Actress. She typically played "tough broads" in Hollywood films, memorably in the pre-Code musical "Murder at the Vanities" (1934), in which she sang "Sweet Marijuana". Her role as Caesar's wife, Calpurnia, in Cecil B. DeMille's "Cleopatra" (1934) was essentially the same but in Roman costume. Michael also appeared as the adventurous title character in "The Notorious Sophie Lang" (1934), "The Return of Sophie Lang" (1936), and "Sophie Lang Goes West" (1937), and for a time it seemed that a women's prison picture couldn't be made without her. Her other films include "I'm No Angel" (as Mae West's adversary, 1933), "Bolero" (1934), "Woman Trap" (1936), "Hidden Power" (1939), "Behind Prison Walls" (1943), "Women in Bondage" (1944), "Flamingo Road" (1949), "Caged" (1950), "Women's Prison" (1955), and "Twist All Night" (1962). Lillian Gertrude Michael was born in Talladega, Alabama. A piano prodigy, she dropped out of college at 18 to pursue acting and made her screen debut in "Wayward" (1932). She never married, though she was briefly engaged to director Rouben Mamoulian and allegedly had affairs with her childhood hero, composer George Gershwin, actors Buster Crabbe and John Lodge, and pulp writer Paul Cain, who portrayed her unflatteringly in his novel "Fast One" (1936). Her career was hampered by alcoholism and she died at 54.
Actress. She typically played "tough broads" in Hollywood films, memorably in the pre-Code musical "Murder at the Vanities" (1934), in which she sang "Sweet Marijuana". Her role as Caesar's wife, Calpurnia, in Cecil B. DeMille's "Cleopatra" (1934) was essentially the same but in Roman costume. Michael also appeared as the adventurous title character in "The Notorious Sophie Lang" (1934), "The Return of Sophie Lang" (1936), and "Sophie Lang Goes West" (1937), and for a time it seemed that a women's prison picture couldn't be made without her. Her other films include "I'm No Angel" (as Mae West's adversary, 1933), "Bolero" (1934), "Woman Trap" (1936), "Hidden Power" (1939), "Behind Prison Walls" (1943), "Women in Bondage" (1944), "Flamingo Road" (1949), "Caged" (1950), "Women's Prison" (1955), and "Twist All Night" (1962). Lillian Gertrude Michael was born in Talladega, Alabama. A piano prodigy, she dropped out of college at 18 to pursue acting and made her screen debut in "Wayward" (1932). She never married, though she was briefly engaged to director Rouben Mamoulian and allegedly had affairs with her childhood hero, composer George Gershwin, actors Buster Crabbe and John Lodge, and pulp writer Paul Cain, who portrayed her unflatteringly in his novel "Fast One" (1936). Her career was hampered by alcoholism and she died at 54.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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