Brenda Strong
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| Brenda Strong | |
 Brenda Strong |
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| Birth name | Brenda Strong |
| Born | March 25, 1960 (age 47) Brightwood, Oregon United States |
| Spouse(s) | Tom Henri |
| Notable roles | Mary Alice Young on Desperate Housewives and Sue Ellen Mischke on Seinfeld |
Brenda Strong (born March 25, 1960 in Brightwood, Oregon, USA) is an American actress.
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[edit] Biography
Strong grew up in Portland, Oregon, and later moved to Arizona. She graduated from Arizona State University. She was crowned Miss Arizona in 1980.
Her first break after college was a spot in Billy Crystal’s 1984 music video You Look Marvelous. Her first television appearances began in 1985 with brief stints on St. Elsewhere, MacGyver, and Cheers. She also made guest appearances on Matlock, Murphy Brown, Herman's Head, Blossom, as well as a recurring role on the cult favorite Twin Peaks.
By the mid-90s, she was a regular guest player on dozens of series, with prominent recurring roles on 3rd Rock From the Sun, Party of Five, and most notably as Elaine’s rival Sue Ellen Mischke, the “bra-less wonder,” on Seinfeld. Strong also appeared on ER, Picket Fences and Silk Stalkings. She also appeared in a 'Dawson's Creek' episode 'High Anxiety' as Audrey's mother.
She is well known to viewers for recurring roles on Sports Night, in which she played Sally Sasser, the nemesis of Felicity Huffman's Dana Whitaker. She also guest starred on The WB's popular 7th Heaven, Gilmore Girls and Everwood. While working for the WB, she also managed to squeeze in guest appearances on Ally McBeal, Nip/Tuck, CSI, Malcolm in the Middle, and the short-lived The Lyon’s Den.
Currently, Strong is appearing on the ABC hit dramedy Desperate Housewives, opposite Huffman and Teri Hatcher. She plays the deceased Mary Alice Young, who narrates the events of her four best friends' lives from beyond the grave.
Strong appears in movies such as Spaceballs, The Deep End of the Ocean, Red Dragon, Starship Troopers and Starship Troopers 2. More recently, she can be seen in the dramatic Lifetime movie Family in Hiding which premiered on August 6, 2006.
[edit] Personal
As a certified yoga instructor and fertility expert, Strong has experience teaching at UCLA's Mind/Body Institute. She is currently working on her first book about yoga and the woman's journey.
She married Tom Henri in July 1989.
[edit] Trivia
Long before her now popular role on Desperate Housewives, she played a 'desperate housewife' in Undercurrent (1999), starring Lorenzo Lamas. This role also marks the only time she's appeared topless on the big screen.
Before her role on Desperate Housewives, she also played another deceased wife on the television series Everwood, appearing mainly in flashback sequences as the late Julia Brown. Marcia Cross, her Desperate Housewives co-star also appeared on Everwood for a season playing Dr. Linda Abbott, the love interest of the Julia Brown's widower, Dr. Andrew Brown.
Brenda previously had a recurring role on Twin Peaks which featured Sheryl Lee. Lee was the original choice to play Mary Alice in Desperate Housewives.
