Who is Mel Metcalfe III?
Mel Metcalfe III is a retired American actor, producer and film-maker, as well as a three-time Oscar-nominated sound engineer, who is probably best known for his on-screen and behind-the-camera engagements on the 1994 short thriller film “Holiday on the Moon”. In addition, he is widely recognized as the former spouse of actress Portia de Rossi.
Career
Mel began his career in the music department of the movie-making industry in 1981, serving as a music mixer for the action crime movie “An Eye for an Eye”.
It was followed by engagements in the critically acclaimed movies including “They All Laughed”, “Fire on the Mountain” as well as “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” and “The Beastmaster”. As a sound recorder he worked on the Golden Globe-nominated TV war drama mini series “The Winds of War” after which his works were featured in motion pictures such as the Oscar-nominated drama “Under the Volcano” and the Primetime Emmy Award-winning biographical film “The Jesse Owens Story”. His skills can also be heard in the Golden Globe-winning drama “A Streetcar Named Desire”, for which he won his first Primetime Emmy Award.
In 1985, Mel Metcalfe III was honored with a second Primetime Emmy Award for his work on the TV mini series “Space”.
Through the rest of the 1980s, Mel was involved on several memorable and award-winning movies such as “The Terminator”, “That’s Life!” and “Hoosiers”, as well as “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” for which he was nominated for the Oscar for Best Sound. These were followed by several Oscar and Golden Globe nominated films, including “Rainbow War”, “Fatal Attraction” and “Good Morning, Vietnam”, before he worked on the four-time Oscar-winning drama film “Rain Man”.
In 1989 he made his debut on-screen appearance, in the critically booed horror thriller “Masque of the Red Death”, after which he worked on the Oscar-nominated movies “Chances Are”, “When Harry Met Sally” and “Pretty Woman”, and the two-time Oscar-winning animated film “The Little Mermaid”. For his works on Disney’s two time Oscar-winning animated films “Beauty and the Beast” and “Aladdin”, Mel was rewarded with two Oscar nominations, in 1992 and 1993 respectively. To greater prominence he came in 1994, when after earning a BAFTA nomination for Disney’s “The Lion King”, he produced the short comedy thriller movie “Holiday on the Moon”, in which he briefly appeared as well.
By the end of the 1990s, Mel Metcalfe III had added his professional signature to several popular movies, including “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, “101 Dalmatians”, “Mulan” and “Tarzan”. In the following years, as a member of the audio engineering department, he worked on critically praised movies such as “The Emperor’s New Groove”, “The Princess Diaries”, “Lilo & Stitch” as well as “Treasure Planet” and “The Princess and the Frog”. In 2007 he produced the mystery movie “The Priestess”, while in 2011 he worked on the short thriller movie “Together in Heaven”.
Personal Life
In 1996 Mel Metcalfe III married actress Portia de Rossi. However, after three years the couple divorced in 1999. In her book entitled “Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain” released in 2010, she stated that she married him only in order to get the green card, possible since she is gay. Additionally, she cited that after their divorce, he ‘ran off‘ with her brother’s wife Renee Kappos, with whom he eventually married a couple of years later.
Net Worth
According to authoritative sources, the Oscar-nominated audio engineer Mel Metcalfe III has a total net worth of $2 million.
It has all been acquired through his prosperous career in the moviemaking industry during which he worked on nearly 180 titles.
Portia de Rossi
Amanda Lee Rogers was born in 1973, in Horsham, Victoria, Australia, to Margaret and Barry Rogers. When she began modeling for TV advertisements during her teenage years, she adopted a professional moniker of Portia de Rossi, inspired by Shakespeare’s play “The Merchant of Venice”. Upon matriculating from Geelong Grammar School, she enrolled into law studies at the University of Melbourne.
Portia made her on-screen debut in 1994, when she appeared in the comedy drama movie “Sirens” after which she moved to Los Angeles, California, USA, to pursue her acting career. Between 1995 and 1996 she appeared in the TV comedy series “New York Daze”, while from 1996 to 1997 she portrayed the recurring character of Elana Lewis in the TV comedy series “Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher”. Between 1998 and 2002 she was in the “Ally McBeal” TV series, starring in the recurring role of Nelle Porter which she reprised later in its spin-off show entitled “Ally”. Into the limelight really stepped in 1999 when she was cast for the main female role in the comedy drama film “The Invisibles”.
The real breakthrough in Portia’s acting career occurred in 2003, when she was cast for the role of Lindsay Bluth Fünke, one of the main characters of the TV comedy series “Arrested Development”, which she portrayed ’til 2019. Additionally, she had a streak of leading roles in movies such as “The Glow”, “I Witness” and “The Night We Called It a Day”, before she came to prominence again in 2005 for her appearance in the horror comedy movie “Cursed”. Between 2007 and 2009 she guest starred in the “Nip/Tuck” TV drama series, which was followed by the recurring role of Veronica Palmer in the TV comedy series “Better Off Ted”.
Portia de Rossi is gay, and since August 2008 has been married to American media personality Ellen DeGeneres.