Michelle Hurst (born June 1, 1953) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

actress. She played Miss Claudette Pelage in the first season of the

streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air a ...

series ''

Orange Is the New Black ''Orange Is the New Black'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''OITNB'') is an American comedy-drama streaming television series created by Jenji Kohan for Netflix. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir '' Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a ...

''.

Life and career

Hurst was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York. She graduated from

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a private liberal arts women's college in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It is the oldest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of elite historically women's colleges in the Northeastern United States. ...

in 1974. She began her career in theatre, and in the 1990s began appearing in television and film. Hurst is known for her multiple roles in various ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering ...

'' television shows. She co-starred in films like ''

Airheads ''Airheads'' is a 1994 American comedy film written by Rich Wilkes, directed by Michael Lehmann, and starring Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi, Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, Ernie Hudson, Michael McKean, Judd Nelson, Michael Richards, Amy Locane and ...

'', ''

Smoke Smoke is a suspension of airborne particulates and gases emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwanted by-produc ...

'', '' Stepmom'' and ''

Sherrybaby ''Sherrybaby'' is a 2006 American drama film written and directed by Laurie Collyer. Screened at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2006, the film received a limited release in the United States on September 8, 2006. Plot The story takes ...

''. Hurst starred as Miss Claudette Pelage in the first season of the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

comedy-drama series, ''

'' in 2013. This role earned Hurst, along with the main cast, a Satellite Award for Best Cast – Television Series. She left the show after a single season. On Christmas of 2013, she was seriously injured in a car accident. Hurst was placed in a 16-day coma so doctors could perform surgeries close to her spine. In January 2015 Hurst appeared in the third series of the British television drama series ''

Last Tango in Halifax ''Last Tango in Halifax'' is a British comedy-drama series that began broadcasting on BBC One on 20 November 2012 until its final episode which was broadcast on 15 March 2020. Screenwriter Sally Wainwright loosely adapted the story of her mothe ...

.''

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hurst, Michelle Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from New York City American film actresses American television actresses African-American actresses People from Brooklyn Mount Holyoke College alumni 1953 births 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people