Melissa Fumero

Melissa Fumero (née Gallo) is an American actress and television director whose career has spanned more than two decades, beginning with her breakout role as Adriana Cramer on the soap opera One Life to Live in 2004. Born on August 19 1982 in Lyndhurst New Jersey to Cuban immigrant parents, she grew up speaking Spanish at home and discovered a love for performance through dance and school plays before enrolling in the drama program at New York University, where she earned a BFA in 2003. After her early soap‑opera work she appeared in a variety of guest roles on shows such as Gossip Girl, Royal Pains and The Mentalist, steadily building a reputation for versatility and a strong work ethic. Her career reached a new high when she was cast as the diligent and ambitious detective Amy Santiago on Brooklyn Nine‑Nine in 2013, a role that earned both critical praise and a dedicated fan base; she remained with the series through its eight‑season run, even directing the episode “Return of the King” in 2019, marking her debut behind the camera. Brooklyn Nine‑Nine not only showcased her comedic timing but also highlighted her commitment to representation, as she and co‑star Stephanie Beatriz became two of the few regular Latina characters on mainstream network comedy. During the series she navigated a real‑life pregnancy, which was creatively woven into her character’s storyline, and she later leveraged her experience to advocate for more women of color in directing roles.

Following the conclusion of Brooklyn Nine‑Nine, Fumero continued to expand her repertoire, lending her voice to the animated series M.O.D.O.K. as Melissa Tarleton and joining the Netflix comedy Blockbuster as Eliza Walker, a mother dealing with marital challenges. She also voiced Bella Torres on the adult animated series Digman!, appeared in the comedy film Bar Fight!, and directed episodes of the sitcom Primo. In addition to her on‑screen work, she co‑hosts the comedy podcast More Better with Stephanie and Melissa and remains an active voice in Hispanic representation in Hollywood, having been featured in The Hollywood Reporter’s young Hispanic Hollywood class of 2013 and Variety’s “10 Latinos to Watch.” Her personal life includes a marriage to fellow actor David Fumero, with whom she shares two sons, underscoring a balance between a demanding career and family commitments.