Actress Michelle Nicastro Passes
Known for her work on the daytime drama Santa Barbara as well as memorable films such as When Harry Met Sally…
Michelle Nicastro, an actor who had a recurring role in the daytime drama Santa Barbara, died November 4, 2010, in Los Angeles. She was 50.
According to news reports, the cause was cancer.
Nicastro played Torch Singer/Illiana on Santa Barbara from 1988-90.
The wife of producer Steve Stark began her television career in 1984 on the action series Air Wolf and went on to appear in such series as Who’s the Boss?, Charles in Charge, Knight Rider, Wings and Coach.
In film she had roles in 1989’s When Harry Met Sally... (as Amanda, who introduces Billy Crystal’s character to Meg Ryan), Bad Guys and Body Rock.
In addition, she did voiceover work for such animated productions as 1994’s The Swan Princess and its sequels, 1997’s The Swan Princess: Escape From Castle Mountain and 1998’s The Swan Princess: The Mystery of the Enchanted Kingdom.
On Broadway she played Ariadne in the 1983 musical Merlin, and she won a Drama-Logue award and Robby for her performance as Eponine in the 1988 Los Angeles production of Les Misérables. She also garnered praise for a song she wrote and sang on It’s Garry Shandling’s Show.
Nicastro released albums of songs from classic cartoons, including 1993’s Toonful and 2001’s Toonful Two.
Survivors include her husband, producer Steve Stark, two daughters and two sisters.