SOUTH AFRICA'S TV WEBSITE
SIGN IN SEARCH MENU
SOUTH AFRICA'S TV WEBSITE


Melissa Haiden

Born: 04 March 1987 (38 years old)
Gender: Female

Rate:

7.0

Add to Actor Favourites

Bio

Melissa Haiden is a South African actress best known for her starring role as Taryn in the SABC3 comedy-drama series Taryn and Sharon.

Having matriculated from Pinelands High School in Cape Town, she graduated from the University of Cape Town with a BA (honours) in Theatre and Performance in 2009 and has since worked steadily in theatre, film and television.

Theatre productions she has performed in include The Birds, directed by Roy Sargeant; Waiting For Godot, directed by Frankie Nassimbeni; Sexual Perversity in Chicago, directed by Chris Weare; Cock, directed by Paul Griffiths; Fred Abrahamse's production of Othello at the Maynardville open air theatre, in which she played Desdemona; and The Vagina Monologues, directed by Marlise Doubell.

Feature films she has appeared in include Konfetti, The Siege of Jadotville, Bypass and Finders Keepers; and she has acted in a number of short films as well including Bound, Adrift, Unspoken and Savage Ivy.

Melissa first appeared on television in 1997 at the age of 10, in an episode of the fantasy action series The Adventures of Sinbad, playing a village girl in the episode entitled "The Gift" (Season 2, Episode 6).

She has acted in a number of foreign television series shot on location in South Africa, including the BBC's science fiction series Outcasts and its comedy-drama The Wrong Mans; the Starz production of Black Sails; National Geographic's miniseries Saints & Strangers and its documentary series Origins: The Journey of Humankind; the BBC docu-drama Troy: Fall of a City; and the Discovery crime series Hear No Evil.

In 2017 Melissa landed the starring role of Taryn in the SABC3 comedy-drama series Taryn and Sharon, about two best friends who are desperate for husbands, not realising that they are practically already married to each other. It was her first starring role in South African-produced scripted television.


Television Roles

Show

Character

Distressed Whore

Passing Whore

Greta

Greta

Patti Dolly

Taryn


LATEST ARTICLES

New on TV today: Tuesday 1 July 2025

An actor and a detective team up in Death Valley on BBC Brit and Nadiya shares meal hacks on BBC Lifestyle.


Trailer: South Africa's Jessie van Niekerk rides the crest in Surf Girls: International

She's one of five surfr grlz from round the world in Prime Video's Season 2.


Inimba Teasers - July 2025

Hearts are broken as the Mabandlas struggle to get through without Thumeka.


Koel Kop, Warm Hart Teasers - July 2025

A woman is murdered, but the DNA points to a jailed man. Signs of a cunning serial killer.


Sibongile & The Dlaminis 2 Teasers - July 2025

Series finale! Look into Nomalanga's eyes and what do you see? D.A.N.G.E.R. The end is nigh.


Skeem Saam Teasers - July 2025

Pretty awful. This is what awaits Pretty. Phomolo wants Lehasa to marry Dr Loren Blue instead of her.


House of Zwide 5 Teasers - July 2025

A major death takes place following the shocking events of the Season 4 finale.


House of Zwide 4 Teasers - July 2025

Faith and Msizi find and dispose of Sizwe's body, but someone spots them...


New on TV today: Monday 30 June 2025

BBC Earth re-imagines Walking with Dinosaurs 25 years later while Travel Channel tries to unravel the mystery of Finding Amelia.


New on TV today: Sunday 29 June 2025

The documentary Boet se Goet airs on kykNET and Ocean with David Attenborough is on Nat Geo Wild.

LATEST SITE ACTIVITY


More activity at TVSA Central



LATEST SOAPIE TEASERS



LATEST SOAPIE TEASERS





×
×

You browser doesn't have Flash, Silverlight, Gears, BrowserPlus or HTML5 support.