Melissa O’Neil: Five Must-Know Facts About The Star

Melissa O’Neil arrived at the doors of fame with a microphone in her hand but it didn’t take long before she exchanged it with movie scripts. She has successfully excelled as an actress since she made her debut and here five must-know facts about her.

1. Melissa O’Neil was born in Calgary Canada

Melissa O’Neil was born on June 12, 1988, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Her father Tim O’Neil an Irish-Canadian married a Chinese lady named Alison Yeung. It was a marriage across borders and of a different culture, which makes her join the list of actresses on our blog with mixed ethnicity.  Her maternal grandfather gave her a Chinese name 奧詩敏: Jyutping which means ladylike. Melissa attended Terry Fox Junior High School and later moved to Lester B. Pearson High School where she finished.

2. She won the 2005 Canadian Idol

Melissa has an impressive vocal right from her childhood and not even puberty could snatch that away from her when she was growing into a full woman. Her parents were the first to notice her soothing voice and encouraged to perform in shows. With their support, Melissa set out to discover her true self.

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While working at a daycare, she auditioned for the Canadian idols with Alicia Keys song “If Ain’t Got You” putting up an impressive performance that got her selected. Just like the American idols, the Canadian idols have produced superstars who have taken the show business by a storm. She performed the song “Concrete Angel” by Martina McBride a cappella on the first day of the Canadian Idol and flew away with the heart of judges. She continued to impress viewers and judges anything she handles the mic to sing.

As the competition progressed, she almost missed joining other contestants into the finals but the Judges encouraged viewers to keep Melissa in the house because of her voice. She almost made voters regret the vote they gave her when she forgot the lyrics to the song she was to perform on the final day of competition on stage. But it didn’t stop her from being crowned the winner of the Canadian idols. Melissa O’Neil beat Goudie to be crowned the third Canadian Idol, as she became the first female winner and the youngest winner in the show’s history. She was only 17 then.

3. She made her acting debut in 2010

After winning the Canadian idol, Melissa didn’t jump into the film industry immediately. She signed a recording contract with Sony BMG Canada and released her first single “Alive”, which debuted at number one on the Canadian singles chart, and no song was could knock it off for four weeks. The single later went platinum four times and Melissa was all over the moon.

In 2010, Melissa appeared in the film “Broken Hearts” as Brandi. The film received good reviews and she believed that she can make a success as an actress. From 2015-2017, she played the main role in the Canadian science fiction series “Dark Matter”. Melissa also starred as Sarah on CBS television drama series “This Life”.

Melissa has combined her singing career with her film career and everything is looking so well for her at the moment.

4. Melissa O’Neil is not married

Melissa has written so many love songs in her career but does it mean she has not fallen in love with someone who will be brave enough to keep her forever? We have a name. In 2011, Melissa was a dating Matthew Rossoff, a yoga instructor. She randomly posted pictures of him on Instagram even when they shared a kiss close to a lamppost. They even spent the 2013 new year together as lovers.

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However, Melissa soon shared a picture of a man named Danial Birnbaum on Instagram, as she called her a good friend. Fans wanted to force Danial to be her lover but the singer stated that Danial is only her agent. She soon stopped posting cozy pictures of either Mathew or Danial as she keeps her dating life private.

5. Melissa O’Neil has a net worth of $8 million

After winning the Canadian idol, Melissa landed so many endorsements and her financial standing became stronger. She released an album and made money from it. She was invited at events and was paid too. She joined the acting industry and she is cashing out. The actress is worth $8 million (US).

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