Julianne Michelle | |
|---|---|
| Born | Julianne Michelle Di Palma [1] September 5, 1987 |
| Other names | Julianne Michelle Reeves [2] |
| Alma mater | Marymount Manhattan College |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Children | 2 |
Julianne Michelle (also known as Julianne Michelle Di Palma and Julianne Michelle Reeves; born September 5, 1987) is an American film and television actress.
Julianne Michelle, daughter of Joycelyn Engle and Joseph A. Di Palma, was born in Teaneck, New Jersey. [3] [4] She lived as a child in Manhattan, Beverly Hills, and Las Vegas, and was briefly homeschooled. She attended Marymount School in Manhattan, and then Columbia University, Cornell University, and Marymount Manhattan College. [5] [3] [6] [7]
On November 21, 2015, less than a year after they met, Michelle married Karl Reeves, the CEO of a New York City based elevator installation and maintenance business in Manhattan. [2] [4] They had a daughter together shortly after. [8] The relationship ended in 2017. [9]
Michelle began her acting career unexpectedly at the young age of five when she was cast in a Christmas commercial for Thrifty Drug Stores after being approached by a producer in Los Angeles. By six, she starred in her first feature film, Family Prayers ., [10] playing the daughter of Anne Archer and Joe Montagna, a performance that earned her a nomination the following year for “Best Actress Under Ten.” In 1991, she was nominated for “Best Young Actress Guest Starring in a Television Series” for her appearance in the popular sitcom Who's The Boss? ;. [11] Julianne’s distinctive and expressive voice became familiar to young audiences in 1996 when she starred as the lead, Dot Hugson, in The Oz Kids , a beloved series of nine animated films, alongside Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Her early career continued to flourish with another nomination, this time for “Best Performance in a TV Movie/Pilot/Made for Video Young Ensemble” for the 1998 pilot Bus No. 9, [12] on Nickelodeon, where she played the role of Delia. She received additional acclaim with multiple nominations for “Best Actress in a Motion Picture” from both the Youth in Film Awards and International Young Artists Awards by the age of eighteen.
Between her early childhood and teenage years, Julianne appeared in a wide range of television series and feature films including I Don’t Buy Kisses Anymore, Street Knight, Roseanne, Ellen, and Phenom. Her talent and commitment led to further accolades: in 1999, she was honored with the "Highest Achievement Award" by the Young Artists Awards in Los Angeles for her excellence in fundraising.
In addition to her extensive acting portfolio, Julianne developed a deep interest in philanthropy from an early age, valuing the importance of giving back—an ethos instilled by her parents. By thirteen, she began auctioning off her own oil paintings, using the proceeds to benefit organizations supporting at-risk youth and the elderly. That same artistic drive inspired her lifelong love of painting, nurtured by her grammar school art teacher trained in classical techniques.
Her remarkable social contributions continued into her teenage years and early adulthood. In its 2001 WB TV special, Teen People magazine named Michelle "One of 20 Teens Who Would Change the World", [6] [13] [14] and Michelle was included in L’Oreal Paris’s “Five Top Teens in the World". She appeared on The Queen Latifah Show in recognition of her activism. She also founded the “2 Percent Club,” encouraging young people to donate 2% of their income or allowance to charity annually—an initiative so impactful that President Bill Clinton commended her for her service in a personal letter dated October 18, 1996.
Michelle served as host committee chair for the Children at Heart Celebrity Auction and Dinner benefiting children affected by Chernobyl. [15] Her extensive humanitarian work includes support for Chabad’s Children of Chernobyl, The Alzheimer’s Association, Child Haven, Culture for One, The NY Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NYSPCC), St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
As an adult, Julianne’s career evolved with powerful performances on screen. In 2006, she starred alongside Academy Award-winner Melissa Leo in Holger Ernst’s The House Is Burning, produced by Wim Wenders, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and earned her a standing ovation and the Best Actress award from the Flash Foundation’s Young Film Festival. Michelle is a two-time Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actress in a Feature Film winner, for her roles in the feature films The House Is Burning (2006) and Awakened (2013). [16] In 2015, she was praised for her performance as Stephanie in Sweet Lorraine, co-starring Oscar-winner Tatum O’Neal. Her other film roles include Down the PCH, Apartment 1303 3-D, Shannon’s Rainbow (Amazing Racer) alongside Darryl Hannah and Claire Forlani, New Dogs, Old Tricks, Little Cupid, Oliver Stone’s Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Coffee Café Trilogy, and Intent Unknown (2023) with Eric Roberts. Julianne also stars as Dr. Kyle Ennerton in the YouTube series Whereshark and appears as Samantha in Carmelita (upcoming release).
Her lifetime of artistic and humanitarian achievement has continued to attract recognition. Julianne received the Distinguished Leader Award from New York State Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright (2023), the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Princely Awards Schaumburg-Lippe-Nachod (2024), and was included in Marquis Who’s Who of Emerging Leaders (2025).
Beyond film, Julianne has graced the covers and pages of numerous publications, including 25A Magazine (cover feature), The Daily Mail, NY Post, NY Daily News, Resident Magazine, New York Social Diary, Quest Magazine, Metropolitan Magazine, [17] Las Vegas Sun, and The Hollywood Reporter. As a model, she has worked with photographers and brands including Ed Hardy and has walked in New York Fashion Week modeling Avadora Mimouni handbags.
To deepen her humanitarian impact on both clinical and systemic levels, Julianne earned her Master of Social Work from Columbia University in 2017 and became a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW). Drawing upon her own experience in the family court system, she founded Mommy’s Heart, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing trauma-informed legal, mental health, and advocacy services—completely free of charge—to survivors of domestic abuse and their children facing retaliation by their abusers in court.
Determined to advance systemic reform, Julianne authored landmark family court legislation designed to break the cycle of abuse, prevent the misuse of the legal system by abusers, and promote transparency and accountability within Family Court. The bill—introduced in the New York State Assembly by Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright (A01154) and in the New York State Senate by Senator Cordell Cleare (S6825), with co-sponsorship from Senators Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. and Jessica Ramos—directly addresses lawfare and strengthens protections for survivors. Rooted in Julianne’s lived experience and advocacy, it aims to create lasting, transformative change for families.
Julianne extends her platform through writing as well, authoring Spotlight with Julianne Michelle, a monthly column in Metropolitan Magazine with featured stories in 25A Magazine, highlighting individuals making meaningful contributions across diverse fields.
The role Julianne values most deeply, however, is motherhood. She is a devoted mother to her daughter (born 2016) and son (born 2020). In her personal time, she enjoys playing guitar, painting, spending time with her children, and watching films—nurturing the same creative passion that first led her to the screen as a child.
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The House Is Burning | Terry |
| 2009 | Amazing Racer | Shannon Greene |
| 2012 | Apartment 1303 3D | Janet Slate |
2014 Awakened Samantha Winston
2019 Ivy and Mistletoe Jen Lead
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Who's the Boss? | Katie Havlock | "This Sold House" |
| 1991 | Roseanne | Child | "Santa Claus" |
| 1993 | Phenom | Heather | "There's No Place Like Home" |
| 1996 | The Oz Kids | Dot Hugson | Voice |
| 1998 | Bus No. 9 | Delia | TV film |
| 2018 | New Dogs, Old Tricks | Max | 3-4 episodes |
| 2020 | Ivy & Mistletoe | Ivy Anderson | TV film |
| 2020 | Little Cupid | Miss Taylor | "Little Cupid" |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The Joe Franklin Show | Episode dated 28 January 1990 |
| 1999 | The Di Palma Forum at UNLV | Episode 4.5 |
| 2001 | The Queen Latifah Show | Episode dated 7 February 2001 |
| 2014 | The Chase Backer Show |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Di Palma Forum at UNLV | Director & writer, "The Di Palma Forum Julianne and Guests" |
| 2013 | Awakened | Producer, composer |
| 2014 | The Chase Backer Show | Director |