Melissa De Sousa
Melissa De Sousa (born September 25, 1967) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Shelby in the 1999 romantic comedy-drama film "The Best Man", its 2013 sequel "The Best Man Holiday", Gabriella Jimenez in BET's "Reed Between the Lines" (2011), and Ana Lopez in "Black Lightning". Early life. Born and raised in New York City by Panamanian parents, Melissa De Sousa attended the High School of Performing Arts as a ballet major, and began her career as a principal dancer with The Alvin Ailey American Dance Company before transitioning into  acting. Career. De Sousa is best known for her performance as the Shelby in the Universal Studio franchise "The Best Man" and "The Best Man Holiday" starring opposite Terrence Howard, for which she earned an NAACP Image Award nomination. Currently recurring as "Mirta Herrera" on Showtime's "On Becoming a God in Central Florida", she also led the cult hit series "Single Ladies" for BET. De Sousa also starred opposite Matthew Perry in the TNT original presentation of "The Ron Clark Story", which garnered an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Made For Television Movie. Other film work includes "Laurel Canyon", "Miss  Congeniality", and "Constellation". Her television credits include series regular roles on "Reed Between The Lines", "Second Time Around", "One on One", "The $treet", "Valley of the Dolls", and "Damon". Guest star credits include "Criminal Minds", "Elementary", "Shameless", and countless others. In 2021, De Sousa appeared in the final season of "Black Lightning" as Police Chief Ana Lopez. Personal life. De Sousa currently resides in New York.