Michele Lee

Michele Lee Headshot

Actress • Director • Producer

Birth Date: June 24, 1942

Age: 81 years old

Birth Place: Los Angeles, California

Spouses: James Farentino

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."

Credits

Daily Blast Live

Guest
Show
2017

Row J

Actor
Show
2014

See Dad RunStream

Guest Star
Series
2012

The Talk

Guest
Talk
2010

Access Hollywood Live

Guest
Show
2010

Watch What Happens Live With Andy CohenStream

Guest
Talk
2009

Along Came PollyStream

Actor
Vivian Feffer
Movie
2004
27%

Married to the Kellys

Guest Star
Show
2003

Miss Match

Guest Star
Series
2003
83%

Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer

Voice
Cousin Mel
Movie
2000

A Murder on Shadow Mountain

Actor
Barbara Traynor
Movie
1999

Will & GraceStream

Guest Star
Lucille
Series
1998

Scandalous Me: The Jacqueline Susann Story

Actor
Jacqueline Susann
Movie
1998

Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac

Actor
Movie
1997

Color Me Perfect

Actor
Dina Blake
Movie
1996

Color Me Perfect

Director
Movie
1996

Color Me Perfect

Executive Producer
Movie
1996

Color Me Perfect

Writer
Movie
1996

Big Dreams & Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story

Actor
Dottie West
Movie
1995

My Husband Is Going to Kill Me

Actor
Jessica Cochran
Movie
1993

Cuando Nadie Quiere Escuchar

Actor
Movie
1992

Broadway Bound

Actor
Blanche
Movie
1992

When No One Would Listen

Actor
Jessica Cochran
Movie
1992

My Son, Johnny

Actor
Mary Anne
Movie
1991

The Fatal Image

Actor
Barbara Brennan
Movie
1990

Single Women, Married Men

Actor
Susan Parmel
Movie
1989

A Letter to Three Wives

Actor
Rita Phipps
Movie
1985

Walt Disney

Actor
Carole Bennett
Show
1981

Circus of the Stars

Self
Show
1980

The Tim Conway ShowStream

Guest
Variety Show
1980

Knots Landing

Actor
Karen Fairgate MacKenzie
Series
1979

Knots Landing

Director
Series
1979

Knots Landing DFN

Actor
Show
1979

Disney's Wonderful World

Actor
Carole
Show
1979

Nutcracker Fantasy

Narrator
Movie
1979

Fantasy Island

Guest Star
Series
1978

Bud and Lou

Actor
Anne Costello
Movie
1978

Dark Victory

Actor
Dolores Marsh
Movie
1976

Carta a Tres Esposas

Actor
Movie
1975

Solo con Hombres Casados

Actor
Movie
1974

Only With Married Men

Actor
Jill Garrett
Movie
1974

The David Steinberg Show

Guest Star
Series
1972

Of Thee I Sing

Actor
Diana Devereaux
Movie
1972

Alias Smith and Jones

Guest Star
Series
1971

Night Gallery

Actor
Series
1970

Night Gallery

Guest Star
Series
1970

Roberta

Actor
Stephanie
Show
1969

Love, American Style

Actor
Jayne
Series
1969

Marcus Welby, M.D.Stream

Guest Star
Rowena Dancy
Series
1969

The Wonderful World of Pizzazz

Actor
Show
1969

The Comic

Actor
Mary Gibson
Movie
1969

Romp!!!

Host
Show
1968

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-InStream

Guest
Variety Show
1968

The Love BugStream

Actor
Carole Bennett
Movie
1968
78%

The Carol Burnett ShowStream

Guest
Variety Show
1967

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Actor
Rosemary Pilkington
Movie
1967

The Merv Griffin Show

Guest
Talk
1965

The Danny Kaye ShowStream

Guest
Variety Show
1963

Today

Guest
News
1952

What's My Line?Stream

Guest
Game Show
1950

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