Melissa Crystal O'Neil (born July 12, 1988) is a Canadian actress and singer. In 2005, O'Neil won the third season of ''

Canadian Idol ''Canadian Idol'' is a Canadian reality television competition show which aired on CTV, based on the British show ''Pop Idol''. The show was a competition to find the most talented young singer in Canada, and was hosted by Ben Mulroney. Jon Dore ...

'', the first Canadian female to have won. As an actress, she is known for her roles as Two / Rebecca / Portia Lin on the

Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...

science fiction series ''

Dark Matter Dark matter is a hypothetical form of matter thought to account for approximately 85% of the matter in the universe. Dark matter is called "dark" because it does not appear to interact with the electromagnetic field, which means it does not ab ...

'' and as Officer Lucy Chen on the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

police procedural drama series '' The Rookie''.

Early life

O'Neil was born in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada. Her mother is

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

Chinese, and her father is of Irish descent. O'Neil attended Terry Fox Junior High School. She attended Lester B. Pearson High School in Calgary where she performed in musicals, played rugby and was on the basketball team.

Career

''Canadian Idol''

In early 2005, while in high school, O'Neil auditioned for the third season of ''

''. 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 ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

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 Isaac "Zack" Werner is a Canadian artist, producer, entertainment lawyer and manager. Early life and education Born in Winnipeg in 1960, Werner attended the St. John's-Ravenscourt School. He received a B.A. from the University of Minnesota and ...

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 Rex Goudie (born November 18, 1985) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and was the runner-up of '' Canadian Idol 3''. Early life Rex Goudie was born in Dawson Creek, British Columbia and moved back to his father's hometown of Burlington, Newfoundl ...

, and after yet more stunning performances, judge Werner famously stated that the headlines of the next day's newspapers would be "The King

alan Porter Alan Dwayne Porter Jr. (born December 18, 1977) is an American Major League Baseball umpire. He umpired his first Major League game on April 5, 2010. He wears uniform number 64. Umpiring career Porter's Major League umpiring debut was in ea ...

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, and (at 17) the youngest winner in the show's history.

Singer

Immediately after her win on ''Canadian Idol'', O'Neil received a congratulatory phone call from the

Canadian Prime Minister The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority the elected House of Commons; as such ...

Paul Martin Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006. The son o ...

. She then signed a recording contract with Sony BMG Canada and released her first single "

Alive Alive may refer to: *Life Books, comics and periodicals * ''Alive'' (novel), a 2015 novel by Scott Sigler * '' Alive: The Final Evolution'', a 2003 shonen manga by Tadashi Kawashima and Adachitoka * '' Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors'', ...

", 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 A ''cria'' (pronounced ) is a juvenile llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. Etymology The term comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning "baby". Its false cognate in English, ''crya'' (pronounced ), was coined by British sailors who explored C ...

. On November 22, 2005, O'Neil's self-titled debut album ''

Melissa O'Neil Melissa Crystal O'Neil (born July 12, 1988) is a Canadian actress and singer. In 2005, O'Neil won the third season of '' Canadian Idol'', the first Canadian female to have won. As an actress, she is known for her roles as Two / Rebecca / Portia ...

'', was released on Sony and debuted at number sixteen on the Canadian albums chart. The second single from her album, "

Let It Go "Let It Go" is a song from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney's 2013 computer-animated feature film ''Frozen (2013 film), Frozen'', whose music and lyrics were composed by husband-and-wife songwriting team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert L ...

" 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 North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing. North Bay developed as a railroad centre, and its airport was an important military ...

, named the Let It Go Tour after her second single. Her support act was her ''Canadian Idol'' runner-up,

. The third single release from O'Neil's album was " Speechless", which peaked number thirty-one, significantly lower than her two previous songs but still respectable nonetheless. In March 2006, her debut album was certified gold by the

for 50,000 units shipped, and her first single "Alive" was covered by Becki Ryan in the movie ''

Flicka ''Flicka'' is a 2006 American family adventure drama film loosely based on the 1941 children's novel '' My Friend Flicka'' by Mary O'Hara. The film is directed by Michael Mayer and written by Mark Rosenthal and Lawrence Konner. The novel had pr ...

''. On September 16, 2006 O'Neil returned to the ''Canadian Idol'' stage during 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 The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

as New Artist of the Year, alongside

Neverending White Lights Daniel Victor (born September 20, 1979) is a Canadian recording artist and producer from Windsor, Ontario, best known for the collaborative music project Neverending White Lights, which features instrumentation performed mostly by Victor, with ...

, Tomi Swick, Patrick Watson, and

Eva Avila Eva Avila (born Eva Gougeon-Ávila on 25 February 1987) is a Canadian singer, songwriter and actress. She won the fourth season of the CTV reality show ''Canadian Idol'' in 2006. Early life Avila was born in Gatineau, Quebec. Her father intr ...

(the latter, her ''Canadian Idol'' successor); however, Swick took home the award. In 2009, O'Neil became the lead vocalist for the Toronto funk band God Made Me Funky. 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 ''Dirty Dancing'' is a 1987 American romantic drama dance film written by Eleanor Bergstein, produced by Linda Gottlieb, and directed by Emile Ardolino. Starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, it tells the story of Frances "Baby" Houseman ...

High School Musical ''High School Musical'' is a 2006 American musical television film directed by Kenny Ortega and written by Peter Barsocchini. The 63rd Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) and first installment of the ''High School Musical'' film series, th ...

and the acclaimed Stratford production of

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...

Musical theatre

In the

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

production of ''Dirty Dancing'', O'Neil was a featured singer. In the Drayton Entertainment production of ''High School Musical On Stage'' (in

St. Jacobs St. Jacobs is a community and former village located in the township of Woolwich, Ontario, Woolwich in Waterloo Regional Municipality, Ontario, Waterloo Region, Ontario, just north of the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Waterloo. It is a popular locati ...

and

Penetanguishene Penetanguishene , sometimes shortened to Penetang, is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the southeasterly tip of Georgian Bay. Incorporated on February 22, 1882, this bilingual ( French and English) community has a populat ...

), O'Neill played the role of Gabriella. O'Neil's appearance as Martha/Maid by the Fire during the 2011 season's ''

'' was her

Stratford Shakespeare Festival The Stratford Festival is a theatre festival which runs from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson (theatre producer), Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was fo ...

debut. O'Neill was featured as a lead in the Stage West Calgary production of "British Invasion" alongside former lead singer of

The Guess Who The Guess Who are a Canadian rock band formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1965. The band originated in 1962 and achieved an international hit single with a cover of "Shakin' All Over" in 1965 under the name Chad Allan and the Expressions. After c ...

, Terry Hatty, and made an appearance in ''

Camelot Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as the ...

''. She played

Éponine Éponine Thénardier (; ), also referred to as the "Jondrette girl", is a fictional character in the 1862 novel ''Les Misérables'' by Victor Hugo. The character is introduced as a spoiled and pampered child, but appears later in the novel as a r ...

in a sit-down production of ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

'' in Toronto at the

Princess of Wales Theatre The Princess of Wales Theatre is a 2,000-seat live theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on King Street West, in Toronto's downtown Entertainment District. The theatre's name has a triple meaning: it honours Diana, Princess of Wales, ...

, which ran from September 2013 through February 2014. She won the

Dora Award The Dora Mavor Moore Award (also known as the Dora Award) is an award presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts which honours theatre, dance and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moore, who helped estab ...

for Outstanding Female Performance for that role. 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 Mary Magdalene. In 2013, O'Neil was promoted to play

. In March 2014, O'Neil returned to Broadway in a revival of ''Les Misérables'', where she was a member of the ensemble and worked as understudy for the roles of Éponine and

Fantine Fantine (French pronunciation: ) is a fictional character in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. She is a young '' grisette'' in Paris who becomes pregnant by a rich student. After he abandons her, she is forced to look after their chil ...

Acting

O'Neil has been acting since 2015. She has had recurring roles in the 2015 CBC TV drama called ''

This Life This may refer to: * ''This'', the singular proximal demonstrative pronoun Places * This, or ''Thinis'', an ancient city in Upper Egypt * This, Ardennes, a commune in France People with the surname * Hervé This, French culinary chemist Arts, e ...

'' that was set in Montreal, the

Cole Hauser Cole Hauser (born March 22, 1975) is an American actor. He is known for film roles in ''Higher Learning'', ''School Ties'', '' Dazed and Confused'', ''Good Will Hunting'', '' Pitch Black'', ''Tigerland'', ''Hart's War'', ''Tears of the Sun'', '' ...

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 Duncan Sheik (born November 18, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and composer. Sheik is known for his 1996 debut single " Barely Breathing", which earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. He has composed ...

. In December 2014, O'Neil was cast in the starring role of Two / Rebecca / Portia Lin, on the

TV series space opera ''

''. 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 ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

procedural

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

'' iZombie'' created by Rob Thomas and had another recurring role in the thriller ''

Condor Condor is the common name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. The name derives from the Quechua ''kuntur''. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere. They are: * The Andean condor (''Vult ...

'', a TV remake of ''

Three Days of the Condor ''Three Days of the Condor'' is a 1975 American political thriller film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, and Max von Sydow. The screenplay by Lorenzo Semple Jr. and David Rayfiel was based on ...

''. In October 2018, O'Neil was cast in the role of Officer Lucy Chen in the

television police drama series '' The Rookie'', where she plays a fellow rookie police officer opposite

Nathan Fillion Nathan Fillion (; born March 27, 1971) is a Canadian-American actor. He played the leading roles of Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds on '' Firefly'' and its film continuation '' Serenity'', and Richard Castle on '' Castle''. , he was starring as J ...

. O'Neil's character, who initially was Fillion's love interest, has shifted into a more ensemble role.

Personal life

O'Neil's maternal grandfather gave her a

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

name which means "ladylike". At the time when she was competing in ''Canadian Idol'', O'Neil was said to be able to speak

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...

, but not fluently.

Discography

The following is a discography of albums and singles released by Canadian pop music artist Melissa O'Neil, as of 2006.

Albums

Singles

Featured on

*''

: High Notes'' (2005), Track #6: "Concrete Angel". *''

: Under the Lights'' (2005), Track #11: "Whiskey Lullaby".

Filmography

Theater

* 2007–2009: ''Dirty Dancing'' * ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' at the

* ''Les Miserables'' * ''High School Musical'' at the Drayton Theatre Festival * ''Country Legends'' at the Drayton Theatre Festival * 2010: ''British Invasion'' at Stage West (Calgary) * 2010: ''Beauty and the Beast: The Savagely Silly Family Musical'' as Bella at Elgin Theatre (Calgary) * 2012: ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' as Martha, Maid by the Fire and Mary Magdalene (understudy) at the Neil Simon Theatre (New York) * 2014–2016: ''Les Misérables'' Ensemble and Fantine and Eponine (understudy) at the Imperial Theatre (New York)

Awards and honors

* 2007:

, New Artist of the Year (nominee) * 2014:

for Outstanding Female Performance for role of Éponine in ''Les Misérables''

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oneil, Melissa 1988 births Actresses from Calgary Canadian child singers Canadian Idol winners Canadian people of Irish descent Canadian musical theatre actresses Living people Musicians from Calgary Dora Mavor Moore Award winners 21st-century Canadian women singers Canadian musicians of Hong Kong descent Canadian pop musicians