A former winner of the Miss India America beauty pageant, actress, model and entrepreneur Melanie Chandra is well-known for her work in American television. Born to Indian parents and raised in the United States, she graduated in mechanical engineering and briefly worked at a consulting firm before moving on to pursue a full-time career in modelling and acting. Subsequently, she made her television debut with a guest role in the sitcom Rules of Engagement (2007-13) in 2012.

Among the actress' notable TV credits are the fantasy drama The Nine Lives of Chloe King (2011), the political comedy The Brink (2015), the medical drama Code Black (2015-18) and the comedy-drama Brown Nation (2016-). Besides these, she has also appeared in well-received movies like Love, Lies and Seeta (2012) and For Here or to Go? (2015). Her work in the former earned Melanie the Best Actress accolade at The IndieFest Film Awards in 2012.