Janee Michelle (born Geneva Leona Mercadel; 1946), also known as Gee Tucker, is an American actress, former model, dancer, and businessperson, best known for her role in the 1974 horror film ''

The House on Skull Mountain ''The House on Skull Mountain'' is a 1974 horror film directed by Ron Honthaner. After Pauline Christophe (Mary J. Todd McKenzie), the sole heir for the mansion on Skull Mountain dies, four of her family members are called to hear her will. Upon ...

''. Her acting and modeling career has included appearances in a variety of media, including films, television programs and advertisements, theatrical productions, and print advertisements. Mercadel made her first film appearance in the 1964 short film '' The Legend of Jimmy Blue Eyes''. She adopted the stage name Janee Michelle because her

talent agent A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, and other professionals in various entertainment or s ...

and the

film studio A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company or motion picture company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to make films, which is handled by the production ...

both believed her birth name would be poorly received. Michelle's acting in the television series '' The Outcasts'' in 1968 was critically acclaimed, which led to several offers of film roles. Both in a 1969 episode of '' The Governor & J.J.'' and in the 1970 film ''

Soul Soldier ''Soul Soldier'' (produced under the working title ''Men of the Tenth''; originally released as ''The Red, White, and Black''; released on home video in the United States as ''Buffalo Soldier''; released on home video in Australia as ''Blac ...

'', she acted alongside her then-husband

Robert DoQui Robert DoQui (April 20, 1934 – February 9, 2008) was an American actor who starred in film and on television. He is best known for his roles as King George in the 1973 film ''Coffy'', starring Pam Grier; as Wade in Robert Altman's 1975 fi ...

. In 1977, she was the queen in the

New Orleans Mardi Gras The holiday of Mardi Gras is celebrated in all of Louisiana, including the city of New Orleans. Celebrations are concentrated for about two weeks before and through Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday (the start of lent in the Weste ...

Zulu parade. She was the first Zulu queen to wear two different gowns, both of which were designed by

Bob Mackie Robert Gordon "Bob" Mackie (born March 24, 1939) is an American fashion designer and costumier, best known for his dressing of entertainment icons such as Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Diahann Carroll, Carol Channing, Cher, Doris Day, Marl ...

, who had designed outfits for

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female autonomy in a male-dominated industr ...

. She divorced DoQui in 1978 and married New Orleans politician Robert H. Tucker, Jr. the following year; she changed her name to Gee Tucker and became a businessperson. In 1980, the couple founded Tucker and Associates, a

management consulting Management consulting is the practice of providing consulting services to organizations to improve their performance or in any way to assist in achieving organizational objectives. Organizations may draw upon the services of management consultant ...

company that, in 1990, received a contract with the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, representing the largest contract that had ever been received by a minority-owned company in Louisiana. While working on this contract, Michelle and Tucker started a second company called Integrated Logistical Support. The couple divorced and Michelle retained ownership of Tucker and Associates while Tucker retained ownership of Integrated Logistical Support. When Tucker retired in 2008, the couple's daughter Iam Tucker replaced him as president of Integrated Logistical Support. After Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, Michelle purchased Sophie's Gelato, an

ice cream parlor Ice cream parlors (American English) or ice cream parlours (British English) are places that sell ice cream, gelato, sorbet, and/or frozen yogurt to consumers. Ice cream is typically sold as regular ice cream (also called hard-packed or hard ...

on Magazine Street where she makes

gelato Gelato (; ) is the common word in Italian for all kinds of ice cream. In English, it specifically refers to a frozen dessert of Italian origin. Artisanal gelato in Italy generally contains 6%–9% butterfat, which is lower than other styl ...

in-house.

Early life

Janee Michelle was born Geneva Leona Mercadel in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

from

Champagne, France Champagne () was a province in the northeast of the Kingdom of France, now best known as the Champagne wine region for the sparkling white wine that bears its name in modern-day France. The County of Champagne, descended from the early medie ...

before moving to New Orleans in pursuit of a warmer climate. Her extended family was large and had lived in the

7th Ward of New Orleans The 7th Ward is a section of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is geographically the third largest of the 17 Wards of New Orleans, after the 9th Ward and 15th Ward. New Orleans Districts and Wards Boundaries and geography The 7th Ward stretches from ...

for many years. Michelle is related to

Sidney Barthelemy Sidney John Barthelemy (born March 17, 1942) is a former American political figure. The second African American to hold the New Orleans mayoral chair, he was a member of the Louisiana State Senate from 1974 to 1978 and a member at-large of the N ...

, former Mayor of New Orleans. Traditionally, the Mercadels had worked in construction, and some of Michelle's cousins continued this tradition. Michelle's mother's surname was Mathieu and her family background included people from Africa, France, Germany, and Italy, as well as Choctaw people. She grew up in a religious home in which her father, Walter F. Mercadel, was a barber and her mother was a beautician. She had three siblings: an older brother named Walbert and two younger sisters named Zernell and Zona. At age 13, Michelle created, produced, designed, and directed a dance show at the

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

in New Orleans. She was named Miss New Orleans in 1960. She attended Rivers Frederick Junior High School where her principal, Leah McKenna, encouraged her to pursue a career in entertainment. While in high school, Michelle won fifteen certificates and medals for language proficiency. She started high school in New Orleans and then transferred to

Manual Arts High School Manual Arts High School is a secondary public school in Los Angeles, California, United States. History Manual Arts High School was founded in 1910 in the middle of bean fields, one-half mile from the nearest bus stop. It was the third high sch ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

, California, when her family moved there as a result of her mother's illness, which was aggravated by the high humidity of New Orleans. Her father was unemployed at the time and her brother's wife was pregnant, so she started working as a cook to support the family. She graduated from Manual Arts ranked 25th scholastically in her 500-student class, and then attended

Los Angeles City College Los Angeles City College (LACC) is a public community college in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard on the former campus ...

and Woodbury College, receiving her best grades in English studies. She took drama courses from

Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street between Ninth and Tenth avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founde ...

West and the Columbia Film Workshop.

Career

Entertainment

Michelle's acting, modeling, and dancing career has included appearances in a variety of media, including films, television programs and advertisements, theatrical productions, and print advertisements. She commuted to a job as a dancer in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...

while she was still in high school. She has learned to perform both

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...

and

Cuban dance Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbean ...

styles and has danced at the

Hollywood Palladium The Hollywood Palladium is a theater located at 6215 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. It was built in a Streamline Moderne, Art Deco style and includes an dance floor including a mezzanine and a floor level with room for up to 4,000 ...

and

Tropicana Las Vegas The Tropicana Las Vegas is a casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Bally's Corporation, on land leased from Gaming and Leisure Properties. It offers 1,467 rooms, a gaming floor, and of convent ...

. As a stage actor, she appeared in productions of '' MacBird!'', ''The Death of Daddy Hugs and Kisses'', ''Ride a Wild Horse'', ''

The Vagina Monologues ''The Vagina Monologues'' is an episodic play written in 1996 by Eve Ensler which developed and premiered at HERE Arts Center, Off-Off-Broadway in New York and was followed by an Off-Broadway run in at Westside Theatre. The play explores c ...

'', ''In the Blink of an Eye'', and other plays. One of her early television advertisement appearances was for Ultra Sheen hair products. In 1964, Michelle—still known by her birth name Geneva Mercadel—received her first film role in the

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

'' The Legend of Jimmy Blue Eyes'', which was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...

. Her contract did not allow her to receive residuals when the film later aired on television. Her

and the

both believed her birth name would be received poorly, so she adopted the stage name Janee Michelle. She chose the name Janee (pronounced Ja-Nay, and sometimes spelled Janée) to keep the first two syllables of her birth name. She chose the surname Michelle because she "thought it would be unique to have a name with two first names". When she found people had difficulty pronouncing the name Janee, she considered changing it again, but decided against it because she believed this pronunciation difficulty caused people to remember her. In 1967, an article in ''

The Chicago Defender ''The Chicago Defender'' is a Chicago-based online African-American newspaper. It was founded in 1905 by Robert S. Abbott and was once considered the "most important" newspaper of its kind. Abbott's newspaper reported and campaigned against Jim ...

'' predicted that Michelle's career in American cinema would be successful. Also that year, she appeared on the cover of an issue of the magazine ''

Jet Jet, Jets, or The Jet(s) may refer to: Aerospace * Jet aircraft, an aircraft propelled by jet engines ** Jet airliner ** Jet engine ** Jet fuel * Jet Airways, an Indian airline * Wind Jet (ICAO: JET), an Italian airline * Journey to Enceladus a ...

'' alongside

Ronnie Eckstine Ron Eckstine (born 1946) is a former actor and music manager, and stepson of singer Billy Eckstine by way of Billy's marriage to Ronnie's mother, Carolle Drake. Early life He played high school football at Birmingham High School, where he and his ...

in recognition of their appearance together in Eckstine's debut film ''

The Love-Ins ''The Love-Ins'' is a 1967 American counterculture-era exploitation movie about LSD that was directed by Arthur Dreifuss. The film is loosely based on the 1960s American figure Timothy Leary and represents the 1960s San Francisco scene, particu ...

''; it was Michelle's most prominent film role until that point. A '' Variety'' reviewer wrote that Michelle was cast well in the role. Michelle's acting in the television series '' The Outcasts'' was critically acclaimed, leading to several offers of film roles. ''The Outcasts'' reviews also led to her appearance in an episode of ''

Love, American Style ''Love, American Style'' is an anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from 1969 to 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a part of ABC's Friday primetime lineup ...

'' alongside

Greg Morris Francis Gregory Alan Morris (September 27, 1933 – August 27, 1996) was an American actor. He was best known for portraying Barney Collier on '' Mission: Impossible'' and Lt. David Nelson on ''Vega$''. Early life and career Born in Clevela ...

, known for his role in the '' Mission: Impossible'' television series. Michelle was included in the magazine ''

Ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when ...

''s list of ''Fifty Eligible Girls for 1969''. Also in 1969, Michelle again appeared on the cover of ''Jet'', which called her "one of Hollywood's most attractive actresses". The article declares Michelle to be one of several up-and-coming

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

actresses, along with

Gloria Foster Gloria Foster (November 15, 1933 – September 29, 2001) was an American actress. She had acclaimed roles in plays ''In White America'' and '' Having Our Say,'' winning three Obie Awards during her career. Foster played the Oracle in ''The Matri ...

Gail Fisher Gail Fisher (August 18, 1935 – December 2, 2000) was an American actress who was one of the first black women to play substantive roles in American television. She was best known for playing the role of secretary Peggy Fair on the television de ...

, and

Denise Nicholas Denise Donna Nicholas (born July 12, 1944) is an American actress, author, and social activist. Nicholas is known primarily for her roles as high-school guidance counselor Liz McIntyre on the ABC comedy-drama series ''Room 222'' and Councilwoman ...

. In the corresponding interview with ''Jet'', Michelle said although

racial inequality in the United States Racial inequality in the United States identifies the social inequality and advantages and disparities that affect different races within the United States. These can also be seen as a result of historic oppression, inequality of inheritance, or ...

may have been a career obstacle for African-American women in the past, "that's not it today—and that's for sure". Michelle argued that her success as an actor proved the falsehood of the idea that African-American women need to have sexual intercourse with certain people to become successful in the

cinema of the United States The cinema of the United States, consisting mainly of major film studios (also known as Hollywood) along with some independent film, has had a large effect on the global film industry since the early 20th century. The dominant style of Ame ...

Michelle starred alongside her husband

in a 1969 episode of '' The Governor & J.J.'' The couple acted together again the following year in ''

'', a film in which Michelle is the

leading lady A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typica ...

; she appears with DoQui in

nude Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. The loss of body hair was one of the physical characteristics that marked the biological evolution of modern humans from their hominin ancestors. Adaptations related to h ...

sex scenes Sex in film, the presentation of aspects of sexuality in film, specially human sexuality, has been controversial since the development of the medium. Films which display or suggest sexual behavior have been criticized by religious groups or hav ...

. Michelle's and DoQui's characters form a

love triangle A love triangle or eternal triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with ...

with

Lincoln Kilpatrick Lincoln Kilpatrick (February 12, 1932 – May 18, 2004) was an American film, television, and stage actor. Biography Career Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Kilpatrick attended Lincoln University and earned a degree in drama before he began acti ...

's character. In a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' review of the film, Howard Thompson called all three actors' performances "plain painful". In 1973, Michelle collaborated with actors Judy Pace and Lillian Lehman to found Kwanza, a

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

, California-based nonprofit organization named after the

African diaspora The African diaspora is the worldwide collection of communities descended from native Africans or people from Africa, predominantly in the Americas. The term most commonly refers to the descendants of the West and Central Africans who were ...

celebration

Kwanzaa Kwanzaa () is an annual celebration of African-American culture from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called '' Karamu'', usually on the sixth day. It was created by activist Maulana Karenga, based on African harvest ...

. Run entirely by

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

actresses on a volunteer basis, Kwanza initially provided food to people in need at Christmas. Michelle and the other two co-founders each enlisted five other African American actresses to volunteer with the organization and, together, they raised enough funds to provide food to 75 families that first Christmas. By 1976, the organization had fed more than 2000 individuals and had expanded to function year-round. Michelle is best known for her role in the 1974 horror film ''

'', which was once an obscure film but became better known when it was released on DVD. She portrays Lorena Christophe, who is summoned to the house of a recently-dead distant relative who was a voodoo queen. Christophe is the love interest of the main character, who is portrayed by

Victor French Victor Edwin French (December 4, 1934 – June 15, 1989) was an American actor and director. He is remembered for roles on the television programs ''Gunsmoke'', ''Little House on the Prairie (TV series), Little House on the Prairie'', ''High ...

. In the ''Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television'', Bob McCann writes that Michelle "is quite pretty and gives a charming performance in her undemanding role". A ''Variety'' reviewer provided a similar appraisal of Michelle's appearance, calling her attractive and her role chic. In 2014, she appeared in a health insurance television advertisement for

AARP AARP (formerly called the American Association of Retired Persons) is an interest group in the United States focusing on issues affecting those over the age of fifty. The organization said it had more than 38 million members in 2018. The magazi ...

New Orleans Mardi Gras

In 1977, Michelle's cousin, Anthony "Chuck" Mercadel, was chosen to be that year's king of the Zulu parade, part of

. He and Michelle had not seen each other since before her film and television career when she was living in New Orleans. Michelle was volunteering with Kwanza in Shreveport, Louisiana with 25 other actresses, including Isabel Sanford, when Chuck and New Orleans politician Robert H. Tucker, Jr. visited Michelle at her hotel. Chuck said he was looking for Sanford so he could ask her to be his queen. Michelle asked him, "Why don't you ask me to be your queen?", and he did so. Michelle refused the offer because she did not wish to be his second choice. Sanford was unable to appear in the parade due to a prior engagement and Chuck asked Michelle again. This time, she accepted, despite having to rearrange her schedule. Until the time of the parade, Michelle was working in Hollywood. She flew to New Orleans to be ceremoniously greeted at the airport by a band and some Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club members. Michelle was the first Zulu queen to wear two different gowns: one for the parade and the other for the ball.

designed both of these gowns. Mackie had designed outfits for

, from whom Michelle borrowed a beige turkey feather boa and headdress for the parade. Michelle's parade gown was sleeveless, had a

turtleneck A polo neck, roll-neck (United Kingdom, South Africa), turtleneck (United States, Canada), or skivvy ( Australia, New Zealand, United States) is a garment—usually a sweater—with a close-fitting collar that folds over and covers the ...

, and was composed of a gold-and-cinnamon

brocade Brocade is a class of richly decorative shuttle-woven fabrics, often made in colored silks and sometimes with gold and silver threads. The name, related to the same root as the word " broccoli", comes from Italian ''broccato'' meaning "em ...

decorated with

topaz Topaz is a silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine with the chemical formula Al Si O( F, OH). It is used as a gemstone in jewelry and other adornments. Common topaz in its natural state is colorless, though trace element impurities can ma ...

gemstones. The ball gown was a white, form-fitting garment with a see-through front, and was decorated with crystals and white bugle beads. She rejected the traditional tiara and instead wore a headpiece covered in pearls. Of her promenade around the ballroom, during which she swayed her shoulders and hips, Michelle later said "high-school girls were imitating it for a year after that: the 'Zulu queen' walk".

Business

After divorcing DoQui in 1978, Michelle married Robert H. Tucker, Jr. the following year, changed her name to Gee Tucker, moved back to New Orleans, and became a businessperson. After Tucker had repeatedly been unsuccessful in being elected to public office, he convinced Michelle to go into business with him and stop working for Copeland. In 1980, Tucker and Michelle founded Tucker and Associates, a

company. The company did not generate much revenue at first, and Michelle worked elsewhere in management and marketing. For the first few years, Michelle and Tucker did not apply for assistance from the Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) Business Development Program, which offers support to businesses run by members of

minority group The term 'minority group' has different usages depending on the context. According to its common usage, a minority group can simply be understood in terms of demographic sizes within a population: i.e. a group in society with the least number o ...

s. Michelle said they made this decision because "we had seen other businesses start out strongly, graduate from the SBA 8-A program and fail ndwe wanted to be able to know that we could compete without it". Michelle had no formal

business education Business education is a branch of education that involves teaching the skills and operations of the business industry. This field of education occurs at multiple levels, including secondary and higher education Secondary education At secondary l ...

, which made her feel inadequate as an entrepreneur. Of these early years in business, she later said, "I learned the hard way, on the job, things I could never have learned in school. But I think the formal training in school would have made it easier."Moore & Buttner (1997), p. 57. Ray Nagin

Eventually, Tucker and Associates began receiving contracts requiring a variety of services, including personnel,

data processing Data processing is the collection and manipulation of digital data to produce meaningful information. Data processing is a form of '' information processing'', which is the modification (processing) of information in any manner detectable by ...

, finance, and marketing. By 1990, the company employed 225 people and had a revenue of approximately $11 million. That year, the company received a $26 million contract with the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, representing the largest contract that had ever been received by a minority-owned company in Louisiana. This contract was awarded through the SBA 8(a) program and lasted seven years. While working on this contract, Michelle and Tucker started a second company called Integrated Logistical Support, of which Michelle became the vice president.Moore & Buttner (1997), p. 226. The couple divorced before the Strategic Petroleum Reserve contract ended, and Michelle went back to using her

maiden name When a person (traditionally the wife in many cultures) assumes the family name of their spouse, in some countries that name replaces the person's previous surname, which in the case of the wife is called the maiden name ("birth name" is also u ...

. Michelle retained ownership of Tucker and Associates, remaining its president and

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...

, while Tucker retained ownership of Integrated Logistical Support. Michelle was a director of

Hibernia National Bank Hibernia National Bank was a bank headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. The bank was the primary subsidiary of Hibernia Corporation, a bank holding company. In November 2005, the bank was acquired by Capital One. Hibernia is the classical ...

while it was a Forbes 500 company, and , she is the

chief operating officer A chief operating officer or chief operations officer, also called a COO, is one of the highest-ranking executive positions in an organization, composing part of the " C-suite". The COO is usually the second-in-command at the firm, especially if t ...

of Tucker and Associates. In 2003, Ray Nagin,

Mayor of New Orleans The post of Mayor of the City of New Orleans (french: Maire de La Nouvelle-Orléans) has been held by the following individuals since New Orleans came under American administration following the Louisiana Purchase — the acquisition by the U.S. ...

, ended contracts with eleven companies that had ties to the previous mayor, Marc Morial; both Tucker and Associates and Integrated Logistical Support were among these companies. Michelle has sat on the board of the Louisiana Children's Museum and has volunteered with the Drugs Off the Street program. Michelle purchased Sophie's Gelato in New Orleans, which she operates.

Awards

In 1991, Michelle was recognized as a YWCA Role Model. The

National Council of Negro Women The National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1935 with the mission to advance the opportunities and the quality of life for African-American women, their families, and communities. Mary McLeod Bethune, the ...

named her one of five community leaders of the year in 1995. Michelle has been named New Orleans Woman Business Owner of the Year and has received the Best of Black Business Award. The

Business and Professional Women's Foundation Business and Professional Women's Foundation (BPW) is an organization that promotes workforce development programs and workplace policies to acknowledge the needs of working women, communities, and businesses. It supports the National Federation ...

has named her Employer of the Year. The American Council for Career Women has granted her their Achiever's Award.

Personal life

On July 22, 1966, at the age of twenty, Michelle married 33-year-old Albert S. Hubbard in

Marin County, California Marin County is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is across ...

. They divorced in January 1968. On April 25 of the following year, she married 35-year-old Robert DoQui in San Francisco. DoQui, whose term of endearment for Michelle was "crazy Creole chick", already had four children from a previous marriage to a woman who had died, and Michelle developed a relationship with these children, who were aged five, six, eight, and eleven. In a 1969 interview with the magazine ''Tan'', Michelle indicated that DoQui's fashion preferences were an important factor in her clothing purchase decisions, saying, "I think a girl should dress for her husband". She also expressed her support for the

breadwinner model The breadwinner model is a paradigm of family centered on a breadwinner, "the member of a family who earns the money to support the others." Traditionally, the earner works outside the home to provide the family with income and benefits such as ...

in which men are expected to make the most income for their families and women are expected to be housewives, although Michelle argued that women should work outside the home if they want to. She went on to say that women no longer worked hard enough to retain the respect and love of their husbands, and the interviewer describes Michelle as following her own advice: "She dotes so much on her man, invests so much of herself in him, his well-being". Michelle gave birth to a son, Robert Diago DoQui, in 1971, and he later became an actor and writer. Michelle and DoQui divorced in June 1978. Having met Robert Tucker when her cousin Chuck asked her to appear in the 1977 Zulu parade, Michelle eventually started dating Tucker and they married in 1979. Their daughter, Iam Christian Tucker, in 1983. Michelle and Tucker divorced after nineteen years of marriage.

Filmography

Film

Television

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * *

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Michelle, Janee 20th-century American actresses 1946 births African-American female models American female models African-American models Models from Los Angeles Actresses from Los Angeles African-American actresses American film actresses American television actresses Living people Actresses from New Orleans Businesspeople from New Orleans Businesspeople from Los Angeles African-American bankers American bankers American women bankers American chief operating officers American women business executives American business executives African-American company founders American women company founders American management consultants Los Angeles City College alumni Woodbury University alumni African-American female dancers American female dancers Dancers from Louisiana African-American ballet dancers American ballerinas 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women