Melanie Leishman

Melanie Leishman is a Canadian actress whose career spans more than two decades, beginning when she was just eight years old in local school productions. Born on February 20, 1989, she quickly demonstrated a passion for performance, starring as the title character in a school version of Annie while attending The North York Montessori. She later refined her craft at Earl Haig Secondary School’s Claude Watson Arts Program, where she majored in drama and participated in both drama and dance curricula, laying a solid foundation for her diverse on‑screen work. Leishman’s first professional television role came as Kathi Giraldi in the family series Darcy’s Wild Life (2004‑2006), followed by notable appearances in the TV movies Never Cry Werewolf and True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet in 2008. That same year she played Mandy, a desperate‑to‑be‑popular teen, in the teen comedy House Party, showcasing her comedic timing early on. Her breakout role arrived in 2010 when she was cast as the bespectacled science geek Hannah B. Williams on the cult horror‑comedy series Todd and the Book of Pure Evil, a performance that earned her a Gemini Award for Best Ensemble Performance and cemented her status among Canadian genre fans. In addition to live‑action work, Leishman has built an extensive voice‑acting résumé, lending her vocal talents to animated series such as Detentionaire, Grojband, and the Total Drama Island reboot, where she voices the spunky contestant Emma. On the big screen she has toggled between genres, playing the mean‑girl diva Liz Silver in the musical slasher Stage Fright (2014), the supportive mother Ashleigh in the holiday rom‑com Single All the Way (2021), and the earnest teacher’s aide Diane in the 1980s‑styled drama The Exchange (2021). Her later television work includes guest spots on Murdoch Mysteries, a leading role in the web series Kristal Clear, and a dramatic turn as Sophie in the spy thriller Gray (2023). Across film, television, and animation, Melanie Leishman continues to demonstrate versatility, comic flair, and an unwavering commitment to her craft.