Michele Lee

Michele Lee (born June 24, 1942) is an American actress, singer, dancer, producer and director. She is known for her role as Karen Fairgate MacKenzie on the prime-time soap opera ''Knots Landing'', for which she was nominated for a 1982 Emmy Award and won the Soap Opera Digest Award for Best Actress in 1988, 1991, and 1992. She was the only performer to appear in all 344 episodes of the series.

Lee began her career on Broadway in ''Vintage 60'' (1960) and '' How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' (1962). She made her movie debut in the film version of the latter in 1967. Her other film appearances include the Disney film ''The Love Bug'' (1968), ''The Comic'' (1969), and '' Along Came Polly'' (2004). She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 1974 for '' Seesaw'' and for
the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 2001 for '' The Tale of the Allergist's Wife''. She also played the title role in the 1998 TV film ''Scandalous Me: The Jacqueline Susann Story'' and Madame Morrible in the 2015 Broadway musical '' Wicked''. She was a guest on the series premiere of '' The Tim Conway Show'' in 1980.

Early life

Michele Lee Dusick was born in Los Angeles on June 24, 1942, the daughter of Sylvia Helen (née Silverstein), and Jack Dusick, a makeup artist. She attended Alexander Hamilton High School."Michele Lee"
at Encyclopedia.com.

Career

Career beginnings

Her television career began at age 19, on the December 26, 1961, episode of the CBS-TV sitcom '' The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis''.

After she sang in the film version of ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', she became known for her roles in the films ''The Comic'', opposite Dick Van Dyke, and ''The Love Bug'', opposite Dean Jones, the latter becoming the second-highest-grossing film of 1969 in the United States. That same year, she starred in a special television production of the Jerome Kern– Otto Harbach musical, '' Roberta'', in which she sang "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", and also peaked at #52 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with "L. David Sloane". She recorded two records on Columbia Records in the 1960s, in addition to her singing work on original Broadway cast albums. After the birth of her son, she worked infrequently until accepting a role on Broadway in '' Seesaw'', which netted her a Tony Award nomination in 1974. After her mother's death, she stopped working to spend time with her son.

In 1974, Lee starred in the pilot episode of the proposed CBS sitcom ''The Michele Lee Show''. She played Michele Burton, a clerk in a hotel newsstand, with support from Stephen Collins. However, only the pilot episode was aired, and the series did not proceed. Lee became a busy guest actor in the 1970s, appearing 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 1979, Lee accepted the role of Karen Fairgate on ''Knots Landing'', a spin-off of the highly popular ''Dallas''. Though slow to start, the series eventually became a ratings hit and became one of the longest-running American primetime dramas ever, lasting for a total of 14 seasons from 1979–1993. Due to her long-running tenure, Lee's alter ego is often credited as being the center of the program. Television personality Joan Rivers commented that Lee was, in theory, the " First Lady of ''Knots Landing''" during her guest appearance on '' The Late Show'', then hosted by Rivers. The characters of the serial often represented what was happening in society at the time. Lee acknowledged that, saying, "Karen wanted to be a Pollyanna and wasn't ashamed of that. Remember in our society...when we could go over to other people's houses and come in through an open back door? I remember when I was a little girl and my mother and father would have people over and they'd walk into an unlocked door in our house." Lee was the only performer to appear in all of the show's 344 episodes.

During the fall of 1982, her character met M. Patrick "Mack" MacKenzie ( Kevin Dobson), who became her screen husband the following year. They would continue working together until the end of the series. Lee won the ''Soap Opera Digest'' Award for Best Lead Actress (Primetime) three times, and was also nominated for an Emmy in 1982 for "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series". In 1983, the writer and producers of ''Knots Landing'' urged her to do a storyline based on prescription drug dependency, which became one of her most prominent storylines. Six years later, Lee directed her first of several episodes of the series. In 1991, ''Knots Landing'' reached a milestone with its 300th episode. During the same season, Lee filmed her favorite scene from the series, known as the " Pollyanna Speech" among fans. In this scene, for which Lee had much input, Karen reacts strongly against the social problems of 1990s society and explains how she does not want to be a Pollyanna and see the world through rose-colored glasses, but rather wanted the world to be rose-colored.

Later career

After ''Knots Landing'' ended in 1993, Lee appeared in many made-for-TV movies, including a biopic of late country star Dottie West ('' Big Dreams and Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story''). She also became the first woman to star in, direct, and produce a TV movie for Lifetime, ''Color Me Perfect'' (1996). She was also in the reunion miniseries '' Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac'' (1997), and portrayed novelist Jacqueline Susann in the television biopic ''Scandalous Me: The Jacqueline Susann Story'' (1998). In 2000, she returned to the Broadway stage in '' The Tale of the Allergist's Wife'' and received a 2001 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play.

In 2004, Lee returned to feature films in the role of Ben Stiller's character's mother in '' Along Came Polly''. She guest-starred alongside Chita Rivera in a February 2005 episode of '' Will & Grace''. Also in 2005, she reunited with her ''Knots Landing'' co-stars for the nonfiction special '' Knots Landing Reunion: Together Again'', in which the actors reminisced about their time on the hit series. That same year she appeared alongside Tyne Daly, Leslie Uggams, Christine Baranski and Karen Ziemba for the Kennedy Center Honor of Julie Harris. In 2010, Lee did voice work for an episode of the animated comedy series ''Family Guy''.

Lee returned to Broadway in 2015 to star as Madame Morrible in the musical '' Wicked''.

In 2025, Lee reunited with ''KL'' co-stars Joan Van Ark and Donna Mills for the episodic podcast ''We're Knot Done Yet,'' available on streaming platforms such as Podbean and Spotify.

Personal life

In 1963, Lee met actor James Farentino on the set of the play ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', and in 1966, they were married. They have a son, David Farentino. Lee and Farentino divorced in 1983. She has been married to writer/producer Fred Rappaport since 1987."Michele Lee weds". ''The Pittsburgh Press''. October 2, 1987. p. 2.

Filmography

Discography

* ''A Taste Of The Fantastic Michele Lee'' ( Columbia, 1966)
* ''L. David Sloane And Other Hits Of Today'' (Columbia, 1968)

As member of casts of musicals

* '' How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' (RCA Victor, 1961) ( original Broadway cast)
* '' Bravo Giovanni'' ( Columbia Masterworks, 1962) (Cast recording, original Broadway cast)
* '' How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (film)'' (United Artists Records, 1967)
* '' Seesaw'' ( Buddah, 1973) (original Broadway cast)
Madame Horrible Wicked the musical
2015 and revival

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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Michele Lee Online

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Michele
Living people
Actresses from Los Angeles
American female dancers
American dancers
American dance musicians
American women singers
American film actresses
American musical theatre actresses
American soap opera actresses
American stage actresses
American television actresses
American television directors
Television personalities from Los Angeles
American women television personalities
Television producers from California
American women television producers
American women television directors
21st-century American women
1942 births
Columbia Records artists