{"id":41869,"date":"2015-12-09T15:23:08","date_gmt":"2015-12-09T22:23:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/?p=41869"},"modified":"2016-04-02T10:53:02","modified_gmt":"2016-04-02T17:53:02","slug":"actorwriter-michele-marsh-has-had-a-storied-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/2015\/12\/09\/actorwriter-michele-marsh-has-had-a-storied-career\/","title":{"rendered":"Actor\/writer Mich\u00e8le Marsh has had a storied career"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Mich\u00e8le
Mich\u00e8le Marsh, distinguished Idyllwild actor and writer, is Town Crier artist of the week. Photo by Marshall Smith<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That Mich\u00e8le Marsh has talent is evident from her rich and nuanced acting r\u00e9sum\u00e9 \u2014 a long and successful career in a profession not known for steady work. That her career has unfolded in storybook fashion makes her story all the more compelling.<\/p>\n

From a leading role in the movie version of \u201cFiddler on the Roof\u201d at the age of 21 to solid recurring roles in television, to lead roles in major California and Arizona theater companies, and to lately playing \u201chip grandmothers\u201d in national commercials, Mich\u00e8le has worked continuously.<\/p>\n

Born in France to a composer, musician and conductor father who fought in the French resistance, Mich\u00e8le Buhler was exposed early in life to culture and the value of education. As a Christian Scientist, after the war, Mich\u00e8le\u2019s father was offered a lecture tour in the United States. That tour led to her father accepting a teaching position at the Desert Sun School in Idyllwild. She was 5 when the family arrived in Idyllwild. She completed all her elementary education at Idyllwild Elementary School. \u201cI always felt like an oddball because I was French and we were Christian Scientists,\u201d she remembered.<\/p>\n

But feeling like an outsider led her to being outside \u2014 summer camp at Desert Sun learning archery and horseback riding, and handling snakes at the Nature Center. \u201cThe outdoors was home to me,\u201d she recalled. \u201cI played under manzanita bushes and made up all these stories and fantasies.\u201d Later, when her father moved for work to Pacific Grove on the Monterey Peninsula, Mich\u00e8le discovered theater. \u201cI was 14 or 15 and danced in the dream sequence of a production of \u2018The King and I\u2019 at the Wharf Theatre. I became passionate about theater. In Carmel, in what became prophetic, I was in a production of \u2018Tevya and his Daughters,\u2019 on which \u2018Fiddler on the Roof\u2019 is based.\u201d<\/p>\n

Again, following her father who had been offered a position at North Carolina School of the Arts, Mich\u00e8le studied acting there and received her bachelor\u2019s degree. After graduating, she was offered a journeyman position at the American Conservatory Theatre School in San Francisco. Staff reductions forced cancellation of the journeyman program and Mich\u00e8le found herself unemployed.<\/p>\n

She heard about auditions for a production of \u201cOh! Calcutta!\u201d and, although not enthused about the subject matter, did audition and wound up being booked into the Los Angeles production. While in the production, an aunt of a close friend heard about auditions for Norman Jewison\u2019s movie version of \u201cFiddler on the Roof\u201d that were being held in Los Angeles. \u201cOn advice of the aunt, I walked onto the studio lot carrying my r\u00e9sum\u00e9 and pictures to casting director Lynn Stalmaster\u2019s office,\u201d she recalled. \u201cHe asked me if I could sing and dance. I said I could and he gave me two scenes and two songs and said to have them memorized for the next day. I came back the next day and performed the two songs, \u2018Matchmaker\u2019 and \u2018Far From the Home I Love,\u2019 with John Williams at the piano [Williams was arranger and conductor for the film and won his first Oscar for that work].\u201d After the audition and screen test, representatives called Mich\u00e8le on the last day before the casting decision had to be made.
\n\u201cI was told Norman wants to hear you sing again,\u201d she said. \u201cJohn Williams worked with me for half an hour and then Norman came in. He listened and then walked back and forth, back and forth and looked at me. Then he said, \u2018You\u2019ve got the part.\u2019 We were gone in London and Eastern Europe for about a year filming. It was shot in 1970 and released in 1971. It was only after \u2018Fiddler\u2019 that I realized how lucky I had been to have such a major role at such a young age.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Mich\u00e8le
Mich\u00e8le Marsh appeared for many years in the long-running \u201cenvironmental theater\u201d production of \u201cTamara\u201d by John Krizanc just south of the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood. She is seen here as Luisa. Photo courtesy Mich\u00e8le Marsh<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From that providential beginning, Mich\u00e8le went on to other film roles, co-starring on television series \u201cHouse, M.D.,\u201d \u201cWest Wing\u201d and \u201cDesperate Housewives,\u201d and guest turns on \u201cFalcon Crest,\u201d \u201cStar-Trek: The Next Generation,\u201d \u201cHighway to Heaven\u201d and \u201cThe Young and the Restless.\u201d She appeared in major theatrical roles at the Arizona Theatre Company, Alabama Shakespeare Company, Mark Taper Forum and Shubert Theatres in Los Angeles and ACT in San Francisco. For much of its 10-year run, Mich\u00e8le appeared in \u201cTamara,\u201d the multi-room \u201cenvironmental\u201d theater production that ran just south of the Hollywood Bowl and became a major theatrical event in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Mich\u00e8le currently acts in local productions and books commercials in Los Angeles. But, she admits, she has slowed down and is moving more into writing than making trips to Los Angeles to audition for acting roles. \u201cSince moving here full time, I have not wanted to go to Los Angeles on a \u2018maybe\u2019 basis. I don\u2019t have the passion I once did for acting. Now I write \u2014 short stories and creative non-fiction, much of it about my early life here in Idyllwild.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had been very shy when I was young, and not very sure of myself. But with acting I could be someone I\u2019m not, very brave and very strong. For me, acting was empowering and energizing. It is wonderful to be listening and be in the moment. And now, with writing it is the same. When I get inspired and something starts happening, I\u2019m rapt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mich\u00e8le notes the secret to her long and successful career, other than providence, is to remain positive, energized and active.<\/p>\n

In interview, notwithstanding her long and storied career, Mich\u00e8le is soft-spoken, modest and still evinces a youthful sweetness and enthusiasm that is charming and captivating.<\/p>\n

For more about Mich\u00e8le, visit https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Michele_Marsh and www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0550626.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

That Mich\u00e8le Marsh has talent is evident from her rich and nuanced acting r\u00e9sum\u00e9 \u2014 a long and successful career in a profession not known for steady work. That her career has unfolded in storybook fashion makes her story all the more compelling. From a leading role in the movie version of \u201cFiddler on the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"amp_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,791,19],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nActor\/writer Mich\u00e8le Marsh has had a storied career • Idyllwild Town Crier<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/2015\/12\/09\/actorwriter-michele-marsh-has-had-a-storied-career\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Marshall Smith\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/2015\/12\/09\/actorwriter-michele-marsh-has-had-a-storied-career\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/2015\/12\/09\/actorwriter-michele-marsh-has-had-a-storied-career\/\",\"name\":\"Actor\/writer Mich\u00e8le Marsh has had a storied career • Idyllwild Town Crier\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/2015\/12\/09\/actorwriter-michele-marsh-has-had-a-storied-career\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/2015\/12\/09\/actorwriter-michele-marsh-has-had-a-storied-career\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/artist1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-12-09T22:23:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-04-02T17:53:02+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/#\/schema\/person\/800eebb80d1e5e36859dc6c5cb500784\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/2015\/12\/09\/actorwriter-michele-marsh-has-had-a-storied-career\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/2015\/12\/09\/actorwriter-michele-marsh-has-had-a-storied-career\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/2015\/12\/09\/actorwriter-michele-marsh-has-had-a-storied-career\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/artist1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/artist1.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/2015\/12\/09\/actorwriter-michele-marsh-has-had-a-storied-career\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Actor\/writer Mich\u00e8le Marsh has had a storied career\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/\",\"name\":\"Idyllwild Town Crier\",\"description\":\"Almost All the News \u2014\u00a0Part of the Time\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/#\/schema\/person\/800eebb80d1e5e36859dc6c5cb500784\",\"name\":\"Marshall Smith\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6f832ebbb90c77ae40e932b1b868a8db?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6f832ebbb90c77ae40e932b1b868a8db?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Marshall Smith\"},\"description\":\"Marshall Smith has been writing for the Town Crier since 2005. 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