[2][3] Michaels began her career at the age of 16 in 1944 as a showgirl at Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe Nightclub in New York.

The first, the 1951 film noir Pickup,[9] was a surprise hit, albeit a secondary B feature, and launched Haas's career as a Hollywood director.

The New York Times' film reviewer wrote: "Beverly Michaels, a comparative newcomer, is flashily attractive, hard and vulgar as his two-timing mate, but her histrionics are, like the cheap character she portrays, coarse and in need of polishing.

[5] She also appeared in a Bowery Boys film No Holds Barred, released by low-budget studio Monogram Pictures in 1952.

[9][12] The Village Voice praised her performance as "wonderfully lurid," and included the movie in a list of the 25 most memorable cult films.

In a 1954 newspaper interview, Michaels was questioned about her choice of racy roles: "One of the penalties, she says, is that some people, especially the wolf type, can't forget it was just a movie.

While this public interest centered mostly on Cleo Moore, Diana Dors and Mamie Van Doren, Michaels' contributions were duly noted, including a tribute to Wicked Woman written by Lily Tomlin in the short-lived magazine Movies.

After her retirement, she made an appearance at a film noir festival to honor her deceased husband Russell Rouse during a screening of "Wicked Woman.