Merle Dandridge

Merle Dandridge (also credited as Мерл Дэндридж) is a Japanese-American screen and stage artist born on May 31, 1975, in Okinawa, Japan. Raised in a military family, she grew up across the U.S., spending much of her childhood in Bellevue, Nebraska—experiences that helped shape her grounded, versatile presence as a performer.

Dandridge’s background reflects a rich blend of cultures: her father was an African-American U.S. serviceman from Memphis, while her mother is Okinawan with Korean and Japanese heritage. In Nebraska, she attended Papillion La Vista High School, where theater classes and school productions became an early training ground for the career to come.

After earning recognition at the International Thespian Festival, she continued her studies on scholarship at Roosevelt University’s Theatre Conservatory (now the Chicago College of Performing Arts). While she is widely respected for stage work, Dandridge has also built a notable on-screen résumé, appearing in projects such as Nothing But the Truth, Matadors, Resurrect, and Block Party.

She has also connected with global audiences through performance and documentary appearances tied to The Last of Us, including The Last of Us: One Night Live and Grounded II: Making The Last of Us Part II, as well as concert events like Disney's Broadway Hits at London's Royal Albert Hall.