Marcia Anne Cross (born March 25, 1962) is an American actress, known for her portrayals of Bree Hodge on the TV show Desperate Housewives and Dr. Kimberly Shaw on the prime-time soap opera Melrose Place.
CareerCross graduated from the Juilliard School in New York, and earned a master's degree in psychology at Antioch University Los Angeles. She began her television career in 1984 on the soap opera The Edge of Night. She then moved from New York to Los Angeles, and soon landed roles in television movies such as The Last Days of Frank and Jessie James, co-starring with Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson. In 1986 she joined the cast of the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live, where she played Kate Sanders, until 1987.
In 1991, Cross guest-starred on the 13th season of Knots Landing as the wife of Pierce Lawton (Bruce Greenwood). She spent a lot of her screen-time on the show confronting Paige Matheson, played by her future Desperate Housewives co-star Nicollette Sheridan.
In 1992, Cross was cast as Dr. Kimberly Shaw on the FOX drama series Melrose Place. Initially cast for one season, she so impressed the producers that they kept bringing her back for more episodes, although she curiously didn't become a full-fledged cast member in the opening credits until the fourth season. Cross' character started off as a love interest for the character of Dr. Michael Mancini, but gradually became more and more mentally unbalanced, providing some of the show's most memorable moments, which included blowing up the apartment building, trying to kill Michael, and stealing her neighbor Jo's baby. She left the show in 1997, after five seasons.
After leaving Melrose Place, Cross guest-starred on series such as Seinfeld, where she played Jerry's dermatologist girlfriend Dr. Sitarides (whom he mocked as "Pimple Popper M.D."), and Cheers, where she portrayed Susan Howe, the younger sister to Kirstie Alley's character, Rebecca Howe. She also appeared on the comedies Boy Meets World, Ally McBeal, Spin City, It's Garry Shandling's Show and King of Queens. Her dramatic roles include appearances on CSI, Profiler, Everwood and Touched by an Angel.
In 2003, prior to her role on Desperate Housewives, Cross spent a season starring as Linda Abbott on WB's critically-acclaimed series, Everwood.
In 2004, Cross landed the role of Bree Van de Kamp on the ABC dramedy series Desperate Housewives.
On stage, Cross has performed in La Ronde at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, in Twelfth Night, or What You Will at the Hartford Stage Company, and in The Two Gentlemen of Verona at the Old Globe in San Diego. Her film credits include Living in Fear, Always Say Good-bye, Dancing in September, Bad Influence, and Female Perversions.
In November 2005, Cross appeared on the cover of the newly launched Psychologies magazine in the United Kingdom where she discussed her passion for psychology and therapy.
By : Wikipedia.com
By : Wikipedia.com