Michelle Beck
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Michelle Beck is an American actress based in New York City known for her performances in Shakespeare plays and other stage works. She has also appeared in film and television.


Early life and education

Born in Billings, Montana, Beck was raised in
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
, and studied acting at the
South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities The South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities (SCGSAH) is a prestigious boarding school for the arts located in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1999 by Virginia Uldrick, the high school program provides pre-pr ...
. She continued her university training at the
State University of New York at Purchase The State University of New York at Purchase (commonly Purchase College or SUNY Purchase) is a public liberal arts college in Purchase, New York. It is one of 13 comprehensive colleges in the State University of New York (SUNY) system. It was fo ...
Acting Conservatory, where she graduated ''magnum cum laude'' with a BFA in acting.


Career

Beck began her career at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where she performed in '' The Winter's Tale'' and as Roxane in '' Cyrano de Bergerac''. She appeared as Sasha in '' Spinning into Butter'' (2007), a film about racism starring
Sarah Jessica Parker Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and television producer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six Golden Globe Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 1 ...
. Beck first garnered attention in 2007 as Ophelia in '' Hamlet'' at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., directed by Michael Kahn. Later that year, she worked with director
Daniel Fish Daniel Fish is an American theater director based in New York City. Early career Daniel Fish graduated from Northwestern University with a BS in performance studies. From 1989 to 1993 he worked as the assistant director to Michael Kahn at the Sha ...
, playing Marianne in his '' Tartuffe'' at the McCarter Theater and Yale Repertory Theater. In 2009, Beck appeared as Viola in a Chicago Shakespeare Theater production of '' Twelfth Night'', directed by Josie Rourke. In 2008, she reprised her role as Ophelia in ''Hamlet''. Beck next appeared in The Bridge Project, a joint venture between the
Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...
in New York City and The Old Vic Theater in London, directed by
Sam Mendes Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes (born 1 August 1965) is a British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter. In 2000, Mendes was appointed a CBE for his services to drama, and he was Knight Bachelor, knighted in the 2020 New Year Honour ...
. Beck played Celia in ''
As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...
'' and Ceres in '' The Tempest'' (both in 2010). She also appeared in Shakespeare productions at The Public Theater, including Karin Coonrod's production of ''
Love's Labour's Lost ''Love's Labour's Lost'' is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Elizabeth I of England, Queen Elizabeth I. It follows the King of Navarre and ...
'' as Lady Katharine (2011) and Amanda Dehnert's ''
Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...
'' as Lady Anne (2012). She played Hero in the Theatre for a New Audience's production of " Much Ado About Nothing", directed by Arin Arbus (2013)."Michelle Beck"
AboutTheArtists.com, retrieved 13 August 2015
Beck also appeared as the nurse in the 2013 LCT3 production of "A Kid Like Jake", written by Daniel Pearle and directed by Evan Cabnet at the
Claire Tow Theater The Vivian Beaumont Theater is a Broadway theater in the Lincoln Center complex at 150 West 65th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Operated by the nonprofit Lincoln Center Theater (LCT), the Beaumont is the only Broad ...
in Lincoln Center. Beck worked on the 2014 Broadway revival of '' A Raisin in the Sun'' at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, starring
Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has been described as an actor who reconfigured "the concept of classic movie stardom". Throughout his career spanning over four decades, Washington ha ...
and directed by Kenny Leon, as the understudy for Beneatha. At The Pearl Theatre Company in 2014, in '' Uncle Vanya'', a reviewer wrote: "Beck steals the show as Sonya, revealing her to be the most intelligent and sensible character in the play. She's the glue holding this house together" With Epic Theater Ensemble and
National Black Theater The National Black Theatre is a non-profit cultural and educational corporation, and community-based theatre company located on 5th Avenue in Harlem, New York. History The National Black Theatre (NBT) is a non-profit cultural and educational co ...
in 2015, she played Isabella in ''
Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604, according to available records. It was published in the ''First Folio'' of 1623. The play's plot features its ...
''. She also played Kelly in ''The Sentinels'' by Matthew Lopez at
59E59 Theaters 59E59 Theaters is a curated rental venue located in New York City that consists of three theater spaces or stages. It shows both off-Broadway (in Theater A) and off-off-Broadway plays (in Theaters B and C). The complex is owned and operated by ...
. In 2014, she played Hayden in a short film adaptation of ''The Third Option''. She played Julia in, and co-directed, the independent film ''Sam & Julia'' (2015). Her television credits include '' Madam Secretary''Star, Melody
"CBS Press Release: ''Madam Secretary'' Mar 22 Episode 1.17 – 'Face the Nation'"
StarWatchByline.com, 5 March 2015
and '' Homeland'' (2015).


Filmography


Film


Television


References


External links


Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beck, Michelle Actresses from Montana People from Billings, Montana State University of New York at Purchase alumni Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American stage actresses 21st-century American women