Mel Gorham

Mel Gorham (born Marilyn Schnier,[1][2] October 27, 1959[3]) is an American actress who is best known for her role as Violet in Wayne Wang's films Smoke and Blue in the Face.[4] Gorham is from Miami, Florida,[1][2] and is of Cuban and Jewish descent.[4][5]

Gorham's improvised rendition of Peggy Lee's "Fever" in Blue in the Face garnered her much critical acclaim and press.[1][2][5] Major film roles in Curdled and Cop Land followed. In 1997, Gorham was then cast to star in an NBC sitcom loosely based on her life titled Union Square. But after the pilot was filmed, the producers replaced her with Constance Marie.[6][7]

Gorham returned to the world of New York City theater where she began. After a long absence, she returned to film with a role in Wayne Wang's 2001 film The Center of the World. In 2012, she retired from show business and currently resides in South Beach.

  1. ^ a b c Twin, Alexandra (1995-10-30). "Mel Gorham is fever-hot". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved 2013-10-28.
  2. ^ a b c "A Miami Original". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Nov 3, 1995.
  3. ^ "About". melgorham.com. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Mel Gorham". TCM.com. Retrieved 2013-10-28.
  5. ^ a b Longsdorf, Amy (1995-11-05). "Actress Mel Gorham Getting More 'Face' Time In Movies". The Morning Call. Retrieved 2013-10-28.
  6. ^ Lowry, Brian (2013-05-30). "Troupers are Easily Trumped When Actors Flood the Market". Variety. Retrieved 2013-10-28.
  7. ^ Jicha, Tom (1997-09-25). "'Square' Pegged To Fail". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on November 1, 2013. Retrieved 2013-10-28.