Sofia Shinas (born January 17, 1968) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, actress and director."Dream comes true for Shinas". Windsor Star, May 28, 1994.
Shinas entered the entertainment industry as a recording artist and later pursued acting. After graduating from film school, she became a film director. She is best known for her role as Eric Draven's murdered fiancée, Shelly, in The Crow, in which she starred opposite Brandon Lee.
Early life Shinas was born in Windsor, Ontario, to Greek parents. She briefly attended the University of Toronto, but dropped out before finishing her first semester in order to pursue creating music in New York City.
Career
Recording artist In 1992, Shinas released her eponymously titled debut album on Warner Bros. Records. She co-wrote every song and worked with various producers and remixers, including Steve Peck, Daniel Abraham (record producer), Mitch Kaplan, Mark 'MK' Kinchen, Roger Sanchez, Tommy Musto, Ben Grosse and Boris Granich.
Her first single, "The Message", reached No. 20 on Billboard's Dance/Club Play chart and was a crossover pop hit, peaking at No. 75 on the Hot 100 chart. Her second single, "One Last Kiss", didn't chart in the US, but became a minor hit in her native Canada. Her last single, "State of Mind", peaked at No. 16 on the Dance/Club Play chart. She received a Juno Award nomination for Most Promising Female Vocalist at the Juno Awards of 1993."Celine Dion sweeps Juno nominations". Ottawa Citizen, February 10, 1993.
Shinas left the music business to pursue a career as actor and director. She has not released another album.
Film actress Shinas made her film debut in the 1994 action thriller The Crow, starring Brandon Lee. The box office hit has become a cult favorite. Shinas then landed a role opposite Charlie Sheen and Nastassja Kinski in Terminal Velocity.
She starred alongside C. Thomas Howell in the independent action/drama, Hourglass and in the 1997 action film, Dilemma.
Television actress Shinas appeared in two episodes of the TV series The Outer Limits (in the "Valerie 23" and "Mary 25" episodes) and an episode of The Hunger.
Film director Shinas's first feature as director is the thriller, My Stepdaughter, released in August 2015.
Education In 2008, Shinas graduated from the USC School of Cinema-Television in Los Angeles, California where she directed a film titled Spring Eternal as a thesis project. Filmography Film Year Film Role Notes 1994 The Crow Shelly Webster Terminal Velocity Maxine 'Broken Legs Max' 1995 Hourglass Dara Jensen 1996 Ripper Man Gena Dilemma Lydia Cantrell 1997 Hostile Intent Gina Alternative title: Lethal Games 2000 Red Shoe Diaries 12: Girl on a Bike Woman on Train Segment: "Borders of Salt" 2004 Planet of the Pitts Fay Kennedy, NBC News Anchor 2015 My Stepdaughter Directorial debut 2016 DaZe: Vol. Too (sic) – NonSeNse Rosabel 2021 Politically Homeless Screenplay; director Television Year Title Role Notes 1994 Red Shoe Diaries Woman on Train 1 episode 1994 Blue Skies Gina 1 episode 1998 The Hunger Claire 1 episode 1995–1998 The Outer Limits Mary 25 / Valerie 23 2 episodes 2020 Toasted Sitcom; director
Discography
Albums 1992: Sofia Shinas
Singles 1992: "The Message" 1992: "One Last Kiss" 1992: "State of Mind (You Make Me Feel Good)"
References
External links