Michele Pawk (born November 16, 1961) is an American actress and singer. She is also an associate professor for theatre.

Biography

Born in

Butler, Pennsylvania Butler is a city and the county seat of Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located north of Pittsburgh and is part of the Greater Pittsburgh region. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 13,502. History Butler was n ...

, Pawk attended

Allegheny College he, תגל ערבה ותפרח כחבצלת , mottoeng = "Add to your faith, virtue and to your faith, knowledge" ( 2 Peter 1:5)"The desert shall rejoice and the blossom as the rose" (Isaiah 35:1) , faculty = 193 ...

and the College Conservatory of Music in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state lin ...

, where she received her BFA in musical theater. After graduation, she spent a year working in a musical

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own du ...

Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, th ...

. In 1988, she made her

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

debut in a short-lived musical entitled ''Mail'', but it wasn't until 1992 that she made her mark with her performance in the Ira and

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

-inspired production '' Crazy for You'', for which she was nominated for a

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

as Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical. From there she went on to three successful revivals – '' Merrily We Roll Along'' (1994), ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

'' (1996), and ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dinin ...

'' (1998) – and an original musical, ''

Seussical ''Seussical'' is a musical comedy by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, based on the many children's stories of Dr. Seuss, with most of its plot being based on ''Horton Hears a Who!'', ''Gertrude McFuzz'', and '' Horton Hatches the Egg'' while ...

'' (2000), based on the works of

Dr. Seuss Theodor Seuss Geisel (;"Seuss"
''

Hollywood Arms'', the

Carrie Hamilton Carrie Louise Hamilton (December 5, 1963 – January 20, 2002) was an American actress, playwright and singer. Hamilton was a daughter of comedian Carol Burnett and producer Joe Hamilton. She was also the older sister of Jody Hamilton, an ac ...

–

Carol Burnett Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and writer. Her groundbreaking comedy variety show '' The Carol Burnett Show'', which originally aired on CBS was one of the first of its kind to be hoste ...

play adapted from Burnett's memoir, '' One More Time''. Her portrayal of an alcoholic who dreams of success as a movie magazine writer, a character based on Burnett's mother, won her the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

as Best Featured Actress in a Play. She was featured in ''

Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundtrack), the film's soundtrack album ** ''Hairspray ...

'' as Velma Von Tussle, after appearing in ''

Mamma Mia! Mama(s) or Mamma or Momma may refer to: Roles *Mother, a female parent *Mama-san, in Japan and East Asia, a woman in a position of authority *Mamas, a name for female associates of the Hells Angels Places * Mama, Russia, an urban-type settlemen ...

'' as "Donna" (October 19, 2005 – February 20, 2006). Pawk's television credits include '' L.A. Law'', ''

The Golden Girls ''The Golden Girls'' is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Bea Arthur, Betty W ...

'', and all three editions of the ''

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 o ...

'' franchise. She appeared in small roles in the films '' Jeffrey'' (1995) and ''

Cradle Will Rock ''Cradle Will Rock'' is a 1999 American historical drama film written, produced and directed by Tim Robbins. The story fictionalizes the true events that surrounded the development of the 1937 musical ''The Cradle Will Rock'' by Marc Blitzstein; ...

'' (1999). She also guest starred on an episode of ''

Quantum Leap ''Quantum Leap'' is an American science fiction television series, created by Donald P. Bellisario, that premiered on NBC and aired for five seasons, from March 26, 1989, to May 5, 1993. The series stars Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a ph ...

'' (1990) and '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (2020). Pawk was featured alongside Victoria Clark and Jonathan Groff in the New York premiere of "Prayer for My Enemy" by

Craig Lucas Craig Lucas (born April 30, 1951) is an American playwright, screenwriter, theatre director, musical actor, and film director. Biography Born on April 30, 1951, he was found abandoned in a car in Atlanta, Georgia. Lucas was adopted when he was ...

at the

Playwrights Horizons Playwrights Horizons is a not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work. Under the ...

Theater. The play touches on several topics including the Iraq War (Groff plays a young veteran), homosexuality, alcoholism, and the definition of family. The play ran from November 14, 2008, through December 21, 2008.

Teaching

Pawk has been a full-time faculty member at

Wagner College Wagner College is a private liberal arts college in Staten Island, New York City. Founded in 1883 and with an enrollment of approximately 2,200 students, Wagner is known for its academic program, The Wagner Plan for the Practical Liberal Arts. I ...

, Staten Island, New York, since 2010, teaching advanced acting, directing and film studies.

Personal life

She is married to actor John Dossett. They have a son, Jack, born in February 2000. Two of Michele's uncles, Johnny Pawk and Steve Pawk, were early professional basketball players in the 1930s.

Awards and nominations

;Awards * 2003 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play – ''Hollywood Arms'' * 2020 Lucille Lortel Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play – ''Heroes of the Fourth Turning'' ;Nominations * 1992 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical – ''Crazy for You'' * 1998 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical – ''Cabaret'' * 1998 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical – ''Cabaret'' * 2006 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play – ''The Paris Letter'' * 2011 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play – ''A Small Fire''

References

External links

Michele Pawk official website
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pawk, Michele 1961 births Living people Allegheny College alumni American women singers American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Musicians from Pittsburgh People from Butler, Pennsylvania People from South Orange, New Jersey Singers from Pennsylvania University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music alumni 21st-century American women