NAME: Michelle StaffordRANK: 17
SOAP ROLES: Phyllis Summers, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (1994-1997, 2000-present); Joanna Hadley, PACIFIC PALISADES (1997); Frankie, TRIBES (1990)
AWARDS:
2008 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
2007 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
2005 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
2005 Daytime Emmy nomination for Special Fan Award Irresistable Combination
2005 Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress
2004 Daytime Emmy win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
2003 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
2003 Soap Opera Digest Award win for Outstanding Lead Actress
2001 Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Outstanding Female Scene Stealer
1997 Daytime Emmy win for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
1997 Soap Opera Digest Award win for Outstanding Villainess
1996 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
1996 Soap Opera Digest Award win for Outstanding Female Newcomer
COMMENTS FROM THE PANEL:
Alan Carter: Psychos come and go, but rarely do they make us love them...She pulled off making fans want Nick to be with her instead of sweet Sharon. THAT's acting!
Nelson Aspen: She may just be the most fun actress to watch in all of daytime. No matter what the scene is about, "Phyllis" always has our attention. I hope she sticks around Genoa City forever. Y&R has so many OTT women that are better suited to community theater than soap opera, but Michelle can seemingly play anything and keep it in context.
COMMENTS FROM CO-STARS/CO-WORKERS/INDUSTRY:
Tom Casiello: (writes for Stafford on Y&R) In the very short time I've written for Michelle, I am constantly in awe of how unpredictable her choices as an actress are -- and she's always right. I write a scene picturing pure rage in my head - and Michelle delivers the words a thousand times better than I imagined, subdued and haunted. I envision a Phyllis who is resigned and eerily frustrated, and she explodes on-screen with a fury I never saw coming. And it's always better than I saw in my mind's eye. She's taught me so much about real human emotion in the last year, just watching her on screen. Even though I know what's in the script, I never know Phyllis will do next, or how she will react. There's so much going on in a look, a word, a hundred different beats in a thirty-second scene, and it makes her infinitely rewatchable.
Michael Muhney: (works with Stafford on Y&R) Michelle is a riot!
Ian Buchanan: (fellow actor) I love Michelle Stafford. Have done for years! She brings intelligence and vulnerability to the very complex character of Phyllis. Someone you could so easily hate if Michelle didn't expertly play the damaged child subtly under the sophisticated surface. I find her compelling. I am a friend and fan.
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