Melanie Leishman (born February 20, 1989) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

actress. She is best known for portraying bespectacled Hannah B. Williams, one of the main characters on the cult horror/comedy television series ''

Todd and the Book of Pure Evil ''Todd and the Book of Pure Evil'' was a Canadian black comedy horror television series that follows a group of high school students who confront the effects of a demonic book. The series premiered on Space on September 29, 2010, with two back-to- ...

''. Before that she had a recurring role on ''

Darcy's Wild Life ''Darcy's Wild Life'' is a teen sitcom starring Sara Paxton, and broadcast on Discovery Kids in the United States, and the Family Channel in Canada, from October 2004 to March 2006. The show also aired on NBC as part of the Discovery Kids on NB ...

'' as Kathi Giraldi and raucous comedy series ''House Party'' (2008) as desperate to be popular Mandy. Other TV credits include ''

Being Erica ''Being Erica'' is a Canadian comedy-drama television series that aired on CBC from January 5, 2009, to December 12, 2011. Created by Jana Sinyor, the series was originally announced by the CBC as ''The Session'', but was later retitled ''Bein ...

'', ''

Republic of Doyle ''Republic of Doyle'' is a Canadian comedy-drama television series set in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, which aired on CBC Television from January 6, 2010, to December 10, 2014. The show stars Allan Hawco as private investigator and f ...

'' and '' Murdoch Mysteries''. She's also voiced several animated roles in series such as '' Detentionaire'' and ''

Grojband ''Grojband'' is a Canadian animated television series created by Todd Kauffman and Mark Thornton for Teletoon in Canada and Cartoon Network in the United States. Produced by Fresh TV and Neptoon Studios, with animation by Elliott Animation, and p ...

''. Film roles include musical/ slasher ''

Stage Fright Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia which may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, real or imagined, whether actually or potentially (for example, when perf ...

'' (2014) as Liz Silver, comedy-drama '' The Exchange'' (2021) as Diane and

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

romantic-comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

Single All the Way ''Single All the Way'' is a 2021 Canadian Christmas romantic comedy film directed by Michael Mayer and written by Chad Hodge. The plot follows a man (Michael Urie) who convinces his best friend (Philemon Chambers) to pretend to be his boyfriend w ...

'' (2021) as Ashleigh.

Early life

Melanie Leishman began acting, singing, and dancing at the age of eight. Leishman was in her first play while attending The North York

Montessori The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...

, in grade three, starring as Annie in the play '' Annie''. She attended the

Earl Haig Secondary School Earl Haig Secondary School (EHSS), formerly Earl Haig Collegiate Institute is a public high school with 2,048 students in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In addition to being a public secondary school, the school is also host to the Claude Watson Art ...

in the Claude Watson Arts Program as a drama major, involved in both drama and dance programs there.

Career

Film

Her first theatrically released film was a supporting role in ''

Victoria Day Victoria Day (french: Fête de la Reine, lit=Celebration of the Queen) is a federal Canadian public holiday celebrated on the last Monday preceding May 25. Initially in honour of Queen Victoria's birthday, it has since been celebrated as the offi ...

'' (2009). In the 2010 short film ''The Long Autumn'', about a boy (

Devon Bostick Devon Bostick (born November 13, 1991) is a Canadian actor. He played Rodrick Heffley in the first three '' Diary of a Wimpy Kid'' films, starred in the Atom Egoyan-directed film ''Adoration'' (2008) and portrayed Jasper Jordan on the dystopian ...

) that grows up alone on a strange island and eventually encounters fellow humans but needs to gain a pair of boots before being accepted, she was the sweetly naive serving girl Ladeeda. Quirky romantic/drama ''Old Stock'' (2012) saw her playing sparky love interest Patti, an

arsonist Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...

serving

community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performe ...

teaching dance classes at an old peoples' home. Musical/ slasher ''

'' (2014) cast her somewhat against type, having mostly been cast as "best friend of the lead" or generally timid characters, in this film she's the "

mean girl Meanness is a personal quality whose classical form, discussed by many from Aristotle to Thomas Aquinas, characterizes it as a vice of "lowness", but whose modern form deals more with cruelty. Classical formulation In his dictionary, Noah We ...

" Diva like Liz Silver who acts as a rival to the film's central protagonist. In 2016, she appeared in the film ''

Below Her Mouth ''Below Her Mouth'' is a 2016 Canadian erotic romantic drama film directed by April Mullen and written by Stephanie Fabrizi. The film stars Natalie Krill as Jasmine and Erika Linder as Dallas, two women in Toronto who meet and begin a passionate ...

'' as Claire. She reprised her role of Hannah alongside the rest of the original cast in '' Todd and the Book of Pure Evil: The End of the End'', a feature length animated film that concluded the cult TV series, which was released in 2017. 2018 short comedy-drama film ''Softcore'' saw Melanie Leishman co-star with Alyssa Owsiany as a pair of bridesmaids that bond over exchanging the bizarre stories of their sexual awakenings. Most recently she appeared in the 80's set comedy-drama '' The Exchange'' (2021) as Diane, the teacher's assistant and long suffering girlfriend to primary antagonist

gym teacher Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement exploratio ...

Gary Rothbauer (

Justin Hartley Justin Scott Hartley (born January 29, 1977) is an American actor. He has played Fox Crane on the NBC daytime soap opera ''Passions'' (2002–2006), Oliver Queen/Green Arrow on The CW television series ''Smallville'' (2006–2011), and Adam New ...

) plus

set romantic comedy ''

'' (2021) as Ashleigh, young mother of two small children and a supportive sister to the lead Peter (

Michael Urie Michael Lorenzo Urie (born August 8, 1980) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Marc St. James on the ABC dramedy television series ''Ugly Betty''. He can be heard as Bobby Kerns in ''As the Curtain Rises'', an original podca ...

Television

Her first television role was in the children's/family series ''

'' (2004-06) as Kathi Giraldi. 2008 saw the release of two TV movies with her in. As Angie Bremlock in ''

Never Cry Werewolf ''Never Cry Werewolf'' is a Canadian television film directed by Brenton Spencer, and starring Nina Dobrev, Peter Stebbings and Kevin Sorbo. It premiered on the Sci Fi Channel on May 11, 2008.werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely ...

moves in to terrorize a neighborhood, and ''

True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet ''True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet'' is a 2008 American comedy-drama television film directed by Tim Matheson, based on the young adult novel of the same name by author Lola Douglas. The film stars Joanna "JoJo" Levesque and Valerie Berti ...

,'' where she was Emily a girl who unwittingly befriends incognito teen celebrity Morgan Carter ( Joanna "JoJo" Levesque). Incidentally ''True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet'' also featured her future ''Todd and the Book of Pure Evil'' co-star Bill Turnbull in a small role. The same year she was part of the main cast of characters in ''House Party'' (2008), the desperate to please Mandy. Each episode focuses on a particular character, revealing the various plot developments to the audience as they are encountered by the episode's focal character. The show was re-released in 2021 by the production company Farpoint Distribution on their

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

channel. 2009 saw a role in ''

'', Season 2, Episode 19 "''Shhh... Don't Tell''" playing Fiona Watt, a student that's being mercilessly bullied and humiliated by other classmates. In 2010 she co-starred in the Canadian television horror/comedy series ''

'' as science geek Hannah B. Williams who forms part of the team at ''Crowley High School'' that "fights evil with mixed results". The show was renewed for a second season, that aired in 2011, where she reprised her role as Hannah. Leishman shared a Gemini Award for "Best Ensemble Performance in a Comedy Program or Series" with her cast mates for their work on the show. In 2011 she voiced bossy popular girl Brandy Silver in the school set

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

animated series An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have eith ...

'' Detentionaire'' and also voiced the overly perky and thus aptly named Chipper in ''

''. She has appeared twice in long running detective series '' Murdoch Mysteries'', as two different characters. First as Nancy Booth, a taken advantage of maid, in "''Downstairs, Upstairs''" and later as Sarah Harrison, who gets entwined in espionage between the US and Canada following the assassination of U.S. President William McKinley, in ''"The Spy Who Came Up to the Cold''". In 2018 she starred as two very different

twin Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...

sisters and lead characters Kristal and Kyle Hasting in the web series ''Kristal Clear'', for which she won the award for "Best Lead Actress in a Comedy" at the HollyWeb Fest.Amanda Fahey’s web-series, Kristal Clear, wins big at HollyWeb Festival
/ref> In 2019 ''Kristal Clear'' season 2 got approved for funding by the

Independent Production Fund The Independent Production Fund (IPF) is a Canadian private independent foundation that supports the production of Canadian dramatic digital media entertainment content and television series. It also provides professional development services and ...

(IPF). In 2022 - Leishman played Remi Belcourt in episode "Between" of medical drama '' Transplant'', a patient admitted to the emergency department with burns whose accident ends up revealing some uncomfortable truths about her boyfriend. In episode "One Wild Night" of police procedural drama ''

Hudson & Rex ''Hudson & Rex'' is a Canadian police procedural drama television series, based on the Austrian-Italian drama '' Kommissar Rex''. It premiered on Citytv on March 25, 2019. Filming commenced in October 2018, with ongoing production in St. John's ...

'', Leishman plays bridesmaid Quincy Thomas whose straight talking about a murder victim after a

bachelorette party A bachelorette party ( United States and Canada) or hen night ( UK, Ireland and Australia) is a party held for a woman (the bride or bride-to-be) who will soon be married. While Beth Montemurro concludes that the bachelorette party is modelled ...

leads to her being a suspect. She plays Christina, assistant and confidant of caterer Molly Frost ( Merritt Patterson) in Great American Family's romantic TV movie ''Catering Christmas''.‘Catering Christmas’ on Great American Family, Where Merritt Patterson Caters a Holiday Gala
review By Brett White, at Decider.com

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leishman, Melanie 1989 births Canadian television actresses Living people Canadian child actresses Canadian film actresses Canadian Screen Award winners