MICHELE CAREY

Michele Carey was born on February 26th, 1943 in Annapolis, Maryland. Her father was a wrestling coach at the Naval Academy before relocating his family to Rochester, Minnesota to continue his medical studies. Michele was a child prodigy at the piano. By age thirteen, she would perform on stage with the Rochester Symphony Orchestra. Her father would relocate his family to Colorado where he would practice medicine for many years. It was while living in Colorado that Michele learned how to ride horses and with her blossoming looks, she slowly moved away from her musical studies and began modeling.  

 

At the age of 18, she left her home in Fort Collins to become a professional model with the Powers Modeling Company in Denver. After a highly successful modeling career, Michele moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career in 1964.  She landed her first acting role as Maggie on the hit TV show "The Man from UNCLE" and by the next year, she played as Rita Talbot, the young and sexy girlfriend of James Callahan on the television series, “Wendy and Me” which featured George Burns and Connie Stevens. She would also land a TV role on “Burke’s Law” as Bianca Andrade. During the summer, she got her first movie role as that of the kimono clad beauty Michele in “How to Stuff a Wild Bikini” Her character would have a nasty run-in with a very jealous Annette Funicello. Despite landing only minor roles during her first full year in Hollywood, her career as an actress was about to explode.

 

The famed director, Howard Hawks would give Michele her big break in 1966 when he would cast her in the John Wayne movie “El Dorado” which featured Robert Mitchum and James Caan. Portraying the role of the rebellious Josephine (Joey) MacDonald, her character mistook the “Duke” as having murdered her brother so she shoots him in the back only then to have the “Duke” knock her off her feet and throw her rifle into a nearby river. Her horseback riding lessons that she had while living in Colorado helped to demonstrate to her fellow actors that she could handle a horse just as well as they could. In fact, both Hawks and Wayne would commend her on not just her acting abilities, but that of her horseback riding and rifle shooting skills. Later that year, she would land a role on the hip television show “T.H.E. Cat” as Julie Roth.

 

During 1967, Michele would star on the television series “Run for Your Life” as Margo and later as Gerda Sariff in the first of her two performances on the popular television series “The Wild Wild West” In the episode “The Night of the Feathered Fury” her charm and exquisite beauty was showcased as well as her online chemistry with Robert Conrad . During the summer, she would once again return to the big screen for her next movie role in the 1968 movie “The Sweet Ride” as Thumper Stevens. Her character was in love with a beatnik jazz pianist played by Bob Denver. The movie has since become a cult favorite as it depicts the 1960's lifestyle of the surfers from Malibu Beach.

 

The delayed release of "El Dorado" would catch the eye and the attention of her next male co-star, Elvis Presley who asked that she be given an opportunity to star opposite him in his upcoming film “Live a Little, Love a Little.” A role that has became one of her fan's most favorite and one of Elvis’ favorite movies. Her character Bernice, was a mini-skirted, free-spirited but somewhat confused young woman. Bernice would change her name as often as she changed her moods. She would drive Elvis crazy throughout the movie until he finally falls in love with her. The chemistry between Elvis and Michele can easily be compared to that of his with Ann Margret in the hit movie “Viva Las Vegas”.

 

Michele's roles as Thumper and Bernice would lead to her being cast in another leading role as that of Julie in the 1969 movie “Changes.” She plays a young divorcee who falls in love with a drifter (Kent Lane) before realizing that he could never give her what she desired in life. Her role as Julie is acclaimed by many of her fans as being one of her best acting performances. During 1969, Michele remained busy starring on several popular television series. On “Mission Impossible” she played an IMF agent named Lisa, where once again, her beauty and grace is showcased. She also stars as Laurette on her second appearance on “Wild Wild West” and appears on “The Name of the Game” television series as Evvy. Before the year would come to an end, she would star on the television series “The F.B.I.” as Meredith Schaeffer.

 

The year 1970 would find Michele in her first leading role as that of Alice McAndrew in the movie “The Animals” which today is also known as “The Five Savages.” In this movie, she plays the role of a school teacher who is savagely raped and left for dead by five outlaws. She is saved by an Apache renegade who nurtures her back to health. He also teaches her how to hunt with a bow and arrow and how to shoot his rifle. With his help, she exacts revenge on the five outlaws by hunting them down and killing them one by one.

 

During the summer, Michele also stars as a mini-skirted Indian girl named Anna Hot Water in Frank Sinatra’s western-comedy “Dirty Dingus MaGee.” Her character helps the bumbling outlaw escape the long-arm of the law played by George Kennedy. During the course of the movie, she wants to do “Bim Bam” with old blue eyes but keeps getting interrupted.  Before the year ends, she would find time to star opposite of Robert Wagner in the television hit series, “It Takes a Thief” as Sharon Foster. Again, she demonstrates to her fans that she can easily turn on the chemistry with her male co-star.

 

In 1971, Michele is cast as Betsy Jamison on the popular TV western show “Alias Smith and Jones” playing a gold-digger that is fooled by the two reformed outlaws. Her role as Betsy is yet another fan favorite as she once again purrs as a sex-kitten. She would return to the silver screen as Brian Keith’s granddaughter Amanda McCandless in the Disney movie, “Scandalous John” and is kept busy keeping her delusional grandpa from shooting up the town while at the same time slowly falling in love with the son of the land-grabber trying to steal her grandpa's ranch.

 

In 1972, Michele stars as Tara Hutson on the most popular TV western of all time, “Gunsmoke.” In this episode, she plays the role of a woman who comes to Dodge City with a big secret. Although, Deputy Newly falls madly in love with her, by the end of the show, he has to reluctantly place her under arrest. Later during the year, she stars alongside Rich Little on “Love, American Style.” playing Mildred who becomes confused by her fiance's multiple personalities.

 

In the year 1973, Michele stars in three TV movies. First in the thriller “The Norliss Tapes” as Marsha Sterns. Then she stars as Allison Baker in “The Savages” and finally as Cynthia Holland in “The Six Million Dollar Man” TV movie entitled “Wine, Woman and War.” Before the end of the year Michele would star on the television series “Adam’s Rib” as Diana.

 

Only one screen credit is given for Michele during 1974 and it was for a role on the short-lived television series “Dirty Sally” as Dolly. Spending most of her time at her home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Michele is absent from Hollywood before returning in 1977 for a role in the TV movie “Delta County, U.S.A.” as Jonsie Wilson. She also has roles on “The Man from Atlantis” as a gangster’s mistress and on the hit show “Starsky and Hutch” as a prostitute madam named Nikki. As the year comes to an end, Michele would return to the big screen once again as a party girl named Ora Lee Tingle in the "The Choirboys.”

 

In 1978, she returns once again to the hit TV show “Starsky and Hutch” as a very sexy car dealer named Catlin.   

 

In 1979, she would return to TV movies as saloon owner Maggie in “The Man with the Golden Gun” and as the wife of a KKK Grand Wizard in “Dandy” Don Meredith’s “Undercover with the KKK.” She closes out the year with a recurring role as Elfie, the voice of a super-computer on Robert Conrad’s popular television show “A Man Called Sloane.”

 

Michele would return as Elfie in the 1981 TV movie “Death Ray 2000” and in 1982 starring again with Lee Majors on his popular series “The Fall Guy” as Crystal. She also plays a policewoman on the TV movie “Rooster” during the same year.

 

Over the next four years, Michele concentrated on her family. Despite temporarily leaving Hollywood, she was offered a role that she could not turn down and returned in 1986. For her next movie role she would travel to Kenya as Ginny Hansen, a hotel owner in the movie “The Shadows of Kilimanjaro”

 

With over thirty television and movie roles to her credit, our lovely Michele Carey would say goodbye to Hollywood for the last time and return to her home in New Mexico.  Since leaving Hollywood she has lived a very quiet and private life. There is no other actress that can claim that they have co-starred with some of Hollywood's legendary stars. John Wayne, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra not to mention countless others who would go on to fame.