# Sofia Shinas

Sofia Shinas (born January 17, 1968) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, actress and director.
Shinas entered the entertainment industry as a recording artist and later pursued acting. After graduating from film school, she became a film director. She is best known for her role as Eric Draven's murdered fiancée, Shelly, in The Crow starring opposite Brandon Lee.

## Early life

Shinas was born in Windsor, Ontario to Greek parents. She briefly attended the University of Toronto, but dropped out before finishing her first semester in order to pursue creating music in New York City.

## Career
### Recording artist

In 1992, Shinas released her eponymously titled debut album on Warner Bros. Records. She co-wrote every song and worked with various producers and remixers, including Steve Peck, Daniel Abraham (record producer), Mitch Kaplan, Mark 'MK' Kinchen, Roger Sanchez, Tommy Musto, Ben Grosse and Boris Granich.
Her first single, "The Message", reached No. 20 on Billboard's Dance/Club Play chart and was a crossover pop hit, peaking at No. 75 on the Hot 100 chart. Her second single, "One Last Kiss", didn't chart in the US, but became a minor hit in her native Canada. Her last single, "State of Mind", peaked at No. 16 on the Dance/Club Play chart. She received a Juno Award nomination for Most Promising Female Vocalist at the Juno Awards of 1993.
Shinas left the music business to pursue a career as actor and director. She has not released another album.

### Film actress

Shinas made her film debut in the 1994 action thriller The Crow, starring Brandon Lee. The box office hit has become a cult favorite. Shinas then landed a role opposite Charlie Sheen and Nastassja Kinski in Terminal Velocity.
She starred alongside C. Thomas Howell in the independent action/drama, Hourglass and in the 1997 action film, Dilemma.

### Television actress

Shinas appeared in two episodes of the TV series The Outer Limits (in the "Valerie 23" and "Mary 25" episodes) and an episode of The Hunger.

### Film director

Shinas's first feature as director was the thriller, My Stepdaughter, released in August 2015.

## Education

In 2008, Shinas graduated from the USC School of Cinema-Television in Los Angeles, California where she directed a film titled Spring Eternal as a thesis project.

## Filmography

Film :
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1994 | The Crow | Shelly Webster | |
| 1994 | Terminal Velocity | Maxine 'Broken Legs Max' | |
| 1995 | Hourglass | Dara Jensen | |
| 1996 | Ripper Man | Gena | |
| 1996 | Dilemma | Lydia Cantrell | |
| 1997 | Hostile Intent | Gina | Alternative title: Lethal Games |
| 2000 | Red Shoe Diaries 12: Girl on a Bike | Woman On Train | Segment: "Borders of Salt" |
| 2004 | Planet of the Pitts | Fay Kennedy, NBC News Anchor | |
| 2015 | My Stepdaughter | | Directorial debut |
| 2016 | DaZe: Vol. Too (sic) – NonSeNse | Rosabel | |
| Television ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1994 | Red Shoe Diaries | Woman On Train | 1 episode |
| 1994 | Blue Skies | Gina | 1 episode |
| 1998 | The Hunger | Claire | 1 episode |
| 1995–1998 | The Outer Limits | Mary 25 / Valerie 23 | 2 episodes |

## Discography
### Albums

* 1992: Sofia Shinas

### Singles

* 1992: "The Message"
* 1992: "One Last Kiss"
* 1992: "State of Mind (You Make Me Feel Good)"