Melissa Benoist is an American actress known for playing the titular character on the CBS/CW superhero drama series, Supergirl. She was also a part of the musical comedy Glee on FOX. She made notable appearances in hit TV drama Homeland. Benoist starred alongside Miles Teller in the 2014 Oscar winning movie Whiplash. Her other TV roles include The Good Wife and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In 2016 she starred alongside Mark Wahlberg in the biographical drama Patriot's Day.

Early Life
Melissa Marie Benoist was born on October 4, 1988, to Julie Renee and James Logan Benoist. Benoist was born in Houston and raised in Littleton, Colorado. She has two sisters, Jessica and Kristina.
Benoist completed her high school from Arapahoe High School in 2007. In 2011 she graduated from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City.

Personal Life
Benoist married Blake Jenner, her co-star on the television hit Glee. They married secretly in March 2015.

Television Career
Benoist's television career started off with a role in an episode of the long-running TV hit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent. She was next seen in the Blue Bloods episode, Privilege. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit was her next TV show, where she appeared in the episode, Wet. Benoist was also seen in the second season of The Good Wife. She was next seen in the hugely popular political drama, Homeland.

Benoist's first recurring role came in the FOX television hit, Glee. In May 2012, she auditioned in for Glee at the Roundabout Theatre Company. As it was a musical she had to show off her singing skills with various songs. What began as a guest role in the fourth season of the musical, soon turned out to be a full-fledged character in the fifth season. She played the role of Marley Rose, who was romantically linked to Ryder Lynn on the show. Ryder Lynn was played by her then future husband, Blake Jenner.

Benoist was the first person to audition for the role of Supergirl on the CBS superhero venture. She bagged the role after a three-month gruelling selection process. On the show she portrays Kara Zor-El, her alter-ego being Kara Danvers from DC Rebirth. All though Supergirl started off at CBS, it was eventually moved to CW. This allowed Benoist's character to crossover into shared universes of hit shows like Arrow and The Flash.

Movie Career
Benoist's made her movie debut with the 2008 Mariah Carey movie, Tennessee. Apart from Glee and other minor TV roles she didn't have any substantial roles until 2014.

In 2014 she returned to the big screen with Damien Chazelle's multiple Oscar-winning movie, Whiplash. She played Nicole, a movie theatre concessionist and lead actorMiles Teller's love interest. Apart from the Oscar's, it was appreciated at several film festivals worldwide.

In 2015 Benoist acted alongsideAl Pacino in the comedy-dramaDanny Collins. She also played the lead role of Marcia in the Nicholas Spark's film adaptation, The Longest Ride (2015). The quirky, crime-comedy, Band of Robbers (2015) was Benoist's next movie. The movie was positively received by the critics. In 2016 Benoist stars alongsideMark Wahlberg and J.K. Simmons in the biographical drama, Patriot's Day

Benoist and her husband pitched an idea on Kickstarter for a movie, which was written by her husband. The idea was lapped up in a couple of hours. The movie is being directed by Bradley Buecker, who directed several episodes of Glee.

Stage Career
Benoist began her stage career by playing the role of Brigitta von Trapp in the famous musical The Sound of Music (2000). Three years later, at the Littleton Town Hall Arts Center she played the role of the oldest sister, Liesl von Trapp in the same musical.

In 2006 Benoist was back at the Littleton Town Hall Arts Center, playing the role of Kim McAfee in the acclaimed Bye Bye Birdie. She followed that up with A Month in the Country and A Chorus Line in the same year.

The subsequent year she was seen in Rodger and Hammerstein's Cinderella, Footloose and Evita. Thoroughly Modern Millie (2009) saw her play the lead role of Millie Dillmount at the Marymount Manhattan College. At the same venue, she also portrayed Rosalind in the Shakespearean play, As You Like It.