Melanie Winiger

Melanie Winiger
Melanie Winiger
	Winiger, c. 2019
Born	Melanie Ann Winiger; 22 January 1979 (age 45); Zürich, Switzerland
Nationality	Switzerland; Canada;
Alma mater	Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute
Occupations	Actress; model;
Known for	Former Miss Switzerland 1996
Spouses	; Andres Andrekson; (m. 2008; div. 2012) ; Reto Ardour; (m. 2017; div. 2021)
Partners	Andreas Roth (2000-2003); Timo Todzi (2022-present);
Children	1
Website	Official website

Melanie Ann Winiger (born 22 January 1979) is a Swiss-Canadian actress,^[1] model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss Switzerland 1996.

Early life and education

Winiger was born 22 January 1979 in Zürich, Switzerland to Carol Winiger (née Latimer; born 1949) and Philipp Marcus Winiger (born 1952), a former drummer and model, who would later turn into a jewelry business owner.^[2]^[3]^[4] Her father is Swiss and her mother is Canadian of partial Indian descent.^[5]

In her early childhood her parents moved to Losone in Ticino where she was primarily raised and attended schools. She dropped out of high school to pursue her modeling career.^[6] Winiger later studied acting for two years at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in Los Angeles.^[7]

Modelling career

She won Miss Switzerland in 1996 and represented her country at Miss World 1996 in Bangalore, India and at Miss Universe 1997 in Miami, Florida, not placing in either pageant. Winiger worked as a model in Cape Town, New York, Milan, and Munich in the late 1990s. Around the same time, she gained fame in Switzerland as a TV host and endorser of the Italian boutique chain Oviesse.

Acting

In 2003, she starred in the Swiss movie Achtung, fertig, Charlie!

She subsequently moved to Los Angeles, where she attended the West Hollywood branch of the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute until 2005.

Since then, she has starred in both American and Swiss film and TV productions, including Sonjas Rückkehr, Love Made Easy, Breakout, and Heldin der Lüfte.

In 2008, she starred in a TV commercial for Moschino, which was aired in several European countries.

Filmography

Film theatre releases

2003 – Ready, Steady, Charlie! (Achtung, fertig, Charlie!), Swiss Army comedy (Swiss-German)
2006 – Love Made Easy, Road movie (English)
2007 – Breakout, Youth drama (Swiss-German)
2011 - One Way Trip 3D
2011 - Resturlaub [de]
2013 - Who Killed Johnny,^[8] Comedy (Swiss-German, English, German)
2017 - Lommbock

TV Films

2006 – Sonjas Rückkehr^[9] Social drama (Swiss-German)
2008 – Heldin der Lüfte, featuring REGA air rescue (Swiss-German)
2010 - Sonntagsvierer
2016 - Spuren der Rache

Awards

2013 – Hoboken International Film Festival: Best actress, nomination for Who Killed Johnny^[10]^[11]^[12]

Presenter

On 28 August 2008, she hosted the draw for UEFA Champions League groups, which took place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. She hosted the draw again at the same place on 26 August 2010, this time for 2010–11 Champions League and again on 25 August 2011 for the 2011-12 Champions League. Winiger was the host for the opening ceremony at the 61st FIFA Congress.^[13]

Again on 27 August 2015 hosted the draw for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League 2015-16 which took place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. On 8 July 2017, she hosted the World Boxing Super Series draw.

References

^ "Vita Melanie Winiger" (PDF). Melanie Winiger Personal Website. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
^ Rüdiger, Aufgezeichnet: Esthy (19 December 2021). "Was Melanie Winiger von ihrem Vater gelernt hat". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in Swiss High German). ISSN 0376-6829. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
^ "Melanie Winiger zu Besuch in Indien, dem Land ihrer Mutter". Schweizer Illustrierte (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 15 August 2023.
^ ""Von Hotpants konnte ich als Teenager nur träumen"". 20 Minuten (in German). 19 May 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
^ "«Eine Frau hat kein Verfallsdatum»" [«A woman has no expiration date»]. www.blick.ch (in German).
^ "Melanie Winiger - «Die ganze Schweiz fand, sie dürfe meine Mutterschaft anfechten»". Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF) (in German). 19 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
^ "Melanie". Retrieved 15 August 2023.
^ "News" (in German). whokilledjohnny.com. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
^ "Schweizer Fernsehen SRF: Sonjas Rückkehr" (in German). Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen SRF. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
^ "Who Killed Johnny – Awards" (in German). imdb. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
^ Irene Genhart (3 July 2013). "Swiss made in Hollywood" (in German). Der Landbote. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
^ Isabelle Riederer (9 July 2013). ""Who Killed Johnny?" wird zur Kinoleiche" (in German). 20 Minuten. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
^ "Curtain rises on Congress". FIFA. 31 May 2011. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011.