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Michele Lee stars as Karen Fairgate on the Lorimar television series "Knots Lansing." Miss Lee's distinguished career has taken her through every phase of show business from theater, music, film and television.

Michele, the daughter of makeup artists Jack Dusick, grew up in a show business atmosphere. It wasn't unusual to read the trade papers along with her math books. One afternoon her father showed her an ad in the Daily Variety that read "ACTORS MUST SING, SINGERS MUST DANCE, DANCERS MUST ACT," he thought it would be a good experience to try an audition and become accustom to having doors close in her face, which as he put it is, "also very much a part of the business."

Needless to say, he was in shock when Michele came home and had gotten the job. The show was "VINTAGE 60" and that was the start of Michele's stage career.

"BRAVO GIOVANNI" with Metropolitan opera star, Cesare Siepe and two years in "HOW TO SUCCEED" with Robert Morse soon followed. She went on to do the movie of "HOW TO SUCCEED," winning several awards for her performance. Her great success with "HOW TO SUCCEED" of course opened up a few more doors, a recording contract with Columbia Records and the nightclub circuit. Her hit Record was "L. DAVID SLOANE." She appeared at the Persian Room and the Sands Hotel, until the birth of her son, David, in 1969.

Michele has appeared on every major Variety show and has done specials with Dick Van Dyke, Don Rickles, Carroll O'Conner, Perry Como, Fred Astaire, Glen Campbell, and appeared regularly on "KRAFT MUSIC HALL."

She starred in Disney's "THE LOVE BUG" which was the highest grossing picture of the year and Carl Reiner's "THE COMIC" for Columbia with Dick Van Dyke, and has now become a classic.

When Michele was offered "SEESAW" on Broadway, (the musical adaption of "TWO FOR THE SEESAW," it seemed almost an impossibility because she felt her place was in Hollywood with her husband, actor James Farentino and their son David. Jim made the decision for her saying "we'll move to New York."

Michele was a tremendous success in the show winning the Drama Desk Award, The Outer Critics Award, The circle Award and was nominated for a Tony Award for best actress in a musical.

Recently starringin a three-hour movie for television, "DARK VICTORY," with Anthony Hopkins and Elizabeth Montgomery, Michele found a change of pace and the critics agreed that she could also be brilliant in a straight dramatic role.