Michelle was educated on the renowned Gallaudet University campus from the age of three. She attended Kendall Demonstration Elementary School (KDES), the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD), and Gallaudet University.

She was intrigued by acting as a little girl, and told her mother she would be an actress. This was promptly encouraged. She was active in the drama department at MSSD. She took the stage as a contestant on the Washington DC Black Deaf Advocates [BDA] pageant in 1986.

In 1987 Michelle transferred from Gallaudet University to State University of New York (SUNY) at Purchase. This gave her entrée to a much broader range of opportunities. For example, she studied at the professional theater school of the National Theatre of the Deaf.

Graduating from SUNY in 1990 with a B.A. in Drama Studies, Michelle formed her own theater company - Onyx Theater Company, Inc. - at the same time. At the time it was the only Deaf theater of color in the U.S. Onyx is a company of deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing actors of color.

Michelle is a capable, talented, busy woman. After moving to Los Angeles to be near her increasing television roles, she won the 2002 Christopher Reeve Acting Scholarship at the 20th Annual Media Access Awards sponsored by the Media Access Office [MAO]. Not forsaking her love for the stage, Michelle used the award to produce her one-woman show, Reflections of a Black Deaf Woman, which was performed at the 4305 Village Theatre in Leimert Park, Los Angeles. The play was produced under her new production company, Mianba Productions.

Michelle's credits are numerous. [See www.michellebanks.com] In the early 2002/late 2003 season she appeared on several TV series: Showtime's Soul Food, UPN's Girlfriends, Lifetime's Strong Medicine, and ABC's 10-8. She can be seen in the national TV commercial, YAHOO, which will air sometimes this year.

An accomplished stage actress, Michelle has performed in many productions across the U.S. Two of her roles particular to the Black female experience were in For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf and in Having Our Say. She also performed as Alice's Daughter in BIG RIVER at the Mark Taper Forum.

On the large screen, she had a role in Malcolm X and her talent inspired the director of the critically acclaimed film Compensation to re-write the lead role as a Deaf woman. Not only did this casting showcase Michelle's talents more fully, director Zeinabu irene Davis believes this introduced a level of dramatic complexity that enhanced the film.

Michelle Banks is much more than a workingwoman accumulating accolades for herself. She has consistently supported the Deaf community and the African American community her entire adult life. After leaving DC and the DC BDA, she became an active member in New York City BDA (NYCBDA). There, she served in numerous capacities, including several terms as a Board member, former secretary and choreographer for NBDA pageant dance routines at the Atlanta, GA and Los Angeles, CA conferences. Moving to Los Angeles, she currently is a member of Los Angeles BDA (LABDA) and has served as the Cultural Director for LABDA for one year.