Bio
Tonantzin (pronounced 'tow nawn tseen') Carmelo began her acting career in theatre. Her first paid gig was a musical theatre anti-smoking show that toured schools throughout Los Angeles.
From there she soon garnered critical acclaim for her stage roles in world premier plays such as Malinche, Exmagare, and the Equity productions of Jump Kiss and Please Do Not Touch the Indians.
She began her film career as the lead actress in Street Kings, and to date she has played lead roles in four independent films, including 187 Shadow Lane; Unearthed, a sci-fi thriller; and Imprint, a supernatural thriller.
On television she has guest-starred in the prime-time television show Dragnet before landing the lead role of Thunder Heart Woman in the Steven Spielberg mini-series Into the West.
For this role Carmelo received various awards as well as a prestigious nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Leading Actress in a TV Movie.