From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Michele Lee
Michele Lee
Michele Lee a Tony Award nomination in 1974. After her mother’s
death, she stopped working to spend time with her son.
Born Michele Lee Dusick In 1974, Lee starred in the pilot episode for proposed
June 24, 1942 (1942-06-24)
Los Angeles, California, U.S. CBS sitcom The Michele Lee Show. She played Michele Bur-
ton, a clerk in a hotel newsstand, with support from
Occupation Actress, singer, dancer, producer, director, Stephen Collins. However, only the pilot episode was
game show panelist
aired and the series did not proceed. Lee became a busy
Years 1960–present guest actor in the 1970s, appearing in Marcus Welby, M.D.,
active Alias Smith and Jones, Night Gallery, Love, American Style,
Spouse James Farentino (1966–1983) Fantasy Island and The Love Boat.
Fred A. Rappoport (1987–present)
Knots Landing
Michele Lee (born June 24, 1942) is an American singer, In 1979, Lee accepted the role of Karen Fairgate on Knots
dancer, actress, producer, director and frequent game Landing, a spin-off of the immensely popular Dallas.
show panelist of the 1970s. She is best-known for her role Though slow to start, the series eventually became a rat-
as Karen Cooper Fairgate MacKenzie on the 1980s prime- ings hit and became one of the longest running American
time soap opera, Knots Landing. She also co-starred with primetime dramas ever, lasting for a total of 14 seasons
Dean Jones in the 1968 Disney film, The Love Bug. from 1979 - 1993. Lee was the only performer to appear in
all of the show’s 344 episodes, which was a record for an
Early life actress playing the same character on US primetime tele-
vision — only recently surpassed by S. Epatha Merkerson
Lee was born Michele Lee Dusick in Los Angeles, Califor- on NBC’s Law & Order as of 2008.
nia, the daughter of Sylvia Helen (née Silverstein) and Although Lee was enjoying a successful career on
Jack Dusick, a make-up artist.[1] She is of Russian, Hun- television, her marriage to actor James Farentino was
garian and Polish descent.[2] She began her career on failing. She and Farentino separated around the same
television in an episode of the late 1950s sitcom The Many time Lee’s onscreen husband, Don Murray, left the show.
Loves of Dobie Gillis. Lee thus played a single mother on Knots Landing at the
She attended Alexander Hamilton High School where same time she was becoming one in real life. Lee revealed
she became popular with her class. When she was 18, af- that when her character took off her wedding ring in a
ter graduation from high school, she auditioned for the 1982 episode, she was taking off her real wedding band.
Broadway play, Vintage ’60. She soon began appearing in During the fall of 1982, her character met M. Patrick
musicals, becoming a star on Broadway at the age of 19 "Mack" MacKenzie (Kevin Dobson), who became her
in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying oppo- screen husband the following year. They would continue
site Robert Morse and Rudy Vallee, a role she reprised in working together until the end of the series. Lee won
the film version. She also appeared in dramas such as the the Soap Opera Digest Award for Best Lead Actress (Prime-
Los Angeles production of Jerry Herman’s Parade and the time) five times, and was also nominated for an Emmy
Broadway productions of Bravo Giovanni and The Tale of Award in 1982 for "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama
the Allergist’s Wife. Series". In 1983, the writers/producers of Knots Landing
urged her to do a storyline based on prescription drug
Film and TV work dependency which became one of her most prominent
storylines. Six years later, Lee directed her first of several
After she sang and starred in the film version of How episodes of the series. In 1991, Knots Landing reached a
to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, she became milestone with its 300th episode. During the same season,
known for her roles in the films The Comic and The Love Lee filmed her favorite scene from the series, known as
Bug, the latter becoming the biggest blockbuster movie of the "Pollyanna Speech" among fans. In this scene, for
1969. That same year, she starred in a special television which Lee had much input, Karen explains how she
production of the Jerome Kern–Otto Harbach musical, would like to be a Pollyanna and see the world through
Roberta, in which she sang "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes". rose-colored glasses, but cannot be due to the real world
After the birth of her son, she worked infrequently until around her.
accepting a role on Broadway in Seesaw, which netted her
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Michele Lee
As Knots Landing moved into the 1990s, its popularity (Won) (1988) Favorite Supercouple: Primetime
began to wane. The big budget that the series once had Shared with Kevin Dobson for Knots Landing[6]
was trimmed to the extent that, in the final season, the (Won) (1991) Outstanding Lead Actress: Primetime
higher paid cast members were asked to appear in only for Knots Landing[7]
15 of the season’s 19 episodes as the production company (Won) (1992) Outstanding Actress: Primetime for
couldn’t afford to pay them. However, Lee insisted on ap- Knots Landing[8]
pearing in all 19 episodes that season, doing her extra She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
four episodes for "union scale" pay. on November 19, 1998 located at 6363 Hollywood Blvd.
Other appearances References
After Knots Landing ended in 1993, Lee has appeared in
many made-for-TV movies, including a biopic of late [1] Profile at FilmReference.com
country star Dottie West ( Big Dreams and Broken Hearts: [2] IMDb profile/Michele Lee
The Dottie West Story) and she became the first woman [3] "Soap Opera Digest Awards (1986)".
to star in, direct, and produce a TV movie for Lifetime, http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000616/1986.
Color Me Perfect in 1996. She also starred in the reunion Retrieved 10 October 2011.
mini-series Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac in 1997, [4] "Soap Opera Digest Awards (1986)".
and portrayed Hollywood novelist Jacqueline Susann in http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000616/1986.
the television biopic Scandalous Me: The Jacqueline Susann Retrieved 10 October 2011.
Story in 1998. In 2004, she returned to feature films in [5] "Soap Opera Digest Awards (1989)".
the role of Ben Stiller’s mother in Along Came Polly. She http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/
guest-starred alongside Chita Rivera in a February 2005 Soap_Opera_Digest_Awards/1989. Retrieved 10
episode of Will & Grace. Also in 2005, she reunited with her October 2011.
Knots Landing co-stars for the non-fiction special Knots [6] "Soap Opera Digest Awards (1989)".
Landing Reunion: Together Again, in which the stars rem- http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/
inisced about their time on the hit series. Also in 2005, Soap_Opera_Digest_Awards/1989. Retrieved 10
she appeared alongside Tyne Daly, Leslie Uggams, Chris- October 2011.
tine Baranski and Karen Ziemba for the Kennedy Center [7] "Soap Opera Digest Awards (1991)".
Honor of Julie Harris. In 2010, Lee did voice work for an http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000616/1991.
episode of the animated comedy series Family Guy. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
[8] "Soap Opera Digest Awards (1992)".
http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000616/1992.
Personal life Retrieved 10 October 2011.
In 1963, Lee met actor James Farentino on the set of the
play, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and External links
in 1966 they were married. Their son, David Farentino,
was born July 6, 1969. Lee and Farentino divorced in 1983. • Michele Lee at the Internet Movie Database
She later married Fred Rappaport in 1987. • Michele Lee at the Internet Broadway Database
• Michele Lee at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Michele Lee Online
Awards Persondata
Emmy Awards: Name Lee, Michele
(Nominated) (1982) Outstanding Lead Actress in a
Alternative Dusick, Michele Lee
Drama Series for Knots Landing
names
Tony Awards:
(Nominated) (1974) Best Actress: Musical for Seesaw Short de- Actress, singer, dancer, producer, direc-
(Nominated) (2001) Best Actress (Featured Role: Play) scription tor, game show panelist
for The Tale of the Allergists Wife Date of June 24, 1942
Soap Opera Digest Awards: birth
(Won) (1986) Outstanding Actress on a Primetime Se- Place of Los Angeles, California, U.S.
rial for Knots Landing[3] birth
(Won) (1986) Favorite Supercouple on a Primetime
Date of
Serial: Shared with Kevin Dobson for Knots Landing[4]
death
(Won) (1988) Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role:
Primetime for Knots Landing[5]
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Michele Lee
Place of
death
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michele_Lee&oldid=461767240"
Categories:
• 1942 births
• Actors from Los Angeles, California
• American dancers
• American dance musicians
• American female singers
• American film actors
• American musical theatre actors
• American soap opera actors
• American stage actors
• American people of Russian descent
• American people of Polish descent
• American people of Jewish descent
• American television actors
• American television directors
• American television personalities
• American television producers
• Female television directors
• Living people
• People from Los Angeles, California
• Soap Opera Digest Award winners
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