McKee Anderson

As the daughter of an Air Force pilot, Mckee grew up all over the world. Her acting experience began in Wiesbaden, Germany, in the third grade when she was cast as "Gretel" in the Brothers Grimm classic Hansel and Gretel. This experience changed her life. Mckee's first professional job was during her senior year of high school in Madrid, Spain. She starred in the popular television show Escala en Hi-Fi as the only American in an international cast. Ms. Anderson co-produced and co-hosted a Public Affairs program From Both Sides on the PBS affiliate in Agana, Guam. Voted best show by the Press Club, the focus was in-depth interviews with local and world celebrities. Mckee has continued to travel as an adult. She has visited or lived in over twenty countries and forty-six cities to date. (Favorites: Kathmandu, Fez, Marrakesh, Rio de Janeiro, Hong Kong, Cairo, Tel Aviv, Agra, Istanbul and Nairobi.) She is grateful for this lifelong perspective as a traveler and believes it fuels her talent and compassion as an actor. Mckee has performed in theater, television and film over three decades. She has been trained by some of the great teacher/mentors of our time including Bobby Lewis, Bill Esper, Uta Hagen, Geraldine Page, Lee Strasberg and, as a member of the Actors Studio, Martin Landau, Mark Rydell and others. One of Mckee's favorite experiences as an actress was being cast in the remake of George Romero's cult classic Night of the Living Dead. Shot outside of Pittsburgh, PA, the cast and crew were great, directed by Tom Savini; late night shoots with smoke machines and monsters, lots of laughter, thrills and camaraderie. The horror genre introduced Mckee to many new concepts, like Zombies can be fun!! Mckee's TV credits include favorite MOW and Episodic lead roles opposite Ed Harris, Loretta Swit, Linda Purl, Chris Sarandon, Shaun Cassidy, John Karlen, George Coe and Zalman King. She has been directed by Mike Newell, Bruce Paltrow, Fernando Garcia de la Vega, Don Taylor and others. (One of the great pleasures of this business is the people you are privileged to work with.) Mckee has always had a great love of theater and has appeared in many productions during her career. Favorite lead performances include "Joe Egg", Odyssey Theater (Drama-Logue Award for Outstanding Performance), "Vieux Carre, Beverly Hills Playhouse (Ann Kelly Award) and "Father's Day", Gene Dynarsky Theater (Robby). (See "Other Work") Ms. Anderson's education includes two Master of Arts degrees in Psychology and English. She has used her education and training as an actor to explore other interesting experiences on the world stage. Mckee was the first professional actress to join John Jay College of Criminal Justice's Human Dignity Team, an international training program sponsored by the U.S. State Department. Mckee traveled to International Law Enforcement Academies in Budapest, Hungary (FBI), Bangkok, Thailand (DEA) and Botswana, South Africa (Dept. of Treasury) over a seven year period. The training "Human Dignity and Policing" was presented to law enforcement professionals from over forty emerging democracies in the world. Programs were simultaneously translated (ear phones and language booths) to deal with multiple languages spoken. Ms. Anderson was the expert in experiential techniques, including role play, officer-created scenarios to examine the "use and responsibility of authority" and many more themes, using skills she developed as an actor. Mckee worked as a Facilitator/Case Worker at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles. She trained officers using role play to effectively manage mentally ill patients/inmates. Ms. Anderson also worked with hundreds of incarcerated men and women in group settings, based on the concept that "the community can heal itself." Psychodrama, music, dance and discussion were used to develop healthy life skills and reduce anxiety and stress. Mckee has just completed a documentary which she filmed, produced and edited: "Grace and Garland: An American Story." The film, shot in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1990, is an intimate look at the lives of her retired Air Force father and homemaker mother during the early phases of Mother's sudden onset of Alzheimer's disease. It is, in spite of the heartbreak, a love story. Mckee has lived in New York City and now lives in Los Angeles, California.