Tonantzin Carmelo
Tonantzin Carmelo in 2021
Born1976 (age 4748)
OccupationActress

Tonantzin Carmelo is an American actress. She is known for her acting roles in film, TV and stage productions including in the Steven Spielberg miniseries, Into the West, for which she received a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Television Movie or Miniseries.[1]

In 2021, Carmelo filmed roles in Spain and Australia for the television series The English (BBC) and La Brea (NBC).

Early life and education

Carmelo grew up in Orange County, southern California and is of Indigenous and Latina descent. As a youth, she participated in Native dances and music, touring with cultural groups throughout North America.[2] She also became a technically trained dancer and performed with the modern dance company Daystar.

Carmelo attended the University of California, Irvine, where she earned a bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies and a minor in Dance. While in college, she began acting in theater productions and independent films.[3]

Career

Carmelo began her professional acting career in an educational musical theater show produced by Carmen Zapata at the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts. The production toured the Los Angeles area.

In 2007, Carmelo played the leading role of Shayla Stonefeather in the thriller Imprint.

In addition, Carmelo is a choreographer. Her work was featured in the Amazon TV series, Undone, and in the opera, Sweetland.[4][5] She has also performed as a singer with the band Trio del Alma and has recorded on three albums for Canyon Records.

In 2012, Carmelo testified for the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on the images of Native Americans in Hollywood.[6][7][8]

Carmelo has also appeared in several video games, including Dead Space, The Crew, Lego Marvel's Avengers, and Cyberpunk 2077. Her memorable motion-capture and voice performance portrayal of the villainous character Kendra Daniels for Dead Space led Maxim Magazine to add Kendra to their Hottest Video Game Babes of the Year list.[9] Today, the character continues to attract legions of loyal fans.

She has had an ongoing relationship with Native Voices at the Autry Museum in Los Angeles, where she has performed on stage and has served on the advisory board.[10][11]

She is a member of the Tongva Language Committee for Revitalization.[12]

Awards and nominations

On January 5, 2006, Carmelo was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries for her performance as Thunder Heart Woman in Into the West.

Carmelo also won the American Indian Film Festival award for Best Actress and was nominated for the Best Actress award at the Hoboken International Film Festival for this role. She was also named "An Indie Darling to Crave" at the Sundance Film Festival 2015 for her role as Teresa, opposite John C. Reilly in the film Entertainment. Below is a list of her awards and nominations.

Awards
Year Film Award
2012 Shouting SecretsFirstGlance Award for Best Ensemble Cast
2008 ImprintHoboken International Film Festival Award for Best Actress
2007 ImprintAmerican Indian Film Festival Award for Best Actress
2006 Into the WestOutstanding Actress Performance in a TV Movie/Special (Lead)
2006 Into the WestWestern Heritage Award, Bronze Wrangler
Nominations
Year Film Nomination
2011 Shouting SecretsNominated - American Indian Film Festival Award for Best Actress
2006 Into the WestNominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress
Western Heritage Award shared with cast and crew
2006 Into the WestNominated – Gold Derby TV Award, TV Movie/Mini Supporting Actress
2005 Into the WestNominated – OFTA Television Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries

Filmography

Film and Television[13]
YearTitleRoleNotes
2022The EnglishTouching GroundTV series
2022–presentSpirit RangersBuffalo / Orchids (voice)TV series[14]
2021–presentLa BreaPaaraRecurring role (season 1); Main role (season 2)
2020El Camino de XicoCarmen
2020A Soldier's RevengeAlpana
2019UndoneTonantzinTV series
2019The Chosen OneDr. Lúcia Santiero (English voiceover)TV series
2019The SonNaschaTV series
2018Z NationKurukTV series
2018Animal KingdomAnnaTV series
2018White FangFilm (voiceover)
2016Teen WolfSkinwalker / Black NightTV series
2015EntertainmentTeresa
2014Child of GraceKaya
2014The ActivistAnna Ward
2011PeripheryIsabella
2011Shouting SecretsCaitlyn
2010American Dad!Sooleawa'uha (voice)Episode: "There Will Be Bad Blood"
2010Red Carpet ReportHerselfTV series short
2009ShadowheartMiakodaVideo
2009Dark BlueGinaTV series
2009American ExperienceAwashunkTV series documentary
2007UnearthedNodin
2007CSI: MiamiAdrienne VestonTV series
2007ImprintShayla Stonefeather
2005Into the WestThunder Heart WomanTV mini series
2003DragnetErika SanchezTV series
2003187 Shadow LaneChristina
2002King RikkiAnita

Video games

YearTitleRoleNote
2008Dead SpaceKendra Daniels
2014The CrewRoxanne
2016Lego Marvel's AvengersMaya Lopez / Echo
2020Cyberpunk 2077Joss Kutcher

References

  1. "The 12th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards | Screen Actors Guild Awards". www.sagawards.org.
  2. "Tongva actor Tonantzin Carmelo says change in roles for Indigenous talent 'a slow drip' - CBC Radio". CBC. February 7, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  3. "Tonantzin Carmelo, Tongva / Kumeyaay". AAA Native Arts. February 26, 2017.
  4. "Review: 'Sweet Land' astonishes. Opera in an L.A. park examines what it means to be American". Los Angeles Times. March 2, 2020.
  5. Barone, Joshua (February 28, 2020). "An Opera About Colonialism Shows How History Warps". The New York Times via NYTimes.com.
  6. "- RECLAIMING OUR IMAGE AND IDENTITY FOR THE NEXT SEVEN GENERATIONS". www.govinfo.gov.
  7. https://www.indian.senate.gov/sites/default/files/upload/files/old_hearings/TonantzinCarmeloFINALtestimony112912&pageid=12559.pdf
  8. "Senate Committee Hears Testimony on Native Identity". www.nativetimes.com.
  9. "Maxim's Hottest Video Game Babes of 2008". Kotaku. December 23, 2008.
  10. "Native Voices Presents the World Premiere of Pure Native". Autry Museum of the American West. December 19, 2018.
  11. "Getting to know Los Angeles Tongva Actress — Tonantzin Carmelo". September 9, 2018.
  12. "Tongva, L.A.'s first language, opens the door to a forgotten time and place". Los Angeles Times. May 9, 2019.
  13. "Tonantzin Carmelo". IMDb.
  14. "Tonantzin Carmelo (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved January 17, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
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