Merle Dandridge
Encyclopedia
Merle Dandridge is an American
actress who was born in Okinawa, Japan
. Her father was an African-American US serviceman from Memphis
and her mother was a local Okinawan of Korean
and Japanese
descent. Dandridge is primarily a stage actress, but has had several roles in television. She has gained a wider audience as the voice of Alyx Vance
in the award-winning action game Half-Life 2
and its sequels, Episode One
, Episode Two
and the upcoming Episode Three.
, at Beale Air Force Base
, and later at Offutt Air Force Base
(home to the then-Strategic Air Command
) in Bellevue, Nebraska
, where she spent the majority of her childhood. She attended Papillion La Vista High School and participated in the play production class and theater department there.
She then attended the Theatre Conservatory
at Roosevelt University
(currently called the Chicago College of Performing Arts
) with a scholarship that she earned at the International Thespian Festival
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress who was born in Okinawa, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Her father was an African-American US serviceman from Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
and her mother was a local Okinawan of Korean
Korean people
The Korean people are an ethnic group originating in the Korean peninsula and Manchuria. Koreans are one of the most ethnically and linguistically homogeneous groups in the world.-Names:...
and Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
descent. Dandridge is primarily a stage actress, but has had several roles in television. She has gained a wider audience as the voice of Alyx Vance
Alyx Vance
Alyx Vance is a non-player character in Valve's 2004 first-person shooter computer game Half-Life 2, and its following episodes: Half-Life 2: Episode One and Half-Life 2: Episode Two...
in the award-winning action game Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 , the sequel to Half-Life, is a first-person shooter video game and a signature title in the Half-Life series. It is singleplayer, story-driven, science fiction, and linear...
and its sequels, Episode One
Half-Life 2: Episode One
Half-Life 2: Episode One is the first in a series of episodes that serve as the sequel for the 2004 first-person shooter video game Half-Life 2. It was developed by Valve Corporation and released on June 1, 2006. Originally called Half-Life 2: Aftermath, the game was later renamed to Episode One...
, Episode Two
Half-Life 2: Episode Two
Half-Life 2: Episode Two is the second episode in a series of sequels to the 2004 first-person shooter video game Half-Life 2. It was developed by Valve Corporation in tandem with Episode One, the first game in the series, and released in Q4 2007 via Valve's Steam content distribution platform...
and the upcoming Episode Three.
Early life
As well as Okinawa, Dandridge has lived in Sacramento, CaliforniaSacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, at Beale Air Force Base
Beale Air Force Base
Beale Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately east of Marysville, California. Originally known as Camp Beale....
, and later at Offutt Air Force Base
Offutt Air Force Base
Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force installation near Omaha, and lies adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U.S...
(home to the then-Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
) in Bellevue, Nebraska
Bellevue, Nebraska
Bellevue is a city in Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 50,137 at the 2010 census. Eight miles south of Omaha, Bellevue is part of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. Originally settled in the 1830s, It was the first state capitol. Bellevue was incorporated in...
, where she spent the majority of her childhood. She attended Papillion La Vista High School and participated in the play production class and theater department there.
She then attended the Theatre Conservatory
The Theatre Conservatory of Chicago College of Performing Arts
The Theatre Conservatory of Chicago College of Performing Arts is an theatre arts conservatory based in Chicago, Illinois at Roosevelt University. It primarily focuses on the training of actors and actresses in the career fields of musical theater and acting. The school offers Bachelor of Fine Arts...
at Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University is a coeducational, private university with campuses in Chicago, Illinois and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university is named in honor of both former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The university's curriculum is based on...
(currently called the Chicago College of Performing Arts
Chicago College of Performing Arts
Chicago College of Performing Arts is a performing arts college that is housed at Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois. The college has two divisions: the Music Conservatory and the Theatre Conservatory.- History :...
) with a scholarship that she earned at the International Thespian Festival
International Thespian Festival
The International Thespian Festival is an annual week-long theatre festival that brings together U.S. high school theatre clubs, thespian troupes, and programs...
.
Theatre
- Once on this Island, Performer, (Chicago, IL) 1994
- Robber Bridegroom, as Rosamund, Roosevelt University (Chicago, IL) 1994
- As You Like ItAs You Like ItAs You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
, as Rosalind, Roosevelt University (Chicago, IL) 1994 - Balm in GileadBalm in GileadBalm in Gilead is a 1965 play written by American playwright Lanford Wilson.-Dramatic structure:Wilson's first full-length effort, Balm in Gilead centers on a cafe frequented by heroin addicts, prostitutes and thieves...
, as Ann, Gilead Theatre (Chicago, IL) 1997 - The Kentucky Cycle, Performer, Truman College (Chicago, IL) 1997
- Company, as Kathy, (Chicago, IL) 1997
- Sweet and Hot, Performer, Theatre Building (Chicago, IL) 1997
- Heart and Soul, as Andrea (Chicago, IL) 1998
- Richard IIRichard II (play)King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
, Performer, Gilead Theatre Co. (Chicago, IL) 1998 - Ain't Misbehavin', Performer, European Tour 1998
- Smokey Joe's Cafe, Swing, National Tour 1998
- Jesus Christ SuperstarJesus Christ SuperstarJesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
, as Mary MagdaleneMary MagdaleneMary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
(understudy), Ford Center for the Performing Arts (BroadwayBroadway theatreBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
) 2000 - AidaAidaAida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...
, as Nehebka, National Tour 2001 - Aida, as Aida (Replacement), Palace Theatre (Broadway) 2002
- RentRent (musical)Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
, as Joanne Jefferson (Replacement), Nederlander Theatre (Broadway) 2002 - Showtune: Celebrating the Words & Music of Jerry HermanShowtune (musical)Showtune is an internationally popular Off Broadway musical revue celebrating the words and music of Broadway composer Jerry Herman. Its title was inspired by Herman's autobiography of the same name....
, as Woman 2, Pasadena Playhouse (Pasadena, CA) 2003 - RentRent (musical)Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
, as Joanne (Replacement), Nederlander Theatre (Broadway) 2003 - Tarzan, as Kala, Richard Rodgers Theatre (Broadway) 2006-2007
- RentRent (musical)Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
, as Joanne (Replacement), Nederlander Theatre (Broadway) 2008 - Monty Python's Spamalot, as The Lady of the Lake, Shubert Theatre (Broadway) 2008
- RentRent (musical)Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
, as Joanne, USA National Tour 2009-2010
Television
- AngelAngel (TV series)Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
episode Home, as Lacey, 2003 - 2424 (TV series)24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
Season 8, Episode 9 - Navy NCIS episode Sea Dog, as Marcy Carruthers, 2003
- Third WatchThird WatchThird Watch is an American television drama series which first aired on NBC from 1999 to 2005 for a total of 132 episodes, broadcast in 6 seasons of 22 episodes each....
episode Too Little, too late as Nikki 2005 - CSI: MiamiCSI: MiamiCSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
episode Sleepless In Miami as Stacy Garrett, 2010 - RingerRingerRinger may refer to:* Ringer, in sports idiom, an impostor, especially one whose pretense is intended to gain an advantage in a competition* Ringer , a Marvel Comics villain* Ringer , an EP by Four Tet...
episode Shut Up and Eat Your Bologna as Dr. Anabel Morris, 2011
Film
- Bentley and Max, 2008, in post-production
- Nothing But The Truth, 2008, in production
Video games
- Half-Life 2Half-Life 2Half-Life 2 , the sequel to Half-Life, is a first-person shooter video game and a signature title in the Half-Life series. It is singleplayer, story-driven, science fiction, and linear...
, as Alyx Vance (Voice), 2004 - Half-Life 2: Episode OneHalf-Life 2: Episode OneHalf-Life 2: Episode One is the first in a series of episodes that serve as the sequel for the 2004 first-person shooter video game Half-Life 2. It was developed by Valve Corporation and released on June 1, 2006. Originally called Half-Life 2: Aftermath, the game was later renamed to Episode One...
, as Alyx Vance (Voice), 2006 - Half-Life 2: Episode TwoHalf-Life 2: Episode TwoHalf-Life 2: Episode Two is the second episode in a series of sequels to the 2004 first-person shooter video game Half-Life 2. It was developed by Valve Corporation in tandem with Episode One, the first game in the series, and released in Q4 2007 via Valve's Steam content distribution platform...
, as Alyx Vance (Voice), 2007 - Half-Life 2: Episode Three, as Alyx Vance (Voice), TBA