Monalisa Chinda was born in Port Harcourt, Rivers State to an Ikwerre father and an Igbo mother. She is the first born in her family of two sons and four daughters. She attended Army Children’s School GRA for Primary and then Archdeacon Crowther Memorial Girls' School, Elelenwo, for Secondary. Both schools are located in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. She obtained a degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Port Harcourt.
Monalisa's first major movie was Pregnant Virgin, which she did in 1996 and subsequently, after she graduated in 2000, she did Above the Law and has done many others since then.
In 2007 her road to stardom kicked off when she started appearing in the television soap Heaven’s Gate. In 2011, she debuted as Executive Producer in the Royal Arts Academy movie, 'Kiss & Tell', which Emem Isong co-produced with her and Desmond Elliott directed. In 2012, she became one of the first of four Nollywood actors to be featured on the cover of Hollywood Weekly Magazine
