Michael Michele

Michael Michele
Born	Michael Michele Williams August 30, 1966 Evansville, Indiana, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1986–present
Children	1

Michael Michele (born August 30, 1966) is an American film and television actress. She played Dr. Cleo Finch on the medical drama ER and Det. Rene Sheppard on the police procedural Homicide: Life on the Street. Her films include the Academy Award-nominated film Ali.

Personal life

Michele was born Michael Michele Williams in Evansville, Indiana, the elder of two daughters. Her father is white and her mother is black. Her father is a furniture-rental entrepreneur and her mother was employed by Bristol-Myers.^[1] She was named for her mother's best friend, Michael Ann. Michele attended Howard Roosa Elementary School and Benjamin Bosse High School, where she was active on the basketball team.^[2] She has a son J. Brandon, born December 21, 2004.

Career

Michele has appeared in music videos by R&B singers Freddie Jackson and Eric Gable. Michele is known for her role as Dr. Cleo Finch on the television series ER from 1999–2002 and her role as Det. Rene Sheppard on the final season of Homicide: Life on the Street. She also had a starring role in the short-lived television series Kevin Hill and a recurring role in New York Undercover. Michele played the role of Veronica Porsche Ali in the 2001 film Ali. She appeared in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit that aired in early 2007. She also appeared in two episodes of the fourth season of House as a doctor who had previously worked with the CIA. In 2009 Michele appeared in the Hallmark Channel original movie Relative Stranger with fellow ER cast member Eriq La Salle.

More recently, Michele did a guest spot on the CW series Gossip Girl.

In 1989 she sued actor Eddie Murphy in a high-profile Hollywood lawsuit alleging she was fired from the movie Harlem Nights for rejecting his romantic advances.^[1] "She had the role that's now being played by Jasmine Guy, from A Different World," Murphy told Rolling Stone. "The fact of the matter is, I wanted someone with greater marquee value than Michael Michele. She wasn't working out. As for her claim that I was touching her, realistically speaking, if you're gonna be a sleaze and try to fuck somebody, you try to fuck 'em before you give 'em the part… In her lawsuit, she says I tried to touch her, like I was a pervert. I never tried to touch this woman. We had, like, four conversations, each time with up to sixty people around us on a sound stage. But the lawsuit itself didn't bother me. Lawsuits for me are an occupational hazard."^[3]

Reception

In 2005, TV Guide ranked Michele # 36 on its "50 Sexiest Stars of All Time" list.^[4]

In 2012, she was named one of the "50 Hottest Biracial Women" by Complex Magazine.^[5]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Character	Notes
1991	New Jack City	Selina
1997	The 6th Man	R.C. St. John
1998	The Substitute 2: School's Out	Kara Lavelle	Straight-to-DVD
2001	Ali	Veronica Porche
2002	Dark Blue	Beth Williamson
2003	How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days	Judy Spears

Television

Year	Title	Character	Notes
1991	Private Times		Failed TV pilot (see: Al B. Sure)
1992–93	Dangerous Curves	Holly Williams	Co-lead role, 34 episodes
1994–95	New York Undercover	Sandra Gil	Recurring role (season 1), 12 episodes
1995–96	Central Park West	Nikki Sheridan	Main role, 21 episodes
1998	Homicide: Life on the Street	Detective Rene Sheppard	Main role (season 7), 22 episodes
1999	Law & Order	Det. Rene Sheppard	Episode: "Sideshow"
1999–2002	ER	Dr. Cleo Finch	Main role (seasons 6–8), 55 episode
2000	Homicide: The Movie	Detective Rene Sheppard	Television movie
2004–05	Kevin Hill	Jessie Gray	Main role, 22 episodes
2005	The Hunt for the BTK Killer	Detective Baines	Television movie
2006	Company Town	Bridget Wilson	Television movie
2007	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Valerie Sennet	Episode: "Burned"
2007	House	Dr. Samira Terzi	Episodes: "Whatever It Takes", "Ugly"
2007	Judy's Got a Gun	Pamela Coates	Television movie
2009	Relative Stranger	Charlotte	Television movie
2011	Gossip Girl	Jane	3 episodes
2014	Delirium	Elyse Hargrove	Failed TV pilot
2015	The Following	Sheila	Episode: "A Hostile Witness"

References

1. Susan Schindehette, Sue Carswell, Vicki Sheff (May 29, 1989). "Pink-Slipped by Eddie Murphy, Michael Michele Vows Their Only Date Will Be in Court". People. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
2. Lipton, Michael A. (April 10, 2000). "All the Right Moves". People. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
3. Zehme, Bill (August 24, 1989). "Eddie Murphy: the Rolling Stone interview". Rolling Stone: 57.
4. TV Guide Book of Lists. Running Press. 2007. p. 202. ISBN 0-7624-3007-9.
5. "The 50 Hottest Biracial Women". Complex Magazine. Retrieved April 30, 2014.

External links

• Michael Michele at the Internet Movie Database