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Actor

1953-06-01 · Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. · Female

10 series in the catalog

Michelle Denise Hurst (born June 1, 1942) is an American actress. She played Miss Claudette Pelage in the first season of the streaming television series Orange Is the New Black.

Life and career

Born in Brooklyn on June 1, 1942, Hurst grew up in Bedford Stuyvesant and Crown Heights and attended Midwood High School. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1974.

Hurst began her career in theatre, and in the 1990s began appearing in television and film. Hurst is known for her multiple roles in various Law & Order television shows. She co-starred in films like Airheads, Smoke, Stepmom and Sherrybaby.

Hurst starred as Miss Claudette Pelage in the first season of the Netflix comedy-drama series, Orange Is the New Black in 2013. This role earned Hurst, along with the main cast, a Satellite Award for Best Cast – Television Series. Hurst did not return to the show after the first season after she was seriously injured in a car accident in December 2013. Hurst was placed in a 16-day coma so doctors could perform surgeries close to her spine.