Arriving in Hollywood in 1948 at the age of 19 and standing 5 feet 9 inches tall, Michaels quickly found modeling jobs. Initially, she was mistakenly credited in that work as "Beverley Michaels." Later the same year, she had a brief role in the film East Side, West Side, and two years later had a minor role in the film version of Three Little Words. In 1951, Michaels caught the attention of independent film director and producer Hugo Haas. Haas showcased Michaels in the 1951 film noir Pickup. The movie was a surprise hit, albeit a secondary B feature, and launched Haas's career as a Hollywood director and had a large part in starting the cycle of bad girl movies of the 1950s, which usually starred blonde sex symbols. Their follow-up release, The Girl on the Bridge, was not a success, however, and Haas dropped Michaels in favor of newcomer Cleo Moore as his regular female star. Michaels was now a free agent and had uncredited roles in The Marrying Kind and No Holds Barred, both 1952 releases. She returned to film noir projects with a lead role in Wicked Woman, which today is perhaps her mostly widely seen movie. Michaels later guest-starred on television shows, such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Cheyenne and also supported an ensemble cast in the noir film Crashout. In 1956, she starred in Women Without Men, a British-made production, her final screen appearance.
Personal life
Michaels was born in New York City in 1928. She married MGM producer Voldemar Vetluguin, whom she divorced in 1952. She then married director Russell Rouse in 1955, and they subsequently had two children. In 2007, their son Christopher Rouse won an Oscar in editing for The Bourne Ultimatum. She and Russell remained married for 32 years, until his death in 1987. She was a Democrat who supported Adlai Stevenson during the 1952 presidential election. In the 1980s a cult following grew among fans of the "bad girl" 1950s melodrama genre; and while this public interest centered mostly on Cleo Moore, Diana Dors and Mamie Van Doren, Michaels' contributions were duly noted, including a tribute to Wicked Woman written by Lily Tomlin in the short-lived magazine Movies. However, unlike Van Doren, Michaels declined any follow-up interviews from that publicity or attempts to lure her back into the spotlight, opting instead to maintain her privacy in retirement.
Final years and death
After the death of her husband, Michaels moved from Southern California to Phoenix, Arizona, where she lived until her death from a stroke, at the age of 78, on June 9, 2007. She is buried in Phoenix at Greenwood Memorial Lawn Cemetery. She wanted her final farewell to be so private that she requested that there be no obituary published or funeral held.
