1937 - 2019

Mikel Sarah Lambert Rowe, age 82, passed away in New York City on November 19 from a brain aneurysm. She was born in Spokane, Washington on November 2, 1937. Her mother Helen was an attorney and painter. Her father Tom served in the Navy during WWII prior to his career as a foreign correspondent. Mikel spent her early years in San Francisco, Tokyo, Switzerland and Germany. In the mid-50s, the family relocated to Washington, D.C., where she attended the Sidwell Friends School. After graduation, she went to Radcliffe College (Harvard University), and majored in English literature. She participated in the drama club, which sparked her lifelong love of the theater. She spent summers in Moscow during these years, where her father was then on assignment. She worked the telephone switchboard at the American Embassy.



After a year in New York City working for Life Magazine, she enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, where she was awarded an honors diploma and The Kendal Prize. Her classmates included John Hurt, Timothy Dalton, Anthony Hopkins, and her future husband, Jeremy Rowe. The two were married in 1966 and spent several happy years performing and teaching in the U.S. and throughout England. They had two sons, Patrick in 1968, and Timothy in 1973.



In 1975-1976, she appeared in numerous productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company (in Stratford-upon-Avon and London), including Hamlet with Ben Kingsley. The family then moved to Glasgow, Scotland, where she starred in the BBC series, the Mackinnons.



She and her sons relocated to Washington, DC in 1977, where she became a member of the Folger Shakespeare Company and an instructor at the Shakespeare Theatre Conservatory. Over the next two decades, she directed and acted in countless productions at the Folger, Arena Stage, Studio Theatre, and many other local and regional theaters. She was nominated for multiple Helen Hayes Awards and was named Best Actress by Washingtonian Magazine in 1983. In the 80s and 90s, she also taught at Georgetown University and Catholic University, where she was beloved by her students.



In 1996, Mikel moved to New York City. Over the next twenty years, she appeared in innumerable productions in New York (Broadway and Off-Broadway) and many other cities. She received a Drama Desk Award nomination for her performance as Mrs. Gascoyne in the Daughter in Law at the Mint Theater. She appeared in commercials, television shows, and short films, and taught at Stella Adler and New York Performance Works.



Mikel was a warm and generous soul with a fantastic sense of humor. She enjoyed drawing, painting, and reading, adored animals, and supported many charities. Above all, she was a loving mother and friend, and will be greatly missed by all who knew her. She is survived by her sons Patrick and Timothy Rowe. Memorial Mass: Sat, Dec 7, 2pm: Church of the Holy Cross 329 W. 42nd St. Reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the charity of your choosing.

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