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Michelle Holmes is an actor and casting director known for A Weekend with Barbara und Ingrid (1992), Angus Petfarkin Paints His Masterpiece (2009), Sugar: The Fall of the West (1998), and Fudge (1995). Her film, Song from a Blackbird (2014), was seen at the Cannes Film Festival, and The Very Scientific System (2014) was named best film at The Peter Stark Film Event. Her feature Chemical Cut (2016) had its award-winning world premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival, where she is featured with her beloved dog, Alice. And her film The Impasse of Light (2016) in which she stars as Angela, had its premiere at Warner Bros. Studios. Michelle is also a gifted singer with many musical theatre credits as well as her own band, Crazy Aunt Mary, which she is the principal singer, songwriter, and bassist for.
Michelle appeared as Helga ten Dorp in "Deathtrap" by Ira Levin for International City Theatre in Long Beach, directed by Jamie Torcellini. Michelle was nominated for a 2024 Robby Award as Best Supporting Actress in a Play for this role. "Michelle Holmes as the hysterical Helga ten Dorp brings the laughs in short order as the opportunistic psychic. Ms. Holmes delivers the goods in every scene that she inhabits and is a joy to see. Applause!" - The LA Beat. Michelle has previously been seen in two other productions at ICT, as Elizabeth Proctor, et. al, in the West Coast premiere of "Abigail/1702" by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, and as Rose of Rangoon in "Song of Singapore", directed by Jules Aaron.
Michelle was fortunate enough to play the iconic Count Orlok in the staged version of the classic silent film "Nosferatu" at Crown City Theatre, to much critical acclaim. Vertlieb on Film writes this review of her work: "However, the most profoundly astounding, and original aspect of Reilly's casting of his principle actors is in his choice of performer to play the dreaded Count Orlok. With aquiline features, somnambulistic majesty, and disturbingly feline affectation, the lifeless symmetry of Orlok's imperial dominance is here enacted with unsettling command. The anxiety perpetuated by his appearance on stage is nearly unfathomable. There is something wrong, terribly wrong, with this terrible visage. And it is only some time that the mind numbing realization of his identity becomes bone chillingly apparent. Orlok, like PETER PAN before him, among the greatest of theatrical traditions, is portrayed by a woman ... an actress named Michelle Holmes, slight of build, and yet evocatively creepy beyond rational descriptiveness. The startling revelation devours your senses, rendering one's other worldly perception of the production and its intoxicating atmosphere irrevocable and all consuming. It is genius at the summit of its inspired artistry."
Michelle won the Eddon Award for Best Lead Performance and was nominated for a Broadway World Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play for her portrayal of Count Orlok. A Broadway World Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical also came her way for her portrayal of The Whore in "Hello Again" (Broadway World - "I must congratulate Holmes for her knockout sensual interpretation in look, voice and movement. This actress manifests sublime versatility.") She won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for her work in "The Crucible" for Theatre Banshee and both the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award and the LA Weekly Award for her work in DOMA Theatre's production of "Dreamgirls," which also garnered her an NAACP Award nomination.
Michelle continued to work for DOMA Theatre in five more productions. Her work in "Young Frankenstein" as Frau Blücher earned her an Ovation Nomination as Best Featured Actress in a Musical and a Stage Raw Nomination for Best Female Comic Performance. Frau Blücher also gave her a Los Angeles Times Critic's Choice nod ("Holmes brings down the house"), and The LA Beat called her "The incomparable Michelle Holmes" for her work as Annas in "Jesus Christ Superstar," which also prompted StageSceneLA reviewer Steven Stanley to dub her "The Queen of Mean." "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Nunsense" (StageSceneLA - "Holmes abandons all decorum to hilarious effect") were named Best Musical Revivals of the Year by Better Lemons, and both productions earned Eddon Awards as Best Musical Ensemble. "Jesus Christ Superstar" was also nominated by Stage Raw as best Musical of the Year. She won the Hollywood Fringe Festival's award for Best Interactive Show of the year as part of 2Cents Theatre's production of "Vote for Murder!".
Michelle has been seen as Ouiser Boudreaux in "Steel Magnolias" for P3 Theatre Company and Tabitha in the world premiere of the new play, "Musket and the Rat" by Sammy Horowitz, both highly critically-acclaimed. Her web series, My Big Fat Blonde Musical (2019), had its premiere on YouTube and was Emmy eligible as Outstanding Short Form Series. Her TV series, Middlehood (2025), won Best TV Series, Best Director, and Best Lead Actress at the New York City International Film Festival. Middlehood (2025) also won the audience award at SeriesFest and Dances with Films. Michelle's web series, Recycle (2022), was a selected entry in the Los Angeles International Film Festival and was nominated for Best Short Film.
As a songwriter, Michelle has won Billboard, ASCAP, and Indiegrrl Awards and is a Grammy-voting member of The Recording Academy. in the 2000s, she played bass and sang for the indie band Moe Jones, which was named top indie band in LA by Hard Rock Cafe and placed 4th in the nation.
Michelle's screenplay, "Lady Betty", is in development and features the new song, "The Sleeping Song", with words by Michelle and music by Steve Pinkney, who is also featured on guitar. It is hauntingly sung by Toni Smith, with a powerful arrangement by Christopher Raymond. The outstanding recording was co-produced by Marco Gomez. A new music video, featuring the many sights of Ireland, is available on YouTube and Vimeo. Michelle's screenplay, "Garzas Road", co-written by Kristin Overn, has production pending. Michelle has also written the screenplay "Indian Hills", along with the book and lyrics to the new musical "Romantic Business".
Michelle is passionate about animals and advocates for them whenever and wherever she can. Michelle has joint US/Irish Citizenship and carries a passport for both countries.
