MALIA MUNLEY
actor - singer - dancer - improviser
About
MALIA MUNLEY is an NYC-based actor, singer, dancer, improviser, and producer from Honolulu, Hawai'i. A Cannes Best Actress winner (Diversity at Cannes), Yale honors graduate, and one of 10 actors selected from 42,000 submissions for the 2026 Disney Television Discovers Talent Showcase, her work spans musical theater, straight plays, Shakespeare, film/TV, and comedy -- a range as wide as it is deeply trained. An extensively trained improviser and former member of The Purple Crayon, Yale's premiere improv comedy group, she brings a rare spontaneity and presence to everything she does.
Malia currently studies under Joan Rosenfels and Kristy Cates. She trained at the British American Drama Academy under Leo Wringer, Mary Lou Rosato, Andrew Wade, and Jackie Snow. At Yale, she studied under James Bundy, Annette Jolles, Andréa Burns, and Gregory Wallace. She holds a double major from Yale University in History (Science, Medicine, & Technology) and Theater, graduating with distinction and honors in both, and was one of 11 students in her class nominated for the Louis Sudler Prize, Yale's most prestigious award for the creative and performing arts.
Her short film 8:38 (Lumiere Productions, d. Imole Ladipo) premiered at Cannes, where she took home Best Actress: Diversity. Other selected credits include Ella in Death to My Twenties (Disney Discovers 2026 Showcase, d. Richard Lee), Mollie Ralston in The Mousetrap (Beef and Boards, d. Eddie Curry), Liat in South Pacific (Engeman Theater, d. Hunter Foster), Kate in Bedroom Pop (The Tank, d. Bibiana Torres), Natasha in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (Yale, d. Annette Jolles), Louise in Gypsy (Yale), Johanna in Sweeney Todd (Yale), and Laodamia in the world premiere of Ellen McLaughlin's Mercury's Footpath (Yale). Upcoming: Bedroom Pop (The Tank, July 2026), and Heartthrob (short film, August 2026).
She is a 2025 Theater Producers of Color fellow and is particularly passionate about independent filmmaking and the development of new staged works.
She can frequently be found in a hot sculpt class or at her favorite neighborhood coffee shop with an iced americano, croissant, and podcast.
*Click images to download
News
Disney Television Discovers: Talent Showcase 2026
EXCLUSIVE: The Disney Television Discovers: Talent Showcase is returning for its 24th year with a new class of rising actors.
Led by the casting team behind ABC Entertainment, Hulu Originals, Onyx Collective and Freeform, the annual program continues its mission of identifying, mentoring and creating meaningful industry exposure for emerging talent.
Selected from 42,000 submissions nationwide, this year’s 10 actors will star in Death to My Twenties.
Past participants include Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave), Golden Globe winner Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Black Panther), Golden Globe winner Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin), Tony Award winner Maleah Joi Moon (Hell’s Kitchen), Tony Award winner Ali Stroker (Oklahoma), Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian and Grogu), Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy), Randall Park (Fresh Off the Boat), Meghan Markle (Suits), Laz Alonzo (The Boys), Jermaine Fowler (Coming 2 America), Utkarsh Ambudkar (Ghosts), Dominique Fishback (Swarm), Laz Alonso (The Boys), Amanda Morrow (Scrubs), David Gridley (Scrubs), Poorna Jagannathan (Deli Boys), Saagar Shaikh (Deli Boys) and Carrie Ann Inaba (Dancing with the Stars).
8:38
*WINNER: Best Actress*
Diversity at Cannes
Festival Highlights
Festival de Cannes: Court Metrage Short Film Corner
Diversity in Cannes Virtual Showcase
Best International Short Film - Emerging Lens Cultural Film Festival
Poppy Jasper International Film Festival
Brooklyn Film Festival
New Media Film Festival LA
Manhattan Film Festival NYC
Uptilt Film Festival
Lately
"I was utterly enamored with the way Munley and Woo portrayed the Ralstons onstage. Both delivered charming and captivating performances as the young, first-time business owners, only to ramp up the drama and steal the show once everyone started pointing fingers, calling attention to actions and words from previous scenes I hadn’t even realized I needed to remember."
- Indianapolis Recorder
"...I found a few performances particularly intriguing as an audience member...I appreciated the peaks and valleys during Malia Munley's performance as Mollie Ralston. She kept surprising me with thoughtful touches and little moments that gave real depth to what could otherwise be a typical “sweet newlywed housewife."
- Broadway World
"Malia Munley as Liat is stunning, and when teamed with Nevin, the two create some gorgeous and passionate tableaus."
- Long Island Press
"Malia Munley brought a sense of dignity and style to her performance as Liat...Munley executed this elegant dance routine with the grace, lightness, and ease of an angel."
- Cindi Sansone-Braff
Upcoming
BEDROOM POP
@ The Tank July 23, 24, 25
Directed by Bibiana Torres
Book, music, and lyrics by Abby Rooney
DEATH TO MY TWENTIES
Disney 2026 Talent Showcase
Directed by Richard Lee
Written by Brittani Nichols
LA Premiere August 2026
HEARTTHROB
A Romantic(?) Thriller
Short film
Directed by Eddy Madday
Written by Eddy Maddy and Will Mulder
