Marilyn michaels

File:Marilyn michaels headshot.jpg

Marilyn Michaels

Marilyn was born February 26, 1943 in Manhattan. She began her career singing with her mother, actress and pioneer Cantoress, Fraydele Oysher when she was seven. At the age of 15 she sang as soloist in her father's choir, the late Metropolitan Opera basso, Harold Sternberg. The Cantor was her uncle, the legendary Moishe Oysher. She attended the High School of Music and Art as a music major, and in Sophomore year switched to art as her major. At graduation she auditioned and won an RCA recording contract singing the follow- up song to Ray Peterson’s Tell Laura I Love Her, entitled, Tell Tommy I Miss Him. This was followed by contracts with Warner Bros and ABC Paramount.

She began singing in Catskill Resorts and clubs, starring at the world famous Copa, and made her first television appearances on such shows as The Hollywood Palace, the Ed Sullivan Show, and the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

She caught the eye of composer Jule Styne and was chosen to play the role of Fannie Brice in the National Touring Company of Funny Girl, when Barbra Streisand was still playing it on Broadway.

Through her musical heritage, Marilyn honed her ear for sounds, dialects and languages. And later starred in ABC televisions’ The Kopykats, a forerunner of Saturday Night Live and Laugh In, which also starred Rich Little and Frank Gorshin, Orson Wells, Tony Curtis and Raymond Burr. Her character portrayals, impressions and singing have been seen on such national shows as Spelling/Goldberg's The Love Boat, Regis and Kathie Lee, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, The Today Show, The Dean Martin Show, Red Skelton Show, Jonathan Winters show, Ed Sullivan, Sullivan On Broadway Special, Name of the Game, with Sammy Davis Jr. The Flip Wilson Show, Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin and The Howard Stern Show.

She has been a guest on The Hollywood Squares, and the soaper One Life to Live. Her rendition of Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand singing via split screen on an NBC Award show became a cult favorite. She has appeared with the Philadelphia and Long Island symphonies, as well as displaying versatility as a narrator with multiple personalities in the Emmy winning, Reading Rainbow for PBS (Gregory the Terrible Eater). as well as the narration for the audio book, Frankly Scarlett, I Do Give A Damn (Harper Collins)

She has appeared with Don Rickles in Las Vegas show rooms and at the Westbury Music Fair, as well as starred with Rich Little in the National Campaign for Diet 7UP. That was followed with a Playboy pictorial, Prime Mime, in August of 1982. It featured Marilyn as six different characters, Dolly Parton, Bo Derek, Barbra Streisand, Lily Tomlin, Julie Andrews and Bette Midler.

In 1991 Marilyn starred in the hit show, Catskills On Broadway. She followed with her own Radio Show, The Broadway Hour and her own musical show at Harrah’s in Atlantic City, Broadway Ballyhoo.

Known as a "triple threat performer" she has hosted the comedy stand up, Girls Night Out for Lifetime, CNBC’s Talk Live and the WLIW Awards in Excellence Gala.

She sings in six languages and has guest starred on the PBS special Another Mitzvah, as well as performed in concert at Town Hall, The Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse, and theatres throughout the US and England.

A many facetted woman , Marilyn is an accomplished painter whose landscape paintings and celebrity artworks have shown in New York and Palm Beaches finest galleries. Her art poster, The Fabulous Blondes (E Channel, Celebrity Homes) depicts a mural consisting of filmdom's movie goddesses.

Marilyn's CD's include, Voices (30 characters and voices) The Oysher Heritage, (timeless Yiddish and Hebrew duets with her Uncle, Cantor Moishe Oysher and Mother Fraydele Oysher) A Mother's Voice, (title song by Marvin Hamlisch and Alan and Marilyn Bergman) singing with her son MARK, and her most recent CD, Marilyn Michaels… Wonderful At Last. This current CD contains original songs written by Marilyn with her son Mark Wilk for the musical, ALYSS, based on Alice Through the Looking Glass. The CD also includes selection from the Great American Song book. The inner liner notes quote Broadway composer of Funny Girl and Gypsy, Jule Styne…”Marilyn , you’re a thrilling talent.”

AWARDS:

    Outer Critic Circle Award
    Drama League Award 
    Catskills On   Broadway

COMMERCIALS AND ENDORSEMENTS:

    Diet Seven Up Campaign
    Gilette Cricket Lighter
    Burlington (animation)
    Olivor's Stores
    Channel Lumber

File:Marilyn michaels 7up.jpg

Marilyn Michaels Diet 7 Up Commericial

RECORDINGS:

    The Moishe Oysher Chanukah Party (soloist Age 14)           
    Tell Tommy I Miss Him (Single, RCA Victor, Hugo and Luigi ,producers)
    Fraydele Oysher and Her Daughter Marilyn: Yiddish Soul
    Marilyn Michaels, The Fantastic and Exciting Debut  (Warner Bros)
    Marilyn Michaels  (ABC Paramount)
    Don’t Count The Days ( Backrach/ David single, introduced… ABC Paramount)
    The Times They Are A  Changin (ABC Paramount)
    Marilyn Michaels: Voices  (Mew Records)
    Marilyn Michaels: A Mother’s Voice (MEW Records)
    The Oysher Heritage: Moishe Oysher, Fraydele Oysher, Marilyn Michaels 
    Marilyn Michaels, Wonderful At Last (2008 )  (Marilyn Michaels Productions)

Personal Info:

    Marilyn was married to Interior Designer Isacc Robbins in 1968, They divorced in 1970. In 1982 she married surgeon Dr. Peter Wilk, they have one son, Mark Edward. They were divorced in 2001. She is currently engaged to attorney Steven B. Portnoff.

External Links:

Marilyn Michaels official website
Marilyn Michaels on Youtube.com
Marilyn Michaels on Amazon.com CD’s and memorabilia
Marilyn Michaels on ITUNES
Great Female Singers 11
Marilyn Michaels on IMDB
Marilyn Michaels on Playbill.com (by Andrew Gans)