Tammy
Lynn
Michaels
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Tammy
Lynn Michaels
was born in rural Lafayette, Indiana on November 26, 1974. She and her
older sister were raised by a single mother who held four jobs to provide for
the family while Tammy was a child. A rough childhood, and feelings of not
fitting in were lessened when Tammy found a niche in drama. She began
acting during summers at theater camp at Indiana State University and also
starred in theater productions throughout high school.
After
graduating from Jefferson High School, she packed her bags and moved to New York
City to pursue acting professionally. In an unbelievable tale of stardom,
while eating in a restaurant, Michaels was approached by a fellow customer who
put her in touch with a manager. She was soon working in commercials.
Michaels came
out to Los Angeles for network television's pilot season in 1999 and booked her
role on Popular within two
weeks. While working on the series (June 2000), Tammy was outed by a
coworker and decided to hit the town, and for the first time in a long while
went to a lesbian night at the L.A. bar Felt, which is where she met Melissa
Etheridge. Tammy asked Melissa out to dinner and the rest is history.
 Both
were cautious in the relationship initially, after having been burned badly in
the past. Their first publicly "out" night as a couple was at
the premiere of The Anniversary Party ~ their pictures were in the
tabloids the next day. The pair also made a very public declaration of
their feelings for one another when Etheridge cast Michaels in her music video
‘I Want To Be In Love'.
On
September 20, 2003, Michaels and Etheridge took the plunge and wed in front of
200 family members and friends in a ceremony in the Hollywood Hills. They
now live in the hills of West L.A. with Etheridge's two children, Bailey and
Beckett.
Starring
Roles
Popular
(1999-2001) - Nicole Julian
Guest Starring Roles
The L Word
- Lacey -
The L Word - Lacey -
The L Word - Lacey -
That '80s Show - Patty - Sophia's
Depressed (2002)
That
'80s Show - Patty - Beach
Party (2002)
That
'80s Show - Patty - Double
Date (2002)
Movie/Mini-Series/Special Roles
Why
Can't I Be Audrey Hepburn? (2004) -
D.E.B.S. (2003) - Max
In Tammy
Lynn Michael's first interview since coming out, she talks briefly about her
role as Lacey in The L Word.
Melissa
and Tammy: A love story
By Bruce C. Steele
Excerpted from The
Advocate, January 20, 2004
Let's change the subject for a moment and
talk about your careers. Tammy, tell me about The L Word. Who do you
play?
Michaels: Lacey. She's that lesbian who, unfortunately, caught you on
your bad night when you were really drunk and in the mood for sex, so she slept
with you, but now she's going to stalk you.
How did you get cast?
Michaels: Angela Robinson, who wrote and directed D.E.B.S., this little
short film that I'm in, was writing an episode of The L Word, so when
they asked me to guest-star, I said yes. And then they kept just asking
me, "Will you do another one? Another one? So it turned into
three of the first four episodes.
As a lesbian, what do you think of the show?
Michaels: They are so respectful. It's not a joke. They don't
take lesbianism as a way to get [men] hard, which is how some people have dealt
with it.
Respectful is good. But is it fun? Is it
sexy?
Michaels: OK, it's hot. I'll tell you, there was a pool built
on the set for some of the love scenes, whereupon there will be nudity with
steam coming off the pool. It's hot. And those girls kiss
each other. They're sexy, they throw themselves at it, they're not
afraid.
....
But at the same time, Tammy, you haven't
given up on acting.
Michaels: Oh, no, no, no, no. I went to an audition yesterday, I met
my agent.
Etheridge: She would like to work, but she would like to work on projects
that move her. Not just anything that comes along. The L Word,
she was so excited--not only did she love the part, but she loved the writers
and the people. I think she's more selective now.
....
What did you do when you actually got to New
York?
Michaels: I tried to date boys for a while! [Laughs]
Did you?
Michaels: I did! I tried. And they were so nice!
But then they'd move in ot kiss me, and I'd be like [groans], "You were
doing so well until then!" I was still carrying a great deal of
baggage and that "trashy Tammy" now. I just was like, Let me
just make sure that it wasn't just the guys in Indiana I disliked. And
then a friend of mine said, "Hey, I work at a restaurant with this girl and
she says she's gay," and I ran down to the restaurant and say and waited
for her to show up for work. I immediately fell in love with her. I
just was like, There is one other lesbian on this planet. That has to
be my girlfriend. And I stalked her for about a month.
Good material for The L Word.
Michaels: [Laughs] See? They knew!
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