Meiling Melançon (born March 3, 1980), also known as Mei Melançon ( ja, 明依), is an American

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

and former

fashion model A model is a person with a role either to promote, display or advertise commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as a visual aid for people who are creating works of art or to pose for photography. Thoug ...

. She has appeared in major feature films as well as indie productions, television shows, and more than one hundred commercials as a model and actress. As of 2014 she is becoming known for work behind the camera in roles such as

and producer.

Early life

Meiling Melançon was raised in mainly Japan, Hong Kong and

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. She is of French, Chinese, and Japanese descent. As a child she traveled throughout Asia and Europe. At the age of five her mother taught her how to play the guitar, and she was later in a children's band called Blossoms. In an interview with '' Giant Robot'' editor Eric Nakamura, Mei spoke about her non-traditional strict upbringing. She was not allowed to watch most films and television, only classics and that they were not allowed to listen to popular music due to religious reasons.

Career

Actor

Melançon started acting in 2003. She was at that time a successful model and was signed to

Wilhelmina Modeling Agency Wilhelmina International Inc. (NASDAQ: WHLM), formerly Wilhelmina Models, is a full service modeling agency, modeling and talent agent, talent agency headquartered in New York City, United States. The company also has offices in Los Angeles, Ch ...

. She appeared on season two of ''

Legends of Tomorrow ''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American Time travel in fiction, time travel superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klem ...

'' as "Masako Yamashiro". Melançon also appeared in the final season of ''

The L Word ''The L Word'' is a television drama that aired on Showtime from January 18, 2004 to March 8, 2009. The series follows the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women who live in West Hollywood, California. The premise originated with Ilene ...

'' as recurring character "Jamie Chen", as

Psylocke Psylocke is the name of two connected fictional mutant superheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. The first character to use the Psylocke moniker, Betsy Braddock, was initially a suppo ...

in '' X-Men: The Last Stand'', as "Miyu" (

Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles before gaining a leading man status in film and television. Spacey has received various accolades ...

's assistant) in '' Shrink'', as Lynda in the HK-shot film ''

Irreversi ''Irreversi'' is a 2010 dramatic film directed by Michael Gleissner and shot in Hong Kong as the English language version of Gleissner's Mandarin-language film ''Hui lu'', which he filmed and directed at the same time in the same locations but w ...

'', as Dr. Catherine Ivy in the psychological thriller/horror film ''

Pathology Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...

'' (with Milo Ventimiglia), and as the other "Girl in the Car" along with

Maggie Q Margaret Denise Quigley (Vietnamese: Lý Mỹ Kỳ; born May 22, 1979), professionally known as Maggie Q, is an American actress, activist, and model. She began her professional career in Hong Kong, with starring roles in the action films ''Gen- ...

in ''

Rush Hour 2 ''Rush Hour 2'' is a 2001 American buddy action comedy film directed by Brett Ratner and written by Jeff Nathanson, based on the characters created by Ross LaManna. A sequel to '' Rush Hour'', it is the second installment in the ''Rush Hour'' ...

'' when she was still modeling. Melançon also starred as

Lotus Long Lotus may refer to: Plants *Lotus (plant), various botanical taxa commonly known as lotus, particularly: ** ''Lotus'' (genus), a genus of terrestrial plants in the family Fabaceae **Lotus flower, a symbolically important aquatic Asian plant also ...

in the short film bio-pic ''

Keye Luke Keye Luke (, Cantonese: Luk Shek Kee; June 18, 1904 – January 12, 1991) was a Chinese-born American film and television actor, technical advisor and artist and a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild. He was known for playing Lee Chan, t ...

'', which premiered at the 2012

Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) – formerly known as VC FilmFest – is an annual film festival presented by Visual Communications (VC). It was established in 1983 by Linda Mabalot as a vehicle to promote Asian Pacific Ameri ...

and which was Closing Night Film of the inaugural 2013

Seattle Asian American Film Festival The Seattle Asian American Film Festival was founded in 1985 and has been revived over the years by different producers. The current iteration was founded in 2012 and made its debut in 2013 by co-founders Kevin Bang and Vanessa Au. It is a reviva ...

. She starred in ''Blumenthal'' where she played Scottish actor Brian Cox's niece, and the film made its premiere in 2013 at the

Santa Barbara International Film Festival The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is an eleven-day film festival held in Santa Barbara, California since 1986. The festival boasts screenings of over 200 feature films and shorts from different countries and regions. SBIFF al ...

Writer, producer, director

Melançon co-wrote the thriller

American Romance ''American Romance'' is a 2016 American thriller film directed by Zackary Adler and starring Daveigh Chase and Nolan Gerard Funk. Plot Cast *Daveigh Chase as Krissy Madison *Nolan Gerard Funk as Jeff Madison * John Savage as Emery Reed * Meili ...

in 2014. She has also co-written a short film entitled "Stephany + Me", with Ben Duhl, co-starring

Tara Summers Tara Summers (born 19 December 1979) is an English actress. Summers was educated at Heathfield St Mary's School, in Berkshire. She later attended Brown University, where she graduated with a B.A. in history in 2001. Her grandmother was Fritzi ...

, directed by Peter Shanel. She produced and starred in a PSA written by comedian

Todd Glass Todd Steven Glass (born December 16, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian. Life and career Glass was born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He first began performing stand-up comedy in Philadelphia in 1982 while attendi ...

that has been covered by ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'',

Perez Hilton Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. (born March 23, 1978), known professionally as Perez Hilton, is an American blogger, columnist, and media personality. His blog is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities, and for posting tabloid p ...

among other news outlets. Melançon has also written articles for '' Giant Robot Magazine''.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Melancon, Meiling 1980 births American film actresses Living people American female models American actresses of Japanese descent American people of French descent American actresses of Chinese descent American film actors of Asian descent American writers of Asian descent