Bio
Marcia Cross is an American actress best known for her role as Bree Van De Kamp on the television series Desperate Housewives, appearing as one of the main cast members from 2004-2012.
She graduated from Juilliard and earned a master's degree in psychology at Antioch University in Los Angeles.
In 2005 she was nominated for her first Emmy for her work as Bree on Desperate Housewives and in December 2006 earned her third consecutive nomination for the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy Series with the show.
Early Career
Prior to her role on Desperate Housewives, Cross starred as Dr. Linda Abbott on Everwood. She is also well known for her portrayal of the mentally unbalanced Dr. Kimberly Shaw on Melrose Place, whom she played from 1992 to 1997.
Kimberly was, and remains, a firm fan favourite - providing many of the show's most memorable moments, in her plans to kill many of the characters on the show.
One Melrose website's poll on most popular characters on the show listed Cross's Kimberly Shaw second only to Heather Locklear's Amanda Woodward but the series' producers were curiously slow in promoting Cross to full-fledged cast member status in the opening credits, an honour she did not receive until her third season in the role, despite having had as much screen time as any series regular.
On stage Cross performed in La Ronde at the Williamstown Theater 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 first television job was on the daytime drama The Edge of Night. Leaving New York to try her luck in Los Angeles, Cross was soon landing roles in television movies such as The Last Days of Frank and Jessie James, co-starring with Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson.
Later, in 1986, she went on to portray Kate Sanders on the daytime drama One Life to Live. She played the role until 1987.
In 1991, Cross guest-starred on the 13th season of Knots Landing as the mysterious wife of Pierce Lawton (Bruce Greenwood). She spent most of her screen-time on the show confronting Paige Matheson, played by Desperate Housewives co-star Nicollette Sheridan.
Her most notable soap role on Melrose Place began when she was hired for one episode. The producers were so impressed, they kept asking her back for additional appearances, eventually bringing her character back from the dead to continue on the hit show.
Cross also guest-starred on such series as Seinfeld, where she played Jerry's dermatologist girlfriend (or as Jerry preferred, "Dr. Sitarides: Pimple Popper M.D."), and Cheers, where she portrayed Susan Howe, the younger sister to Kirstie Alley's character, Rebecca Howe.
She has 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, and her film credits include Living in Fear, Always Say Good-bye, Dancing in September and Bad Influence.
In November 2005, Cross appeared on the cover of the newly launched Psychologies magazine in the United Kingdom. In the interview she discusses her passion for psychology and therapy.
Cross holds a Masters Degree in Psychology from Antioch University.
Personal Life
Cross was the long time companion of Richard Jordan, who died from a brain tumor on 30 August 1993.
In early 2005, the Internet and tabloids swirled with rumours that Cross was gay and in a long-term relationship with another woman, and planning to come out of the closet.
Cross actually appeared on the television show The View to deny the reports, but stated that she was very supportive of the gay community.
In August 2005, Cross's publicist also told the American celebrity newsmagazine Us Weekly that Cross had accepted the proposal of Tom Mahoney, a stock broker whom she had been dating for six months, and that the couple were engaged to be married.
The couple got married on June 24, 2006, in front of 200 guests at the Church of Our Savior Episcopal Parish in San Gabriel, California.
On September 6, 2006, she announced that she was pregnant and due in April 2007 and on September 20 she revealed that she was expecting twins.
On January 11, 2007, Cross was placed on precautionary bedrest until their delivery, requiring her to suspend her Desperate Housewives acting duties.
However, Cross did not want to give up working, even bringing the entire cast and crew to her home to shoot some scenes in her very own bedroom. Cross's bedroom was painted to look like Bree's.
On February 20, 2007, Cross gave birth to fraternal twin daughters, Eden and Savannah at a Los Angeles hospital.