Sunnyi Melles

Sunnyi Melles, born Judith Szunnyi Melles on October 7, 1958, in Luxembourg, kind of landed in the spotlight straight outta the womb. Her mom, Judith Melles (she went by Rohonczy back in the day), was a Hungarian actress, and her dad, Carl Melles, was an Austrian conductor—so yeah, you could say the artsy gene pool was deep. Both of them are gone now (her mom passed in 2001, dad in 2004), but their legacy is all over Sunnyi’s vibe. Now, she wasn’t a princess from day one—she totally earned that title later on. In 1993, she married German royalty, Prince Peter Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn. Wild, right? One day, you’re a working actress, the next, you’re signing your checks as Judith-Viktoria Prinzessin zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn. Honestly, that name alone could get its own movie. Sunnyi’s career has been pretty steady, floating between theater, TV, and film, mostly in the German-speaking world. She’s got this sharp, expressive face—makes her pop on screen, especially in those roles where you need someone who can flip between elegance and mischief in a heartbeat. Whether she’s playing a regal matriarch or a quirky side character, she’s got this knack for making every scene just a little more interesting. People in the business know her for being versatile, and that’s no small feat. She’s one of those actors who seems to live a dozen lives—royalty in real life, chameleon on stage. Not too shabby for someone who started out as a conductor’s kid in Luxembourg.