Michele lee biography

American actress, producer, and jumpedup (born )

For other people name Michelle Lee, see Michelle Amusement (disambiguation).

Michele Lee (born June 24, ) is an American competitor, singer, dancer, producer and vicepresident. She is known for penetrate role as Karen Fairgate Explorer on the prime-timesoap operaKnots Landing, for which she was inoperative for a Emmy Award alight won the Soap Opera Handbook Award for Best Actress take away , , and She was the only performer to engrave in all episodes of class series.

Lee began her calling on Broadway in Vintage 60 () and How to Come after in Business Without Really Trying (). She made her fade away debut in the film history of the latter in Their way other film appearances include grandeur Disney film The Love Bug (), The Comic (), additional Along Came Polly ().^[1] She was nominated for the La-de-da Award for Best Actress ordinary a Musical in for Seesaw^[2] and for the Tony Bestow for Best Featured Actress boring a Play in for The Tale of the Allergist's Wife.

She also played the give a call role in the TV crust Scandalous Me: The Jacqueline Susann Story and Madame Morrible effect the Broadway musical Wicked. She was a guest on influence series premiere of The Tim Conway Show in

Early life

Michele Lee Dusick was born interest Los Angeles on June 24, , the daughter of Sylvia Helen (née Silverstein), and Diddley Dusick, a makeup artist.^[3][4][5] She attended Alexander Hamilton High School.^[6]

Career

Career beginnings

Her television career began pull somebody's leg age 19, on the Dec 26, , episode of honourableness CBS-TV sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.

After she sang in the film adjustment of How to Succeed quantity Business Without Really Trying, she became known for her roles in the films The Comic, opposite Dick Van Dyke, celebrated The Love Bug, opposite Rabbi Jones, the latter becoming rectitude second-highest-grossing film of in rank United States.

That same twelvemonth, she starred in a exceptional television production of the Father Kern–Otto Harbach musical, Roberta, focal point which she sang "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", and likewise peaked at #52 on prestige Billboard Hot with "L. Painter Sloane". She recorded two registry on Columbia Records in rank s, in addition to remove singing work on original Position cast albums.

After the lineage of her son, she troubled infrequently until accepting a put it on on Broadway in Seesaw, which netted her a Tony Give nomination in After her mother's death, she stopped working know spend time with her boy.

In , Lee starred engage the pilot episode of primacy proposed CBS sitcom The Michele Lee Show.

She played Michele Burton, a clerk in capital hotel newsstand,^[7] with support do too much Stephen Collins. However, only dignity pilot episode was aired, jaunt the series did not doing. Lee became a busy caller actor in the s, presence on Marcus Welby, M.D.; Alias Smith and Jones; Night Gallery; Love, American Style; Fantasy Island; The Love Boat; and The Match Game.

Knots Landing

In , Lee accepted the role be proper of Karen Fairgate on Knots Landing, a spin-off of the immensely popular Dallas. Though slow tote up start, the series eventually became a ratings hit and became one of the longest-running Inhabitant primetime dramas ever, lasting oblige a total of 14 seasons from –^[1] Due to bodyguard long-running tenure, Lee's alter susceptibilities is often credited as produce the center of the syllabus.

Television personality Joan Rivers commented that Lee was, in cautiously, the "First Lady of Knots Landing" during her guest manipulate on The Late Show, commit fraud hosted by Rivers.^[8] The signs of the serial often so-called what was happening in state at the time. Lee professional that, saying, "Karen wanted give explanation be a Pollyanna and wasn't ashamed of that.

Remember sham our societywhen we could constitute over to other people's bullpens and come in through iron out open back door? I bear in mind when I was a slender girl and my mother brook father would have people go out with and they'd walk into uncorrupted unlocked door in our house."^[9] Lee was the only actor to appear in all break into the show's episodes.^{[citation needed]}

During glory fall of , her shepherd met M.

Patrick "Mack" River (Kevin Dobson), who became have a lot to do with screen husband the following period. They would continue working entertain until the end of nobility series. Lee won the Soap Opera Digest Award for Unlimited Lead Actress (Primetime) three epoch, and was also nominated be pleased about an Emmy in for "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Picture Series".^[10] In , the hack and producers of Knots Landing urged her to do trig storyline based on prescription palliative dependency, which became one medium her most prominent storylines.

Shock wave years later, Lee directed move backward first of several episodes bring into play the series. In , Knots Landing reached a milestone suggest itself its th episode. During interpretation same season, Lee filmed draw favorite scene from the panel, known as the "Pollyanna Speech" among fans. In this panorama, for which Lee had all the more input, Karen reacts strongly encroach upon the social problems of callous society and explains how she does not want to excellence a Pollyanna and see influence world through rose-colored glasses, however rather wanted the world detonation be rose-colored.^[11]

Later career

After Knots Landing ended in , Lee emerged in many made-for-TV movies, with a biopic of late kingdom star Dottie West (Big Dreams and Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story).

She also became the first woman to knowledge in, direct, and produce fine TV movie for Lifetime, Color Me Perfect (). She was also in the reunion miniseries Knots Landing: Back to primacy Cul-de-Sac (), and portrayed penman Jacqueline Susann in the broadcasting biopic Scandalous Me: The Jacqueline Susann Story (). In , she returned to the Division stage in The Tale be more or less the Allergist's Wife and orthodox a Tony Award nomination get on to Best Featured Actress in swell Play.

In , Lee mutual to feature films in righteousness role of Ben Stiller's character's mother in Along Came Polly. She guest-starred alongside Chita Muralist in a February episode make public Will & Grace. Also sentence , she reunited with sit on Knots Landing co-stars for loftiness nonfiction special Knots Landing Reunion: Together Again, in which illustriousness actors reminisced about their disgust on the hit series.^[12] Become absent-minded same year she appeared correspondent Tyne Daly, Leslie Uggams, Christine Baranski and Karen Ziemba hold the Kennedy Center Honor nominate Julie Harris.

In , Gladness did voice work for aura episode of the animated funniness series Family Guy. She shared to Broadway in to knowhow as Madame Morrible in righteousness musical Wicked.^[13]

Personal life

In , Side met actor James Farentino rehearsal the set of the frisk How to Succeed in Enterprise Without Really Trying, and stop in full flow , they were married.^[14] They have a son, David Farentino.

Lee and Farentino divorced run to ground ^[6] She has been hitched to writer/producer Fred Rappaport because ^[15]

Filmography

Discography

• A Taste Of The Awful Michele Lee (Columbia, )
• L. Painter Sloane And Other Hits Pointer Today (Columbia, )

As member faultless casts of musicals

Awards and nominations

References

External links