Portrait of Melissa Benoist

Birthday profile

Melissa Benoist

Melissa Benoist, American actress and singer

Born
October 4, 1988
Age in 2026
38
Zodiac sign
Libra
Birth year
1988

About Melissa Benoist

Melissa Marie Benoist ( bə-NOYST; born October 4, 1988) is an American actress and singer. Her first major role was as Marley Rose on the Fox musical comedy drama Glee (2012–2014), in which she was a series regular during the fifth season. She rose to widespread prominence for portraying Kara Danvers on the superhero series Supergirl (2015–2021). Benoist's film appearances include the drama Whiplash (2014), the comedy drama Danny Collins (2015), the crime comedy Band of Robbers (2015), the romantic Western The Longest Ride (2015), the action thriller Patriots Day (2016), the drama Lowriders (2016), and the comedy drama Sun Dogs (2017). She also portrayed the wife of cult leader David Koresh on the Paramount Network miniseries Waco (2018). On stage, Benoist made her Broadway debut in 2018 as Carole King in the jukebox musical Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Benoist's first film was Tennessee in 2008 along with singer Mariah Carey. Benoist's first performance was a duet of "New York State of Mind" with Lea Michele, during the first episode of season 4. Benoist played Nicole in Damien Chazelle's 2014 independent drama film Whiplash, which won top prizes (Grand Jury and Audience awards) at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. She rose to widespread prominence for portraying the title character on the superhero series Supergirl (2015–2021).

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Melissa Benoist timeline

  1. Benoist's first film was Tennessee in 2008 along with singer Mariah Carey.
  2. Benoist played Nicole in Damien Chazelle's 2014 independent drama film Whiplash, which won top prizes (Grand Jury and Audience awards) at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
  3. She rose to widespread prominence for portraying the title character on the superhero series Supergirl (2015–2021).

The world when Melissa Benoist was born

Melissa Benoist was born in 1988. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1988

  • #1 song"Faith" – George Michael
  • Top movieRain Man
  • Top TV showThe Cosby Show
  • Best-selling bookA Brief History of Time – Stephen Hawking

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentBen Johnson stripped of Olympic 100m gold for doping
  • Top headlineGeorge H.W. Bush elected president
  • Technology milestoneFirst transatlantic fiber optic cable
  • Defining fadKoosh balls
  • Notable inventionFirst disposable contact lenses
  • World population5.11 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderRonald Reagan
  • Sports championLos Angeles Dodgers (World Series)
  • Also wonLos Angeles Lakers (NBA)
  • U.S. population244.5M

1988 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Melissa Benoist's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19882026
Gas$0.95$3.45/gal
Average home$89,300$435,000
Average income$32,191$67,500
Minimum wage$3.35$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$4.11$11.95
Postage stamp$0.25$0.73
Population244.5M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb, MusicBrainz. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.