then had to go through two more screen tests in California before being chosen. In four seasons of the drama series, she appeared in 35 episodes. She was also hired by Coca-Cola as an ambassador for a new product named Coke Mismo in 2012. In 2014, she played Nicole in Damien Chazelle’s film “Whiplash.” At the Sundance Film Festival, the film won two honors. She found new fame in 2015 when she landed the lead role in the CBS television series “Supergirl.” She went on to have notable roles in film and television in the years after that. On May 7, 2018, it was reported that Benoist was set to make her Broadway debut as the title character in “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” at the Stephen Sondheim Theater.

Three Things Productions, her production company, was founded in February 2021. Her first book, “Haven’s Secret,” the first installment in Abrams Kids’ The Powers series, was released on October 26, 2021. Her marriage to Blake Jenner, her Glee co-star, was announced in 2015, but she filed for divorce in late December 2016, citing irreconcilable disagreements, which later turned out to be domestic violence by Jenner. In December 2017, the divorce was finalized. Benoist met Chris Wood in 2016 when he was cast as Mon-El in “Supergirl” season two, and their relationship was confirmed in 2017. They got engaged on February 10, 2019, and married in September of the same year. The couple announced the birth of their son the following year.