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Hello! Thanks for visiting my web site. I am an actress, singer, costumer and dialectician, living
in Los Angeles. My first name is spelled with an accent on the é and pronounced with the stress on the second syllable.
Here is a brief synopsis of my most recent projects. Due to webhost software issues, many photos
may not be visible. Links are located at the bottom of each page.
ACTING
CURRENTLY ON TV (air times will vary by carrier):
HBO - The Pretty Boy Project
Discovery Health - Mystery ER: Ironic Discovery/Native Tongue
History Channel - The Hunt for John Wilkes Booth
My interview in Backstage West is too large a file to reproduce
here, but if you would like a copy, I can forward it to you via email. Use the link at the bottom of this page to contact
me. The article focused primarily on The Pretty Boy Project.
Currently I am in rehearsals for my 42nd stage production, Next Stop, Broadway with
the Center Stage theater group in Pasadena. I play the domineering grande dame of a church parish, giving a hard time
to their local theater troupe.
In January I co-starred in Irina Borisova's dramatic film, Journey Home. I
played Mel, the outgoing owner of a neighborhood diner, with a Southern accent as warm as her heart. The film is in
postproduction.
In December I played NINE diverse voice characters in It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play
with Cornerstone Playhouse in Pasadena. I was also the costume designer of the play, which is set in 1946.
In late 2008, I played the anguished mother of an accident victim in Mystery ER: Native Tongue,
which is still re-running on Discovery Health Network.
Prior to that, I completed filming Adios, Mi Amigo.
This dramatic feature film by Kalpana Singh-Chitnis is about the abiding friendship between a hispanic man (thus the title)
and a woman from India. I played the woman's harsh mother-in-law, who is also a native of India. I have never
worked in this dialect before, and the role was an exciting challenge. The all-Indian cast and crew told me that I "fit
in" and "wear a sari well," which was incredibly gratifying, and the producer says that she now considers me to be one of
her Punjabi actors. Bollywood, here we come! The film is slated for release in 2009.
Earlier in 2008 I finished work in Swords and Savages, a sweet little tale
by Mitch Fiat, which combined elements similar to The Princess Bride and A Christmas Story into the
tale of a boy learning to accept his grandfather into his life. I played Mrs. Warwick, the wicked witch in the
boy's recurring fantasy adventures. I had some sword-fighting scenes. In long shots I was
doubled by the stunt coordinator (who also doubled Antonio Banderas in his Zorro projects and trained Russell Crowe in
Master and Commander), but for my closeups I worked with the fencing master, which was even more fun than I expected.
My face and hands were painted red for the role, and I had an allergic reaction to the makeup, but the end result was worth
the misery!
El Cocinero was filmed in 2007 and screened in January of 2008 at Warner Brothers
Studios. In this grim drama by Jose Roberto Figueroa, I played a leading role as the mother of the victim of a
drug-dealing gang. I won't tell you what became of my dead son, but will only hint that the title of the film translates
as The Cook. ... In this bilingual film I worked with a director from Mexico and a cast
and crew largely from Puerto Rico.
In January of 2008, the History Channel premiered The Hunt for John Wilkes Booth,
in which I played the leading role of Mary Surratt, who was hanged as a conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
I also designed and created my 1860s costume for this television project, which was filmed in May of 2007 at historic
Fort Tejon.
Immediately prior to that project, I played the supporting role of a medieval serving woman in Then
and Now, a comedic film with a moral, intended to encourage conservation and recycling, which was directed
by Seth Pinsker.
In April of 2007, I fulfilled a longtime ambition when I played a zombie in the comedy thriller It's
a Wonderful Death. Now really, doesn't everyone need a chance to play a zombie at least once?
What silly fun! The cast includes Vernon Wells, Jack Betts (of Spiderman and Office Space) and Anthony
Tyler Quinn, son of legendary actor Anthony Quinn.
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| It's weird and gooey in here, but not as bad as it looks. |
Filming is currently on hold for this episode of Costa Chica, a horror series by
producer/director David Heavener for which special-effects makeup was done in 2007. I will be working in Spanish,
which I always enjoy, and it's going to be quite an exercise -- I get to rant and rave, be possessed by a demon, and die in
a gruesome way!
Here, the SFX team is seen making a life-cast of my head for my death scene. Now is this fun, or what?
I had this same gooey life-cast process done the previous October, but in that case it was from throat
to hips, as a body double for Catherine Deneuve in an episode of Nip/Tuck.
In late 2006, I played the enticingly complex role of Delilah in the feature film Exodus? This
isn't exactly the Bible story. But the character lives up to her namesake, in this crime drama with a moral, directed
by Jeremy Jason, slated for release in 2009.
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| as Joanna, March 2006 |
Prior to that, I completed work in Jae Hark Roh's thesis film for Art Center, Joanna,
in which I played the alter ego of Joanna.
This psychological-metaphysical drama employs dark dream sequences, Freudian implications, and a mystifying
premise.
The film is in postproduction.
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| Mama Pretty hands over cash to the Pretty Boys |
In 2005, I starred in a very funny film entitled The Pretty Boy Project, in
which I played the mother of three beautiful black con men. Yes, that's right. I said they were ...beautiful. Or,
more precisely, Pretty!
Director Karl Reid describes this clever little stereotype-challenging film as
"a quirky, off-center tale of a nomadic mother and her three metrosexual, street-hustling sons."
HBO's website summarizes it this way: "Three metrosexual brothers challenge Oakland's most outrageous
thug to a $1,000 duel in this amusing short film, starring T. Ashanti Mozelle, Justin Wade, Claudis Caine, Tony Tucker and
Janet Vincent Lee."
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| I am seen driving the infamous old motor home. |
This film had a 2-year run on HBO beginning in December of 2006, after a
year of burning up the festival circuit!
It was a selection in eight film festivals, from Hollywood to New York. The film
won a Jury Award at CineVegas Film Festival in Las Vegas, Special Recognition in the Short
Film category. And in an interview on KNPR radio, a spokesman for the festival mentioned it as one of the films not
to be missed. It was also nominated for the prestigious Golden Gate Award as Best Narrative Short
at the 49th Annual San Francisco International Film Festival, and was also nominated for Best Actor and as
Best Short Film at the Independent Black Film Festival in Atlanta. A trailer can be viewed at www.theprettyboyproject.com. Here is the film's poster, which can also be seen on the website.
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| Julie't s rockin' nurse, 2005 |
Also in 2005, I costarred in the feature film Rockin' Romeo and Juliet, a
rock-musical version of the classic tragedy, in the comedic role of Juliet's Nurse. I also served as Shakespearean
dialect coach to the cast. The concept of this unique film was the brainchild of British director David McGaw,
who describes it as "a cross between Shakespeare in Love and The Rocky Horror Picture Show."
You can view the trailer at
http://www.oggimusic.com/featurefilm.htm. The film premiered in Hamburg, Germany in 2006, and was named as the "Independent Film Tip
of the Month" in the November, 2006 issue of Cinema Magazine. There are photos on my Costuming page and my Shakespeare
page.
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| Laura Napoli, Mark Petrie, Joe Hendrix, Stacey Jackson |
COSTUMING
"Janet Vincent Lee's costumes are noteworthy and fun."
- Backstage West
"...bright, whimsical costumes by Janét Vincent Lee."
- Los Angeles Times
In March of 2006 my work was seen on stage in the play Claire Z.
at Sacred Fools Theatre in Hollywood. I created 34 costumes from the 1960s era for this unique adaptation
of the tragi-comedy The Visit by Swiss playwright Friedrich Durrenmatt. The play was adapted, with
music and innovative motion-and-gesture work, by director John Wuchte. Please see my Costuming page for additional
photos.
In December of 2008, I costumed It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play for Cornerstone
Theater in Pasadena, directed by Marc Pierson. The play is set in a 1946 radio broadcasting studio, where actors perform
the story on the air. The vintage costumes and accessories were a delight to design, find and create.
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| Justin Downing, with Amanda Bauer as the ghostly visitor from 1926. |
In 2006 I served as costume designer for the film Residual Effect, written
and directed by Jaime Lynn Riegel. This is the story of a haunting, for which I created 1920s costumes including
the two shown here.
The challenge was to create a dress for the ghostly visitor which was authentically mid-1920s in style, yet
modern enough to also be worn by a present-day teenager. A duplicate dress was then created for a double-exposure sequence.
The couple at left appeared in a sepia-tone portrait in the film.
Please see my Costuming page for additional photos.
Also in 2006, I served as wardrobe stylist and costume history advisor on Randall Yarbrough's dramatic feature, The
Unknowing, set in 1890 in the American West. The film stars Jennifer Lutheran of Deadwood and
is in postproduction.
In 2007, I guest-starred on the TV series Designing Your Future, where I was interviewed
about various aspects of costume design. The series focuses on careers in different design fields, and is aired on GCGI
Skyline, a global satellite station with a large Asian viewership.
In 2002 I formed the country music band, Southern Thunder, in which I have been proud to take the stage
with some very talented and experienced musicians (see link below). After our very well-received concert in
2004 for the City of Mission Viejo as part of their Cultural Arts Series, we took a hiatus to work on the CD.
Since then I have been busy with film projects, and the band remains on hiatus.
In 2004 I recorded a CD entitled Southern Thunder, which includes several of
my original songs along with some golden oldies and contemporary hits. Two of these originals ("Southern Thunder"
and "Sunday Cowboy") will be featured in the film The Vanguard.
Thanks again for your visit. There are pages here illustrating some of the characters I have played, costumes
I have created, and excerpts from my résumé and reviews. If you have questions, feel free to send me an e-mail.
God bless!
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