Who Is Michelle Randolph? Landman, 1923 Star Not Like Characters

Michelle Randolph says she’s nothing like the characters she plays in two popular Taylor Sheridan dramas.

The Landman and 1923 star adds that the two women — Ainsley Norris in Landman and Elizabeth Strafford in 1923 — are nothing alike one another but a close examination discovers a few similarities.

• On Landman, Randolph’s Ainsley Norris is the 17-year-old daughter of lead Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton).
• On 1923, Liz Strafford is the wife to Jack Dutton who is Jacob Dutton’s (Harrison Ford) great-nephew.
• Landman is currently airing on Paramount+ while Season 2 of 1923 begins in February.

Related: ‘Landman‘ Star Michelle Randolph Reveals What Billy Bob Thornton Is Really Like

Who is Michelle Randolph?

Michelle Randolph is an actor from Huntington Beach, Calif. but she actually spent most of her childhood in Nor-Ca. The 27-year-old (Sept. 11, 1997) is best known for roles in Landman, 1923 and a Snow White Christmas.

An interview with C Magazine provides some biographical information. For example she admits she grew up playing volleyball and soccer and has lived in California all her life.

She also shares that she had never been on a horse prior to “Cowboy Camp,” the cast training sessions that come before filming of shows like Yellowstone and 1923.

Michelle Randolph College

Randolph actually filmed 1923 while taking classes at Arizona State University. She graduated with with honors in spring 2023 and her degree is in Film and Media Studies.

“There were times I’d submit homework assignments or need to take a quiz while on set,” Randolph told the school’s website. “I learned to take advantage of every free moment … honestly the most stressful part was hoping there was reliable Wi-Fi!”

Fun fact about Michelle Randolph: her favorite class at ASU was the four semesters of American Sign Language she took. She also took three semesters of ASL in high school.

Michelle Randolph Movie and TV Roles:

In 1923, Randolph plays a young woman named Elizabeth Randolph who is at first engaged to and then marries Jack Dutton. Season 1 ends in tragedy for the couple (no spoilers here yet) but her youth and naïveté are balanced by her strength and independence.

Small Spoiler Alert Warning!

For example, mid-way through the season Elizabeth’s mother tries to force her to move east but the young Montana native holds her ground and stands by her man. Soon after she reveals she’s pregnant, news that isn’t digested easily in a rural Montana town as she’s yet to be married.

Randolph’s character in Landman also revels in physical intimacy.

“Ainsley is written as this very impulsive, unfiltered 17-year-old,” Randolph tells ToC. “She’s a wild child and it was really important for me when I got the scripts to find any moment of humanity in her and just trying to find ways to humanize her.”

This extra work gives Ainsley depth required to avoid becoming a stereotype or caricature. The teen is strong in her own way although she’s much more of a mama’s girl and she’s living her best life in Texas.

Randolph says she’s nothing like Ainsley Norris. “I’m an over-thinker. I’m very filtered,” she shares. “She brought out a side of my personality that had been tucked deeply away. And I think I’ve taken little pieces of her with me and I’m happy about it.”

She would also never say things like this to her father:

“I couldn’t have that conversation,” she says. “But it wasn’t me having that conversation. Ainsley having it is different.”

Michelle Randolph’s Famous Sister:

Michelle Randolph’s older sister is Cassie Randolph, the winner of Season 23 of The Bachelor (Colton Underwood). Together, the pair own a sustainable denim brand called LNDN Denim.

The name, she told US Magazine, is short for “Landon,” their younger brother.