Amanda Melby, a native Minnesotan, embarked on a journey to Phoenix, passing through Southern California, Washington, DC, and Cleveland, ultimately arriving at her current destination. With over three decades of professional acting experience, she proudly holds membership in the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the Actors' Equity Association (AEA).
Her extensive filmography features notable roles in Raising Buchanan alongside René Auberjonois and M. Emmet Walsh, Locker 13 with Ricky Schroeder, Jason Spisak, and Jon Gries, Jake's Corner with Richard Tyson, Danny Trejo, and BJ Thomas, Netherbeast Incorporated with Darrell Hammond, Steve Burns, Dave Foley, and Jason Mewes, and The Majestic with Martin Landau and Jim Carrey, among many others.
Amanda's impressive short film credits include Ouroborous, Covet, Cult Status, Impotent, Viewfinder, Small Happys, The Fencestitute, Cocktail Wizard, and The Darkness Of Light. Her television credits comprise Candid Camera (TV Land),S.I.S. (Spike TV),Boston Public (Fox),and Screen Wars (AZTV).
In the realm of Los Angeles theatre, Amanda has had the opportunity to understudy Peri Gilpin as Gwendolyn in Frasier Gone Wilde: The Importance Of Being Earnest at the Mark Taper Forum, take on the role of Sonia in the LA premiere of LIFE x 3 at the Elephant Asylum, portray Doris in Same Time, Next Year at the Long Beach Playhouse, and bring to life Amy in the premiere of Chenille Stems And Coco Midrib at the Secret Rose Theatre.
Amanda's regional theatre credits include the Cleveland Play House, Porthouse Theatre, Dobama Theatre, Cleveland Shakespeare Festival, Actors Theatre of Phoenix, Phoenix Theatre, TheatreWorks, Arizona Theatre Company, and Theatre Artists Studio.
Beyond her acting career, Amanda has also ventured into the realms of production, direction, teaching, and spokesperson roles. She served as the Executive Director of IFP Phoenix from 2005 to 2011, owns and heads Verve Studios, a boutique acting studio, and has been a Faculty Associate at Arizona State University, teaching Screen Acting for over seven years.
A four-time Emmy nominee for her work as Producer and Host of the television show Screen Wars and the Raising Buchanan trailer, Amanda has received numerous accolades, including the 2007 Phoenix Film Foundation Board Member of the Year, the 2008 Layne Award, and a nomination for the 2011 Governor's Arts Award for her contributions to the Arizona Entertainment Community.
Throughout her career, Amanda has honed her craft through master classes under the guidance of renowned instructors Gunnar Rohrbacher and Howard Fine. She is an accomplished cellist and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre and English from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota.
