Michelle Nicastro

Michelle Nicastro (March 31, 1960 – November 4, 2010) was an American actress and singer.

Life and career Nicastro was born in Washington, D.C. In 1960, she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from Northwestern University. In 1983, Nicastro moved to Los Angeles with her then-boyfriend and future husband, Steve Stark. There, she worked for the retail clothing store Ann Taylor. Shortly after, Nicastro was cast as Ariadne in the Broadway musical Merlin.

Back in Los Angeles, Nicastro appeared in her first television role in an episode of Airwolf in 1984. In 1989, Nicastro guest-starred on the episode "Mr. Spark" for the Showtime series It's Garry Shandling's Show, where she co-wrote and performed an original song, "He's Garry, The Boy Next Door". She was the co-recipient of the CableACE Award for Best Original Song.

In 1987, Nicastro filmed her part in Days of Our Lives for a week, and then auditioned for the musical productions Leave It to Jane and The Boys From Syracuse at the Doolittle Theatre. Dan Sullivan, in a theater review for the Los Angeles Times, felt Nicastro had "a lovely, vulnerable quality" in The Boys From Syracuse, but was less complimentary of her performance in Leave It to Jane, in which she played the title role. He wrote: "Nicastro gave a supporting performance Saturday night, where a star-size one was called for."

In 1988, Nicastro originated the role of Éponine in Les Misérables during the second U.S. national tour, which opened in Los Angeles at the Shubert Theatre. With the assistance of Broadway casting directors, they auditioned numerous actresses but none of them, according to Rich, had "that charm that I was looking for – that real princess sound."

Death Nicastro was diagnosed with breast cancer on her 40th birthday. Soon after, she and three friends established Truly Mom, a custom stationery company. On November 4, 2010, Nicastro died of cancer at her home in Toluca Lake, at the age of 50.

"For the Good of Our Country", an episode of The Event that originally aired November 15 the same year, is dedicated to her memory. The pilot episode of Fairly Legal, originally aired January 20, 2011, was dedicated to her memory, and a character in the series, Judge David Nicastro (played by Gerald McRaney), is named after her. Both series were executive produced by her husband Steve Stark.

Partial filmography Body Rock (1984) - Darlene Knight Rider (1985) - "Circus Knights" - Terry Major Bad Guys (1986) - Janice Edwards Full House (1987) - "Sea Cruise" - Roxanna When Harry Met Sally... (1989) - Amanda The Swan Princess (1994) - Princess Odette (as an adult; speaking voice) Coach (1996) - Mary Beth (as Dauber's girlfriend - episode: "Grimworld") Wings (1996) - Ariel Reed (as Antonio's dream girl - episode: "The Lady Vanishes") The Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain (1997) - Princess Odette (voice; speaking and singing) The Swan Princess III: The Mystery of the Enchanted Treasure (1998) - Princess Odette (voice; speaking and singing) Xena: Warrior Princess (1998) - "The Bitter Suite" - Callisto (singing voice only) Aladdin and the Adventure of All Time (2000) - Queen Cleopatra