Michele Lee
About
Biography
Biography
Perky brunette stage and TV actor, whose career began in her late teens, Lee made her Broadway debut in David Merrick's "Vintage '60" (1960) at age 18 and went on to plum roles in such long-running hits as "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" (1962), reprising her role in the 1967 screen version, and "Seesaw" (1973), the musical adaptation of "Two for the Seesaw," for which she received Drama Desk and Outer Circle Critics Awards and a Tony nomination.
On the big screen, Lee had leads in Disney's slapstick fantasy "The Love Bug" (1969), about a Volkswagen with a mind of its own, and "The Comic" (1969), an uneven serio-comedy about a destructive comedian co-starring Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney. In the late 1970s, Lee landed a regular role on the CBS nighttime soap opera "Knots Landing" playing Karen MacKenzie and appeared in every episode until the series folded at the end of the 1992-1993 season.
Lee has guested or starred on numerous TV variety shows and has made dramatic appearances in several TV-movies. She has also maintained a busy singing career appearing in nightclubs around the country and cutting a number of singles and albums for Columbia Records. Lee directed episodes of "Knots Landing" during the show's final seasons. She co-wrote, executive produced, directed and starred in the 1996 Lifetime telefilm "Color Me Perfect."
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Music (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1960
Stage debut, Los Angeles production of David Merrick's "Vintage '60"
1960
Broadway debut, David Merrick's "Vintage '60"
1962
Originated role of Rosemary in stage musical "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying"
1963
Made TV debut on "The Danny Kaye Show"
1967
Film debut reprising stage role in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying"
1973
Replaced Lanie Kazan in Broadway musical "Seesaw"
1979
TV series debut, regular role of Karen MacKenzie on "Knots Landing" (CBS)
1990
TV directing debut, "Knots Landing" episode
1996
Directed, co-wrote, executive produced and starred in "Color Me Perfect", a Lifetime TV-movie
1998
Received star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (November 19)
1998
Played title role in the USA Network biopic "Sandalous Me: The Jacqueline Susann Story"; also executive produced
2000
Returned to the New York stage in production of "The Tale of the Allergist's Wife"; show originated Off-Broadway and then moved to Broadway in fall