Melba Rae (October 7, 1922 - December 30, 1971) was an American soap opera actress. She was born in Willard, Utah.

She was an key figure in early daytime television, playing the wife of the couple next-door on Search for Tomorrow from its inception in 1951 until her untimely death of a cerebral hemorrhage. Her character, Marge Bergman, was best friends with the main character of the series, Joanne (played by Mary Stuart).

At the time of her death in 1971, she was the first high-profile daytime actress to die unexpectedly.