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Name: Marcia Cross
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Date of Birth:
March 25, 1962
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Place of Birth:
Malborough, Massachusetts
Mini-bio:
An actress whose face seems to capture everything glamorous about old Hollywood and whose fire-red mane sets the screen ablaze, Marcia Cross has carved out an impressive television career thanks to wi... read morenning roles on such shows as Melrose Place and Desperate Housewives. With a resumé that reads like a "television's greatest hits" list from the mid-'80s through the new millennium, small-screen veteran Cross is hardly a new face to devoted TV viewers, and thanks to her role as über-perfectionist suburban homemaker Bree Van De Kamp on ABC's surprise hit Desperate Housewives, chances are she'll be sticking around for some time. A native of Marlborough, MA, who first discovered her love for acting while taking the stage for a sixth-grade production of The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Cross was soon setting her sites on New York's world-renowned Juilliard Drama School, where she would major in drama. In the years following her graduation, Cross made a name for herself in and around the New York stage, with performances in the Williamstown Theater Festival's production of La Ronde and the Hartford Stage Company's production of Twelfth Night serving as early career highlights. A bit part on the long-running soap opera The Edge of Night helped to ignite a screen career for Cross, with subsequent appearances on Cheers, Who's the Boss?, Quantum Leap, and Murder, She Wrote both increasing her visibility and expanding her oeuvre. By the 1990s, Cross had gained notable exposure thanks to parts on both One Life to Live and Another World, and though a brief appearance on Knots Landing brought the daytime drama to the evening hours, it was her role as Dr. Kimberly Shaw on 1992's Melrose Place that truly put her on the map with television viewers. A direct descendent of Beverly Hills 90210 that lit the small-screen ablaze for much of the 1990s, Melrose Place occupied most of Cross' time, save for the occasional television guest appearance or feature role. Though she had only been slated to appear in one episode of Melrose Place, Cross' character proved so popular that producers went to great lengths to keep her on board, eventually going so far as to reach beyond the grave to keep the character alive. If it seemed like Cross' career was floundering somewhat in the wake of her Melrose Place success, a role in the WB's 2002 drama Everwood served well to bring her back into the collective conscience of television viewers. Though she would only remain with the series for one season, her furlough from the small screen proved to be short-lived when Cross returned stronger than ever in 2004 in the hugely popular dark comedy drama Desperate Housewives. Cast as a Martha Stewart-worshipping suburbanite whose obsession with perfection is slowly tearing her family apart at the seams, Cross used her keen skills in front of the camera to hold her own in an ensemble cast that included the likes of Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, and Nicollette Sheridan. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Marcia Cross mini-bio: Marcia Cross was born on March 25, 1962, in Marlborough, Massachusetts. As a child, Marcia always wanted to be an actress, so she set out to have a career in acting. Cross graduated from Julliard School in New York, a naturally gifted girl. Her career began in 1984, when she joined the cast of the daytime soap opera "The Edge of Night" (1956). After six months, the show ended its 28-year run. The following year, in 1985, she starred opposite 'Carroll OConnor in the television film Brass (1985) (TV). Then, in 1986 she landed the lead role in Pros & Cons (1986) (TV) with comedienne Sheryl Lee Ralph. She kept busy by starring in The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James (1986) (TV) with many famous figures in Hollywood - including June Carter Cash, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson. Marcia's career was looking up when she was cast as Kate Roberts in another daytime soap opera, "One Life to Live" (1968), and as Tanya in "Another World" (1964). Marcia was then seen opposite Tim Daly in the 1988 tear-jerker romance _Almost Grown (1988) (TV)_ . _Almost Grown (1988) (TV)_ was a television pilot that never got picked up, but is still very acclaimed to this day. Marcia was then cast as Ruth Fielding in Bad Influence (1990), a 1990 thriller that starred Cross, Rob Lowe, and James Spader. She joined the cast of "Knots Landing" (1979) - an incredibly famous nighttime soap opera in 1991. After a year, she left to do work on a new television series called "Melrose Place" (1992).
She was cast as the psychotic Dr. Kimberly Shaw on the hit prime time drama series. The show was a pop culture phenomenon, going down in history as one of the most entertaining and memorable shows of the 1990s. Marcia, who was starring opposite Heather Locklear, Courtney Thorne-Smith, and others, emerged as the fan favorite of the show. Then, in 1993, her longtime companion and fiancé Richard Jordan died. Marcia reigned on, starring in films like Female Perversions (1996) opposite Tilda Swinton and Always Say Goodbye (1996) opposite Emmy-nominee Polly Draper, throughout her long run on "Melrose". In 1997, she left the show in order to get her Master's Degree in Psychology.
Well, Marcia succeeded and got her Master's in Psychology. From 1997 to 2003, she continued to act regularly. She starred in Dancing in September (2000) - a critically acclaimed film, got herself the lead role in Living in Fear (2001), starred in The Wind Effect (2003) - a disturbing film about family, and even filmed Eastwick (2002) (TV), a TV pilot that never was picked up. Eastwick (2002) (TV) was based on The Witches of Eastwick (1987), a film made in 1987, and Marcia was cast in the Susan Sarandon role.
She got back into the public eye by joining the cast of the critically-acclaimed television series "Everwood" (2002) with Treat Williams. After a year on the show, she left it when she was auditioned for "Desperate Housewives" (2004), a new TV series. In 2004, Marcia was cast as Bree Van De Kamp in "Desperate Housewives" (2004), which went on to be a monster-hit with the critics and audiences. "Housewives" immediately became the number one show in America, earning Cross well-deserved critical kudos for her brilliantly convincing performance on the show. Her career was completely re-launched - she was appearing in the media, on the biggest show in America, and once again emerging as the fan and critics' favorite on the show. Marcia began to be nominated for very prestigious awards - including the Emmy award, Golden Globe, Golden Satellite award, and a Television Critics' Association Award. Marcia even won a Screen Actors Guild award in 2005. She continues to act on the hit show, and has become an A-lister and well appreciated actress.
