Melanie Zanetti (born 20 March 1985) is an Australian actress. She is best known as the voice of Chilli Heeler in the critically acclaimed animated television program Bluey (2018–present). She has also portrayed Charlotte Ingram in the horror film Raven's Hollow (2022), and Julia Mitchell in the erotic romance film series Gabriel's Inferno and its sequel Gabriel's Rapture (2020–2021).
Early life Zanetti was born in 1985 in Brisbane, Queensland, and grew up with five siblings.
Career She graduated from the University of Southern Queensland in 2007 with a Bachelor of Theatre Arts. After graduation, she started working as a stage actress. She appeared on stage for the Queensland Theatre Company in several plays, including as Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion (2011), as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (2012), as Catherine Earnshaw/Cathy Linton in a stage adaptation of Wuthering Heights (2014), as Laura/Eliza Wishart in Kate Mulvany's adaptation of the novel Jasper Jones (2018), and as Lea in the premiere of Joanna Murray-Smith's L'Appartement (2019). Her portrayal of Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion earned her a Matilda Award in 2011.
She subsequently transitioned voice-over, film, and television, relocating to Los Angeles, where she has been cast in various roles.
Since 2018, Zanetti has been the voice of Chilli Heeler, the mother of the titular character and her sister, Bingo, in the popular Australian television series for preschool children Bluey, which has received Peabody and Emmy awards. She was given the role three months after submitting her voice-over. She will reprise her role in the upcoming feature-length film, The Bluey Movie, set to release in 2027. Cast members of the show recorded their voices separately. Zanetti did so remotely as well, while working on her other projects in different countries. On November 11, 2022, Zanetti and co-star Dave McCormack appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to promote Bluey. They told Fallon that they had only met two days prior.
In 2019, Zanetti was cast as the artless university student Julia Mitchell by producer Tosca Musk for the Gabriel's Inferno franchise on Passionflix, an adaptation of a series of best-selling erotic romance novels by Sylvain Reynard. In 2022, she portrayed Charlotte Ingram in the Edgar Allan Poe biographic horror film Raven's Hollow.
In 2024, Zanetti was chosen to be the voice of the Brisbane Metro.
Filmography
Film YearTitleRole2013Battle of the DamnedJude2015The Leisure ClassCarolyn2020Gabriel's Inferno: Part OneJulia Mitchell2020Gabriel's Inferno: Part TwoJulia Mitchell2020Love and MonstersMav1s and Kala2020Gabriel's Inferno: Part ThreeJulia Mitchell2021Gabriel's Rapture: Part OneJulia Mitchell2022Gabriel's Rapture: Part TwoJulia Mitchell2022Gabriel's Rapture: Part ThreeJulia Mitchell2022Raven's HollowCharlotte Ingram2023Gabriel's Redemption: Part OneJulia Mitchell2023Gabriel's Redemption: Part TwoJulia Mitchell2023Head CountJo2023Gabriel's Redemption: Part ThreeJulia Mitchell2027The Bluey MovieChilli Heeler
Television YearTitleRoleNotes2008The StripZoe de Luca1 episode2009East of EverythingAnna1 episode2017The Family LawDoctor Lee1 episode2018Hot Valley NightsZowie Brooks1 episode2018TidelandsYoung Genoveva2 episodes2018The Bureau of Magical ThingsOrla12 episodes2018–presentBlueyChilli HeelerMain cast2020The EndEdie Henley3 episodes2021Young RockStephanie2 episodes2024The Ren & Stimpy ShowTiffani1 episode2025Darby and JoanArianna Malgeri1 episode
Video games YearTitleRole2023Bluey: The VideogameChilli Heeler
References
Further reading
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