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.[2]
Career
In 1990 Stafford was cast in Fox soap opera Tribes. The show was canceled after 3-month airing on Fox.[3] She later appeared in two plays directed by Charles Durning in Los Angeles stage, and co-starred in several small films.[4]
In July 2000, Stafford was brought back to the soap opera by former head writer Kay Alden.[8] 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).[9] In May 2013, it was announced that Stafford would be exiting the soap opera after sixteen years in the role.[10] Stafford later confirmed that her final scenes would air sometime that August.[11] Stafford exited the series on August 2, 2013.[12]
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.[13] In 2007, Stafford appeared on Tyra Banks' talk show to help Tyra through "soap opera school."[14] 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.[15] 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.[16] 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".[17] Jamey Giddens of the entertainment website Zap2it said that Stafford is "as viable and fiery as ever", calling The Stafford Project "insanely-funny".[18]
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.[19][20][21] In 2015, she co-starred alongside Tom Sizemore in the independent film Durant's Never Closes.[22]
In 2016, Stafford launched a skincare product line called Skin Nation.[23] The products are said to be organic, natural, gluten free, and certified cruelty-free by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).[23] 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.[24]
Personal life
Stafford's first child, a daughter, Natalia Scout Lee Stafford, was born via a gestational surrogate in December 2009.[25][26] In October 2015, Stafford had a second child, a son named Jameson Jones Lee Stafford.[27]
^Jaiswal, Sanam (September 15, 2022). "The Young And The Restless Star Michelle Stafford's Thanks Fans For Birthday Wishes, Talks About A Wish That Won't Come True". tvseasonspoilers.
^"Michelle Stafford Bio". Soap Opera Digest. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
^"Fox's Teen Soap Opera 'Tribes' Will Fade Out Next Month". Los Angeles Times. June 16, 1990. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
^"About Michelle". Michellestafford.com. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
^"Michelle Stafford Bio". Soap Opera Digest. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
^Goldstein, Toby (April 6, 1997). "'The Young and the Restless' Recasts Two Key Roles". The Buffalo News.
^"The Young and the Restless recap (July 14, 2000)". SoapCentral. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
^"Buzz". Soap Opera Weekly. February 27, 2007. p. 8.
^Bricker, Tierney (May 20, 2013). "The Young and The Restless Shocker: Michelle Stafford Exiting After 16 Years". E!. NBCUniversal. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
^Clifford, Kambra (June 19, 2013). "Michelle Stafford Tapes Final Episode of 'Y&R' Today". Soap Opera Network. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
^Lewis, Errol (July 26, 2013). "Michelle Stafford Talks Real Reason For 'Y&R' Exit". Soap Opera Network. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
^"Like Mother, Like Daughter". myLifetime.com. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
^"Who, Where and Wow!". Soap Opera Weekly. February 13, 2007. p. 32.
^Jeffery, Morgan (August 5, 2011). "Michelle Stafford joins Sarah Michelle Gellar's 'Ringer'". Digital Spy. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
^"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.
^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.
^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.
^"'General Hospital' Cast — 'Young and the Restless' Michelle Stafford as Nina - TVLine". TVLine. May 1, 2014. Archived from the original on October 1, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
^"Michelle Stafford Joins General Hospital. - General Hospital News - Soaps.com". Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
^"Michelle Stafford joins General Hospital". SoapCentral. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
^Logan, Michael (January 30, 2015). "Exclusive: General Hospital's Michelle Stafford Has a "Secret" New Project". TV Insider. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
^ a bProulx, Shaun (September 29, 2016). "Soap Star Michelle Stafford Spills On Her Life and Her New Organic Skincar Line". Toronto Sun. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
^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. 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.
^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. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
^"Michelle Stafford Welcomes Daughter Natalia Scout Lee". People Magazine. December 22, 2009. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
^SOD (October 25, 2015). "GH'S MICHELLE STAFFORD WELCOMES SON". Soap Opera Digest. United States. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
^Ortega, Tony. "Michelle Stafford, Scientology celebrity". The Underground Bunker. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
^"'General Hospital' wins Soap Opera awards". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. March 1, 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
^"Readers just can't cope without scoop on soaps". Sun Journal. March 28, 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
^"Nominees for Daytime Emmys". USA Today. Tysons Corner, Virginia. Associated Press. March 12, 2003. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
^"The Soap Opera Digest Awards: 2003". Soap Opera Digest. soapopeno radigest.com. April 14, 2003. Archived from the original on March 3, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
^"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.
^"Viewer's Favorite Award for Most Irresistible Combination". CBS. Archived from the original on March 6, 2007. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
^"Daytime Emmy Award Nominations". TVWeek. Detroit, Michigan. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
^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.
^"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.
^"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.
^"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.
^"The 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Nominations" (PDF). New York/Los Angeles: emmyonline.org and National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Michelle Stafford.
Michelle Stafford's Website
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Popular soap opera 'The Young and the Restless' celebrates 35 years on the air