Michael Michele

Michael Michele
Background Information:
Birth Name	Michael Michele Williams
Birthdate	August 30, 1966
Nationality	Evansville, Indiana, USA
Occupation	Actress; fashion designer
Years Active	1986-present
Character	Dominique Deveraux
Social Media:
Twitter	https://twitter.com/MichaelMichele
Instagram	https://www.instagram.com/michaelmichelelegit

Michael Michele (born Michael Michele Williams, August 30, 1966) is an American actress and fashion designer. She portrays the role of Dominique Deveraux in The CW's Dynasty.

Career

Michele has appeared in music videos by R&B singers Freddie Jackson and Eric Gable. 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. "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 sleep with somebody, you try to sleep with '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." Michele's suit was later settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.

In 1991, Michele had a starring role opposite Wesley Snipes in the 1991 film New Jack City directed by Mario Van Peebles. Despite the film's success, Michele did not have her next movie role until six years later, starring opposite Marlon Wayans in the comedy film The 6th Man. In 1992, she went on to star on the CBS late-night crime drama series Dangerous Curves, which ran for two seasons. In 1993, she played a leading role in the six-part NBC soap opera miniseries Trade Winds. The following year, she had a major recurring role in the Fox police drama series New York Undercover. She left the show in early 1995 to play one of the leads in the CBS prime time soap opera Central Park West alongside Mädchen Amick, Lauren Hutton and Raquel Welch. The series was not successful and was cancelled after two seasons in 1996.

In 1998, Michele joined the cast of NBC police drama Homicide: Life on the Street as Det. Rene Sheppard on the show's final season. She received her first NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series nomination for this role. Michelle reprised her role in a Law & Order episode in 1999 and in the television movie Homicide: The Movie in 2000. She later joined another NBC series, medical drama ER playing Dr. Cleo Finch from 1999 to 2002, for three seasons. She received another NAACP Image Award nomination.

In 2001, Michele played Veronica Porché Ali in the biographical drama film Ali opposite Will Smith. She later had two more movie roles: crime drama Dark Blue (2002) and romantic comedy How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003). She returned to television in 2004, with a starring role in the short-lived UPN legal drama series Kevin Hill opposite Taye Diggs. In 2007, she guest starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and in two episodes of House as a doctor who had previously worked with the CIA. In 2009 Michele starred in the Hallmark Channel film Relative Stranger with fellow ER cast member Eriq La Salle. In 2011, Michele had a recurring role on the CW teen drama Gossip Girl. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, Michele also starred in a number of unsold television pilots.

In 2017, Michele returned to series regular work playing villainous Ayanna Floyd, president of the record label, in the Fox prime time soap opera Star. Her character was described as a modern-day black Alexis Carrington. She also was cast in a recurring role in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series Queen Sugar.

On March 22, 2019 it was announced that Michele had been cast as Dominique Deveraux for later in the second season of the Dynasty reboot.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Character	Notes
1990	Def by Temptation	Lady #6	Film debut
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 Porché Ali
2002	Dark Blue	Beth Williamson	Nominated—Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actress
2003	How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days	Judy Spears	Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Villain

Television

Year	Title	Character	Notes
1988	1st & Ten	Gillian	Episode: "Saturday, Bloody Saturday"
1991	Private Times		Failed TV pilot
1992–1993	Dangerous Curves	Holly Williams	Series regular, 34 episodes
1993	Trade Winds	Maxine Phillips	Miniseries
1994–1995	New York Undercover	Sandra Gil	Recurring role (season 1), 12 episodes
1995–1996	Central Park West	Nikki Sheridan	Series regular, 21 episodes
1998	Peter Benchley's Creature	Tauna	Miniseries
1998	Players	Sylvie	Episode: "Con-tinental"
1998–1999	Homicide: Life on the Street	Detective Rene Sheppard	Main role (season 7), 22 episodes Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
1999	Law & Order	Det. Rene Sheppard	Episode: "Sideshow"
1999–2002	ER	Dr. Cleo Finch	Series regular (seasons 6–8), 55 episodes Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (2001) Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2000-2001)
2000	Homicide: The Movie	Detective Rene Sheppard	Television film
2004–2005	Kevin Hill	Jessie Gray	Main role, 22 episodes
2005	The Hunt for the BTK Killer	Detective Baines	Television film
2006	Company Town	Bridget Wilson	Television pilot
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 pilot
2009	Relative Stranger	Charlotte	Television film
2011	Eden	Tara Martin	Television pilot
2011	Gossip Girl	Jane	Recurring role, 4 episodes
2014	Delirium	Elyse Hargrove	Television pilot
2015	The Following	Sheila	Episode: "A Hostile Witness"
2016	Blue Bloods	Lois Potter	Episode: "Unbearable Loss"
2016	MacGyver	Diane	Episode: "Scissors"
2017–2018	Star	Ayanna Floyd	Series regular, 18 episodes
2017–2018	Queen Sugar	Darlene Sutton	Recurring role, 4 episodes
2019–present	Dynasty	Dominique Deveraux	Recurring role (season 2); Series Regular (Season 3-Present)

Appearances

Dynasty: Season 2 (3/22)
"Twenty-Three Skidoo":	"Ship of Vipers":	"The Butler Did It":	"Snowflakes in Hell":	"Queen of Cups":	"That Witch":	"A Temporary Infestation":	"A Real Instinct for the Jugular":	"Crazy Lady":	"A Champagne Mood":	"The Sight of You":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"Filthy Games":	"Even Worms Can Procreate":	"Parisian Legend Has It...:	"Motherly Overprotectiveness":	"Miserably Ungrateful Men":	"How Two-Faced Can You Get":	"Life is A Masquerade Party":	"This Illness of Mine":	"New Lady in Town":	"Thicker Than Money":	"Deception, Jealousy, and Lies":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Appears	Appears	Appears

Dynasty: Season 3 (15/20)
"Guilt Trip to Alaska":	"Caution Never Won A War":	"Wild Ghost Chase":	"Something Desperate":	"Mother? I’m At La Mirage":	"A Used Up Memory":	"Shoot From the Hip":	"The Sensational Blake Carrington Trial":	"The Caviar, I Trust, Is Not Burned":	"What Sorrows Are You Drowning?":
Appears	Appears	Appears	Appears	Appears	Appears	Appears	Appears	Appears	Credit Only
"A Wound That May Never Heal":	"Battle Lines":	"You See Most Things in Terms of Black & White":	"That Wicked Stepmother":	"Up A Tree":	"Is The Next Surgery on The House?":	"She Cancelled...":	"You Make Being a Priest Sound Like Something Bad":	"Robin Hood Rescues":	"My Hangover's Arrived":
Credit Only	Appears	Appears	Appears	Appears	Credit Only	Appears	Credit Only	Appears	Credit Only

Dynasty: Season 4 (10/22)
"That Unfortunate Dinner":	"Vows Are Still Sacred":	"The Aftermath":	"Everybody Loves The Carringtons":	"New Hopes, New Beginnings":	"A Little Father-Daughter Chat":	"The Birthday Party":	"Your Sick and Self-Serving Vendetta":	"Equal Justice for the Rich":	"I Hate to Spoil Your Memories":	"A Public Forum for Her Lies":
Appears	Appears	Appears	Appears	Appears	Credit Only	Appears	Appears	Appears	Credit Only	Appears
"Everything But Facing Reality":	"Go Rescue Someone Else":	"But I Don't Need Therapy":	"She Lives in a Showplace Penthouse":	"The British Are Coming":	"Stars Make You Smile":	"A Good Marriage in Every Sense":	"Everything Looks Wonderful, Joseph":	"You Vicious, Miserable Liar":	"Affairs of State and Affairs of the Heart":	"Filled With Manipulations and Deceptions":
Appears	Credit Only	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent

Trivia

• Michele's favourite food is Pizza and Caviar.
• Michele's favourite colours are yellow, and white.

Gallery

Dominique is main in Season 3