80: Melanie Smith, Tora Ziyal #3 from “Star Trek DS9”
There aren’t many characters in Star Trek history that had the same character in one show have multiple performers. Melanie Smith is one actress who can add that honor to her resume, as she played the third (and final) Tora Ziyal on “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.”
In this episode, we learn about Melanie’s unusual road to acting, her first on-screen appearance and her first professional gig in “As the World Turns,” what she learned from the legendary Stella Adler, her three appearances on “Seinfeld” including the historic “Shrinkage” episode with Voyager alumni Jason Alexander, her “nude” appearance on “Adventures of Brisco County Jr.” with Bruce Campbell, and working with Andrew Robinson on the cult sci-fi film “Trancers 3”.
After that, it’s time for Trek talk about how Melanie got the part of Ziyal and how far she made it an earlier audition to almost become a member of the main cast, breaking down the romance of Ziyal and Garak, how she found the character and what part of Melanie was inside her, working with Andrew, Nana Visitor, and Marc Alaimo, learning the technobabble, what she did to make her version of Ziyal be different from others, and the full story of why Ziyal died!
- Check out Melanie’s website at – https://workwithmelaniesmith.com/about-melanie/
- Visit https://www.drivebydogooders.org/ to donate to the cause, and if you donate $35 or more, Lycia will send you an autographed picture. In the comments section where you donate, include your name and address and what pic you would like, and Lycia will send it on your way!
- Visit Pancan.org to support the Trek against Pancreatic Cancer
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