Movies

You may remember Michelle Burke as the sweet girl next door, Jodi Kramer, in the hit film Dazed and Confused. Maybe she was even your first crush. Since Burke won hearts in the beloved film, she continued to act throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s.

With her last role occurring in 2020, you may be wondering what she is up to these days. Aren’t you wondering whatever happened to Michelle Burke?

“Alright, alright, alright.” Let’s dive in and find out!

Background Info

Burke was born on November 30, 1970 in Defiance, Ohio.

While much of Burke’s childhood is a mystery, her hobbies are not. She enjoys antiquing and playing the guitar in her spare time.

Early Roles

In 1993, Burke received her first credited role as Stacy in an episode of the teen sitcom Parker Lewis Can’t Lose. She was twenty-three years old at the time.

That same year, she would land one of her most memorable roles to date.

Coneheads

Burke was cast to play Conjaab “Connie” Conehead in the sci-fi comedy film Coneheads.

Produced by Lorne Michaels, Coneheads was based on a Saturday Night Live comedy sketch about a family of aliens who had been stranded on Earth, trying hilariously to blend into society without being found out. Burke took over the role of Connie from SNL alum Laraine Newman. Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin reprised their roles as Connie’s well-meaning but slightly misguided parents.

In the film, the National Guard shoots down a UFO but Beldar Clorhone/Conehead (Dan Aykroyd) and his "genetomate”/wife Prymaat (Jane Curtin) survive the crash. Unable to return to their home planet, Beldar and Prymaat attempt to adapt to a human lifestyle and eventually settle in the suburbs with their Earth-born daughter, Connie.

As a teenager, Connie desperately wants to fit in with her peers which means dressing and acting in ways that her father objects to. The rift between them comes to a head, no pun intended, when she starts dating a human named Ronnie, played by the late Chris Farley.

Beldar only wants to fulfill his mission and return to his planet while Connie wants to remain on Earth with her boyfriend and friends. It seems that Beldar eventually gets his way when they all return to his home planet, but he comes to realize that being a father means prioritizing his daughter’s feelings over his own and they ultimately return to Earth.

At the time, Coneheads received mostly negative reviews from critics, but the film was received in a different light in the early 2000s when writers found the satirical take on the immigrant experience in America disconcertingly spot on after the terrorist attack on 9/11.

Dazed and Confused

Burke’s role as Connie Conehead wouldn’t be the only notable one from 1993. The coming-of-age film Dazed and Confused, a cult classic film about the last day of school for a group of teenagers in 1976 also premiered that year.

Burke played the effortlessly cool Jodie Kramer who asks the senior boys to go easy on her younger brother Mitch, played by Wiley Wiggins, during the annual hazing ritual, which only results in the seniors punishing Mitch more.

Dazed and Confused would help propel some of the careers of future Hollywood stars such as Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, Matthew McConaughey, and Renee Zellweger. Partially due to the strong ensemble cast, Dazed and Confused was met with positive reviews from critics and audiences. Desson Howe of the Washington Post wrote, “Dazed succeeds on its own terms and reflects American culture so well, it becomes part of it.”

Long after Dazed and Confused premiered, it is still remembered and honored as one of the best movies in several areas. In 2003, Entertainment Weekly ranked the film number 17 on its list of The Top 50 Cult Films and number 3 on its list of the 50 Best High School Movies.

Other Roles

Despite these two major roles in 1993, Burke went on to have roles in less well known projects that didn’t garner her the same attention Dazed and Confused did.

The following year, Burke played Nikki Reese in the sequel Major League, the aptly titled Major League II. Burke was added to star alongside Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, and Corbin Bernsen, all of whom reprised their roles from the previous film.

Much of Burke’s roles were predominately in television after her role in Major League II. She starred in singular episodes of Tales from the Crypt, Sliders, Mysterious Ways, The Division, and Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior all between 1994 and 2011.

Her last credited role would be in 2020 when she played Dr. Karen Nera in the psychological thriller Alone. The film centers around Alys, a previous victim of sex trafficking who escaped her captor. Years later, she is lured to a cabin in the woods where a man forces her to fight for her survival.

Where is Burke Now?

So, what is Burke up to today?

Burke has managed to do the seemingly impossible by staying relatively anonymous in the information age. She is not active on social media, nor is there information about her current employment.

What is known is that she and her family reside in Studio City in California.

She met her husband, Scott Thomas, a member of the band Ringside, in 1992 when they were introduced through a mutual friend. In 1995 they married in a small, private ceremony and are still together today.

Burke gave birth to their first child, Jill, in 1999. In 2001, she had a son named Jude. Three years later, they welcomed a daughter named Sadie.

Let’s hope that Burke is enjoying her private life with her beautiful family.