Michele Melega was born in Milan, Italy, to Karen Dissing, a Danish journalist, and Gianluigi Melega, an Italian journalist. He grew up in Milan and Rome. In 1977, he moved to Denmark where he attended boarding school at Sorø Akademi. At age 21,he returned to Italy and trained at the National Theatre Academy in Rome. Played parts as a stage actor and made his first appearance on the screen in Good Morning Babylon, directed by the Taviani brothers. He speaks English, Italian and Danish fluently and has appeared both with small parts and leading roles in numerous international film and television productions.