Tammy Lynn Michaels was born and raised in the small town of Lafayette, Indiana where she spent her summers playing sports and delivering newspapers.

Once out of high school, Michaels drove straight to New York City, where she worked as a nanny to pay the rent. In a sense, Michaels is going back to her roots playing the role of Tess, a nanny on ?Committed.?

After landing a co-starring role in the TV series ?Popular? in 1999, Michaels moved to Los Angeles where she has since worked as a recurring guest star in the series, ?That 80?s Show? and ?The L Word.?

--NBC