Michelle Danner

Michelle Danner is a film and stage director, an author and a world - renowned acting coach. She teaches the Golden Box Acting Workshop in South America, Europe, Toronto, Vancouver, Dubai, New York, and Sydney.

Michelle Danner

It was her father, Alexander Valdez, who opened the very first William Morris agency in Paris that instilled a strong passion and work ethic that has stayed with her throughout her life.

Career

Michelle has taught acting for the last 27 years and has worked with many A-list actors privately and on set including Chris Rock, Gerard Butler, Seth McFarlane, Penelope Cruz, Melanie Brown, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Verne Troyer, Grant Bowler, Kate Del Castillo, Michael Penã, Isla Fisher, Common, Jennifer Grant, Salma Hayek, Chris Martin, Brian McKnight, James Franco, Macia Cross, Christian Slater, Catherine Bell, Zooey Deschanel, Gabrielle Union, Justin Chatwin, Jennifer Coolidge, Justine Wadell, Rob Estes, Rick Fox, Henry Cavill, Michelle Rodriguez, Seychelle Gabriel, Rita Or and many others.

Voted favorite acting by Backstage readers. She was brought in for her expert coaching on the WB show "The Starlet" and was featured with Andy Richter on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. Michelle trained extensively in Paris and New York with Stella Adler and Uta Hagen. She was the Managing Director of the Larry Moss Studio since its inception in Los Angeles for 20 years.

She is the Founding Director of Edgemar Center and raised $1.3 million to construct the two theaters and the art gallery at the center. At the opening ceremony Steven Spielberg commented "Here we have a venue that can turn out some extremely experienced. daring and resourceful artists." She is currently serving as Artistic Director of the center and teaches ongoing classes at the Michelle Danner Studio, housed at the Edgemar Center of the Arts.

Michelle has acted in and directed over thirty plays and musicals in Los Angeles and New York. Her favorite acting credits include Tennessee Williams' The Rose Tattoo, which garnered critic's pick and awards including best actress on House of Yes, Bright Ideas, Ibsen's Ghosts and One White Crow.

Her highlights at Edgemar, have been pioneering new works that includeThe Night of the Black Cat, a world premiere and winner of the 2005 Best Musical of the Year at the Los Angeles Music Awards, which had a revival recently as off 2016. She directed the world premiere of Mental the Musical, winner of several 17th Annual TicketHolder awards for acting and musical score. Last year she wrote and directed You're on the Air, an improvisation-based comedy which is in development to become a movie. She directed directed the west coast premiere of Hello Herman by John Buffalo Mailer and co-directed Jane Fonda in The Court of Public Opinion starring Academy Award and Golden Globe Nominee, Anne Archer.

Her last play Vanya and Sonia and Marsha and Spike by Christopher Durang won 5 Scenies, StageSceneLA Awards, including for best actress in a comedy for Michelle's portrayal of Sonia. Her acting film credits include playing the part of Alexandra, the psychic in the feature film Ovation directed by Henry Jaglom as well as Mrs. Mack in Reach directed by Leif Rokesh.

She also produced and acted in the award-winning short Dos Corazones, directed by Larry Moss, which premiered at the Nashville Film Festival and went on to win Best Cinematography and Audience Favorite at the Malibu Film Festival.

In 2006 she made her feature film-directing debut How to go Out on a Date in Queens, which as nominated and won four L.A film awards including Best Director. It starred Jason Alexander, Esai Morales, Ron Perlman, Kimberly Williams, Rob Estes and Alison Eastwood.

Danner's film directing debut, How to Go Out on a Date in Queens, won the LA Film Awards' Best Acting and Best Movie awards.[1] Michelle Danner’s 2013 film Hello Herman catalogs the effect that peer abuse, parental neglect and the general coarsening of society has on a typical high school student.[2][3] A New York Times review found that Danner's anti-bullying agenda freighted the movie.[4]

Her second film Hello Herman starring Norman Reedus, Martha Higareda and Garret Backstrom. The film premiered at the Hollywood Film Festival and had its international premiere at the Monaco Charity Film Festival where it won the award for social relevance. It opened theatrically nationwide and was distributed by Warner Brothers.

The Bandit Hound, a family comedy starring Catherine Bell, Lou Ferigno, Judd Nelson, Paul Sorvino and Verne Troyer was released in 2016. In 2017, Michelle shot a short documentary about Mariana Rizo, a transgender Mexican Woman with a fascinating story to tell. The Documentary premiered at the Cinema At The Edge Film Festival in 2018 and has since been shown in several prominent LGBT and Latin Film Festival all across the US, including Indianapolis LGBT, Tampa Bay Latin and OutFest Fusion in Los Angeles.

Michelle’s film, Bad Impulse, premiered in the US on December 18, 2020 with a wonderful cast including Paul Sorvino, Sonya Walger, Grant Bowler and Dan Lauria. Bad Impulse is a psychological thriller that successfully played at many Film Festivals, winning both Audience and Jury awards including: Audience Award for Best Feature Film at the Golden State Film Festival, Best Director for a Feature Film at the Culver City Film festival and Best Feature Film at the London International and Manhattan Film Festivals.

Michelle’s latest film, The Runner is starring Cameron Douglas, Elisabeth Rohm, Nadji Jeter, Eric Balfour, Kerri Medder, Jessica Amlee and Edouard Phillipponnat. This is a very personal story about children getting lost in the war on drugs and paying the price for it. The Runner premiered at the Cinequest Film Festival in March 2021 and screened at the Houston WorldFest as well as Internationally at the London Independent Film Festival, winning Best Independent Feature Film as well as best Cinematography at the Toronto Independent Film Festival and Best Director at the Vancouver Film Festival, Paris Play Festival, Milan Gold Award and L'age d'Or International Arthouse Film Festival.

She is in Pre-Production for her next project “Starstruck” a modern Romantic Comedy.

She is putting the finishing touches on her acting book, The Golden Box , which will be released this year.

Filmography
Year Film Role/Position Notes
1998 Dos Corazones Producer/Actress Film
2006 How to Go Out on a Date in Queens Director/Producer/Actress Film
2009 The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien Herself TV
2010 Death at a Funeral Acting coach Film
Father of Invention Acting coach Film
2011 Workshop Actress TV Series
2011–12 Actors Entertainment Self TV Series
2012 Hello Herman Producer/Director Film
2016 The Bandit Hound Producer/Director Film
2020 Bad Impulse Producer/Director Film
2021 The Runner Producer Director Film

References
  1. "Michelle Danner". MetroSeeker. Archived from the original on March 15, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  2. "Santa Monica's Michelle Danner Does It Again Directing Her Second Film, 'Hello Herman'". Santa Monica Mirror. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  3. "REVIEW Hello Herman". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  4. Catsoulis, Jeannette (June 6, 2013). "So Many Culprits in a Teenage Rampage". The New York Times. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
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