Melanie Steliou

Melanie Steliou is an actress and television presenter. Melanie was born in Keighley, Yorkshire, England. She has lived in the UK, Greece and Cyprus.
She graduated from the Theatre of Arts School under Karolos Koun in Athens, Greece, known as Theatro Technis. She took part in plays staged by Theatro Technis notably “Happy End” by Kurt Weil and Bertolt Brecht, and Aristophanes “The Birds”. “The Birds” was also her first participation at the International Drama Festival at the Epidaurus ancient theatre. “Seven Against Thebes” and “The Achilleis” would follow at Epidaurus.

She has collaborated with most of the theatre groups in Cyprus, performing a range of roles from Maria in Federico Garcia Lorca’s “Yerma”, Petra Von Kant in Fassbinder’s “The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant”, to Helena in John Osbornes’ “Look Back In Anger”. Her most recent roles include Esther Franz in Arthur Miller’s “The Price” and Kate in “All My Sons” in 2021.

Activism:
Melanie is well known for being outspoken on various issues, whether political, environmental or social.
In July 2017 she was criticized for posting a photo of herself on Instagram and Facebook, while breastfeeding her son at Larnaca Airport. After several reports Facebook blocked her post, but then unblocked it after reviewing it and deciding that it did not violate any of their policies. The positive outcome was that by November 2017, Members of Parliament had drafted two legislative proposals aiming at affording greater protection to mothers who breastfeed. The first bill extended the period during which a mother is legally entitled to take one hour off from work each day to breastfeed her baby and the second bill explicitly regulates a woman’s right to breastfeed in public. It involved amending the criminal code, so that from now on anyone preventing public breastfeeding would be committing a criminal offence and be liable to a fine of up to €3,000.
She is an advocate for environmental issues. She is a member and ambassador of the Mothers Rise Up movement.