Marilyn Michaels
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Born Name:
Marilyn Sternberg
Born Date: February 26, 1943
Born Place: New York City
Died Date:
Died Place:
Occupations: Singer, comedian, writer
Brief Biography: Marilyn Michaels is known as the "premier woman of a thousand faces and voices". Widely recognized for her razor-sharp celebrity mimicry and powerful singing voice, she rose to national prominence in the 1960s and 1970s through major television variety shows and theater productions.
Musical Heritage:
Showbiz Royalty: Raised in a deeply musical Jewish family spanning seven generations of cantors.
Parents: Daughter of Fraydele Oysher, a trailblazing Yiddish theater actress and cantoress, and Harold Sternberg, a deep-basso singer with the Metropolitan Opera for 37 years. Her uncle was the legendary cantor Moishe Oysher.
Child Prodigy: Began performing on the Yiddish stage with her mother at age 7 and became a soloist in her father’s choir by age 14.
Education: Attended New York's prestigious High School of Music & Art where she transitioned from a music major to an art major.
Career Highlights and Comedy:
The "Copycats" Era: Emerged as a pioneer for women in comedy as the only core female cast member on ABC's Emmy Award-winning 1970s parody series, The Kopykats.
Celebrity Impressions: Revered for her spot-on, satirical vocal and physical impressions. Her most famous targets include Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland, Bette Midler, Mae West, Joan Rivers, and Liza Minnelli.
Theater and Broadway: Handpicked by composer Jule Styne to star as Fanny Brice in the national touring company of Funny Girl in 1966. She later made a major Broadway splash in the hit revue Catskills on Broadway (1991), winning an Outer Critics Circle Award.
Television Presence: Maintained a ubiquitous presence on late-night and variety television, frequently appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Dean Martin Show, and The Hollywood Palace.
Other Artistic Pursuits:
Author & Composer: Co-wrote a humorous anti-cookbook and autobiography with her son, Mark Wilk, titled How Not to Cook for the Rest of Your Life. The duo also collaborated on creating the musical comedy Alysha.
Fine Art: Beyond the stage, Michaels is an accomplished landscape and portrait painter whose artwork has been showcased in upscale galleries across New York and Palm Beach.
Born Date: February 26, 1943
Born Place: New York City
Died Date:
Died Place:
Occupations: Singer, comedian, writer
Brief Biography: Marilyn Michaels is known as the "premier woman of a thousand faces and voices". Widely recognized for her razor-sharp celebrity mimicry and powerful singing voice, she rose to national prominence in the 1960s and 1970s through major television variety shows and theater productions.
Musical Heritage:
Showbiz Royalty: Raised in a deeply musical Jewish family spanning seven generations of cantors.
Parents: Daughter of Fraydele Oysher, a trailblazing Yiddish theater actress and cantoress, and Harold Sternberg, a deep-basso singer with the Metropolitan Opera for 37 years. Her uncle was the legendary cantor Moishe Oysher.
Child Prodigy: Began performing on the Yiddish stage with her mother at age 7 and became a soloist in her father’s choir by age 14.
Education: Attended New York's prestigious High School of Music & Art where she transitioned from a music major to an art major.
Career Highlights and Comedy:
The "Copycats" Era: Emerged as a pioneer for women in comedy as the only core female cast member on ABC's Emmy Award-winning 1970s parody series, The Kopykats.
Celebrity Impressions: Revered for her spot-on, satirical vocal and physical impressions. Her most famous targets include Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland, Bette Midler, Mae West, Joan Rivers, and Liza Minnelli.
Theater and Broadway: Handpicked by composer Jule Styne to star as Fanny Brice in the national touring company of Funny Girl in 1966. She later made a major Broadway splash in the hit revue Catskills on Broadway (1991), winning an Outer Critics Circle Award.
Television Presence: Maintained a ubiquitous presence on late-night and variety television, frequently appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Dean Martin Show, and The Hollywood Palace.
Other Artistic Pursuits:
Author & Composer: Co-wrote a humorous anti-cookbook and autobiography with her son, Mark Wilk, titled How Not to Cook for the Rest of Your Life. The duo also collaborated on creating the musical comedy Alysha.
Fine Art: Beyond the stage, Michaels is an accomplished landscape and portrait painter whose artwork has been showcased in upscale galleries across New York and Palm Beach.