Michelle Stafford

Michelle Stafford (born September 14, 1965) is an American actress, screenwriter and producer. She currently plays Phyllis Summers on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, for which she has won two Daytime Emmy Awards. In 2013, Stafford created and starred in her own comedy web series, The Stafford Project. She also played Nina Reeves on the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital.

Michelle Stafford
Stafford in 2011
Born	September 14, 1965 (age 55) Chicago, Illinois. U.S.
Occupation	Actress screenwriter producer
Years active	1990–present
Children	2
Website	www.michellestafford.com

Early life

Stafford was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her parents moved her and her older sister, Janine, to Montrose, California, where she was raised. After graduating from high school, Stafford chased after her dream of modeling.[1]

Career

In 1990 Stafford was cast in Fox soap opera Tribes. The show was canceled after 3-month airing on Fox.[2] She later appeared in two plays directed by Charles Durning in Los Angeles stage, and co-starred in several small films.[3]

In October 1994, Stafford began what was supposed to be a short term role of Phyllis Summers on the American CBS Daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless; however, her work impressed the producers and she was placed on contract.[4][5] In 1997, Stafford left the series to pursue other career opportunities, and she was replaced by Sandra Nelson.[6] In 1997 she was cast in Aaron Spelling primetime soap opera Pacific Palisades as lead character, but show was canceled after 13 episodes. She later guest-starred in Two Guys and a Girl, Diagnosis: Murder, and JAG. In film, Stafford appeared in 1999 thriller Double Jeopardy opposite Ashley Judd.

In July 2000, Stafford was brought back to the soap opera by former head writer Kay Alden.[7] From December 2006 to February 2007, Stafford played dual roles on Y&R, portraying Sheila Carter, formerly played by Kimberlin Brown (Sheila had plastic surgery to look like Phyllis).[8] In May 2013, it was announced that Stafford would be exiting the soap opera after sixteen years in the role.[9] Stafford later confirmed that her final scenes would air sometime that August.[10] Stafford exited the series on August 2, 2013.[11]

In 2004, Stafford was a hockey correspondent for The Best Damn Sports Show Period. Stafford starred in Lifetime movie Like Mother, Like Daughter in 2007.[12] In 2007, Stafford appeared on Tyra Banks' talk show to help Tyra through "soap opera school."[13] In 2012 she appeared as Lauren on the web series The Grove, created by Crystal Chappell. She also guest-starred in Frasier, Charmed, and Ringer.[14] She subsequently launched her web series, The Stafford Project, based on her personal life and struggles, with the first episode premiering on her YouTube Channel on August 5, 2013.[15] The series received positive reviews from critics. Michael Logan of TV Guide appreciated the web series, calling it "terrific and audacious" and saying that "there's never a dull moment in the life of Michelle Stafford".[16] Jamey Giddens of the entertainment website Zap2it said that Stafford is "as viable and fiery as ever", calling The Stafford Project "insanely-funny".[17]

In 2014, Stafford returned to daytime television with the role of Nina Clay, the wife of Dr. Silas Clay (Michael Easton) on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. Stafford’s long-rumored addition to the cast was made official when her character Nina, the presumed-dead wife of Silas, suddenly appeared at the very end of the episode on May 1, 2014.[18][19][20] In 2015, she co-starred alongside Tom Sizemore in the independent film Durant's Never Closes.[21]

In 2016, Stafford launched a skincare product line called Skin Nation.[22] The products are said to be organic, natural, gluten free, and certified cruelty-free by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).[22] In 2019, it was announced that she would leave General Hospital as Nina Reeves and reprise her role of Phyllis Summers on The Young & the Restless.[23]

Personal life

Stafford's first child, a daughter, Natalia Scout Lee Stafford, was born via a gestational surrogate in December 2009.[24][25] In October 2015, Stafford had a second child, Jameson Jones Lee Stafford, a son.[26]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1993	Body of Influence	Madam
1994	Another Midnight Run	Hotel Guest	Television film
1999	Double Jeopardy	Suzanne Monroe
2000	Attraction	Suzanne
2002	Lost	Rachel	Short film
2002	Cottonmouth	Renee Alexander
2003	Vampires Anonymous	Taffeta Munro
2007	Like Mother, Like Daughter	Dawna Williams	Television film
2007	Totally Baked: A Pot-U-Mentary	Jessica
2008	3 Days Gone	Detective Holloway
2008	Cara	Agent	Short film
2013	Parker	Phyllis Summers
2014	On Georgia's Mind	Tricia	Short film
2015	Earth Fall	Nancy
2016	Durant's Never Closes	Suzie Durant

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1990	Tribes	Frankie	Series regular, 13 episodes
1994	Renegade	Lauren Jessup	Episode: "The Posse"
1994	Models Inc.	Girl in the toilets	Episode: "Blind by Love"
1994–1997, 2000–2013, 2019–present	The Young and the Restless	Phyllis Summers	Series regular
1997	Pacific Palisades	Joanna Hadley	Series regular, 13 episodes
1998	Players	Vanessa Evans	Episode: "Wrath of Con"
1998	Two Guys and a Girl	April	Episode: "Two Guys, a Girl and a Softball Team"
1999	Diagnosis: Murder	Trish	Episodes: "Gangland: Part One" and "Gangland: Part Two"
1999	JAG	Suzanne Moore	Episode: "Contemptuous Words"
2000	V.I.P.	Nancy Biggs	Episode: "Val Point Blank"
2001	Frasier	Heather Murphy	Episode: "The First Temptation of Daphne"
2002	Judging Amy	Linda Barnes	Episode: "The Bottle Show"
2005	Clubhouse	Sydney	Episode: "Between First and Home"
2005	Charmed	Mandi	Episode: "Desperate Housewitches"
2011	Ringer	Peggy Lewis	Episode: "If You Ever Want a French Lesson..."
2013	The Stafford Project	Herself	Web series, also writer and executive producer
2014–2019	General Hospital	Nina Reeves	Series regular
2015	Secret Mind of a Single Mom	Michelle	Web series

Awards and nominations

List of acting awards and nominations for Michelle Stafford

Year	Award	Category	Title	Result	Ref.
1996	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	The Young and the Restless	Nominated	[27]
1996	Soap Opera Digest Award	Outstanding Female Newcomer	The Young and the Restless	Won	[28]
1997	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	The Young and the Restless	Won	[29]
1997	Soap Opera Digest Award	Outstanding Villainess	The Young and the Restless	Won	[30][31]
2001	Soap Opera Digest Award	Outstanding Female Scene Stealer	The Young and the Restless	Nominated
2003	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series	The Young and the Restless	Nominated	[32]
2003	Soap Opera Digest Award	Outstanding Lead Actress	The Young and the Restless	Won	[33]
2004	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series	The Young and the Restless	Won	[34]
2005	Daytime Emmy Award	Most Irresistible Combination (shared with Peter Bergman)	The Young and the Restless	Nominated	[35]
2005	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series	The Young and the Restless	Nominated	[36]
2005	Soap Opera Digest Award	Outstanding Lead Actress	The Young and the Restless	Nominated
2007	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series	The Young and the Restless	Nominated	[37]
2008	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series	The Young and the Restless	Nominated	[38]
2010	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series	The Young and the Restless	Nominated	[39]
2011	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series	The Young and the Restless	Nominated	[40]
2013	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series	The Young and the Restless	Nominated	[41]

See also

• List of longest-serving soap opera actors

References

1. "Michelle Stafford Bio". Soap Opera Digest. Archived from the original on 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2013-10-01.
2. "Fox's Teen Soap Opera 'Tribes' Will Fade Out Next Month - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. 1990-06-16. Retrieved 2013-10-01.
3. "Michelle Stafford Biography". TV Guide. New York City: CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
4. "About Michelle". Michellestafford.com. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
5. "Michelle Stafford Bio". Soap Opera Digest. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
6. Goldstein, Toby (April 6, 1997). "'The Young and the Restless' Recasts Two Key Roles". The Buffalo News. Tribune Media Services.
7. "The Young and the Restless recap (July 14, 2000)". SoapCentral. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
8. "Buzz". Soap Opera Weekly. 2007-02-27. p. 8.
9. Bricker, Tierney (May 20, 2013). "The Young and The Restless Shocker: Michelle Stafford Exiting After 16 Years". E!. NBCUniversal. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
10. Clifford, Kambra (June 19, 2013). "Michelle Stafford Tapes Final Episode of 'Y&R' Today". Soap Opera Network. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
11. Lewis, Errol (July 26, 2013). "Michelle Stafford Talks Real Reason For 'Y&R' Exit". Soap Opera Network. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
12. "Like Mother, Like Daughter". myLifetime.com. Retrieved 2013-10-01.
13. "Who, Where and Wow!". Soap Opera Weekly. 2007-02-13. p. 32.
14. Published Friday, Aug 5 2011, 15:41 BST (2011-08-05). "Michelle Stafford joins Sarah Michelle Gellar's 'Ringer' - Ringer News - Cult". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2013-10-01.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
15. "Exclusive: Michelle Stafford Dishes Her Exit from The Young and the Restless - Today's News: Our Take". TV Guide. New York City: CBS Interactive. August 1, 2013. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
16. Logan, Michael (August 1, 2013). "Exclusive: Michelle Stafford Dishes Her Exit from The Young and the Restless, New Web Series". TV Guide. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
17. Giddens, Jamey (August 5, 2013). "Watch: The Premiere of Michelle Stafford's The Stafford Project! (Video)". Zap2it. Tribune Media Services. Archived from the original on August 7, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
18. "'General Hospital' Cast — 'Young and the Restless' Michelle Stafford as Nina - TVLine". TVLine. 1 May 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
19. "Michelle Stafford Joins General Hospital. - General Hospital News - Soaps.com". Archived from the original on 11 March 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
20. "Michelle Stafford joins General Hospital". SoapCentral. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
21. Michael Logan. "Exclusive: General Hospital's Michelle Stafford Has a "Secret" New Project". TV Insider. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
22. Proulx, Shaun (29 September 2016). "Soap Star Michelle Stafford Spills On Her Life and Her New Organic Skincar Line". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
23. Various citations concerning the casting switch of Phyllis Summers:
    • SOD (March 30, 2019). "Huge Y&R Casting News! Gina Tognoni Out; Michelle Stafford In!". Soap Opera Digest. United States: American Media, Inc. Odyssey Magazine Publishing Group Inc. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
    • Bowe, Jillian (March 30, 2019). "BREAKING NEWS: Michelle Stafford IN; Gina Tognoni OUT at Y&R". Daytime Confidential. United States: Confidential Media, Inc. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
24. Logan, Michael (August 1, 2013). "Exclusive: Michelle Stafford Dishes Her Exit from The Young and the Restless, New Web Series". TV Guide. New York City: CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
25. "Michelle Stafford Welcomes Daughter Natalia Scout Lee". People Magazine. 22 Dec 2009. Retrieved 4 Jul 2010.
26. SOD (October 25, 2015). "GH'S MICHELLE STAFFORD WELCOMES SON". Soap Opera Digest. United States. American Media, Inc. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
27. Richmond, Ray (April 5, 1996). "'Y&R' leads Emmy nominations". Observer–Reporter. Washington, Pennsylvania: Observer Publishing Company. p. 11. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
28. "'Soap Opera Digest' names daytime's hottest". McCook Daily Gazette. Associated Press. February 15, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
29. "Award winners". The Victoria Advocate. Victoria, Texas: Victoria Advocate Publishing. Associated Press. May 22, 1997. p. 13. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
30. "'General Hospital' wins Soap Opera awards". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. March 1, 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
31. "Readers just can't cope without scoop on soaps". Sun Journal. March 28, 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
32. "Nominees for Daytime Emmys". USA Today. Tysons Corner, Virginia: Gannett Company. Associated Press. March 12, 2003. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
33. "The Soap Opera Digest Awards: 2003". Soap Opera Digest. soapopeno radigest.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
34. "DeGeneres wins Emmy for best talk show". MSNBC. New York City: NBCUniversal. Associated Press. May 28, 2004. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
35. "Viewer's Favorite Award for Most Irresistible Combination". CBS. Archived from the original on 6 March 2007. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
36. "Daytime Emmy Award Nominations". TVWeek. Detroit, Michigan: Crain Communications. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
37. Bonawitz, Amy (February 11, 2009). "34th Annual Daytime Emmy Winners". New York City: CBS News. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
38. "The 35th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Award Nominations". National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. New York: emmyonline.org. April 30, 2008. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
39. "The 37th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Award Nominations". New York: emmyonline.org and National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. May 12, 2010. Archived from the original on May 12, 2013. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
40. "The 38th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Award Nominations". New York: emmyonline.org and National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. May 11, 2011. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
41. "The 40th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Award Nominations". New York: emmyonline.org and National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. May 1, 2013. Archived from the original on June 6, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2013.

External links

• Michelle Stafford's Website

• Michelle Stafford at IMDb