Brenda Lee Strong (born March 25, 1960) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress and
yogaYoga refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India. The word is associated with meditative practices in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. In Hinduism, it also refers to one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy, and to the goal toward which that school directs...
instructor, known for her role as
Mary Alice YoungMary Alice Young is a fictional character on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives. The character is played by actress Brenda Strong and narrates the series from beyond the grave; the character's suicide in the pilot episode served as the catalyst of the series...
on the hit TV show
Desperate HousewivesDesperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry, who also serves as show runner, and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producers, as of the fourth season, are Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
.
She is also known for portraying Sally Sasser on
Sports NightSports Night is an American television series about a fictional sports news show and the people who work there. It focuses on the friendships, pitfalls, and ethical issues they face while trying to produce a good show under constant network pressure...
and her lead role as Arlene Ridgeway on the short-lived series
The HelpThe Help is a television series which aired on The WB in March and April of 2004. The show was a raunchy comedy that focused on the hard-lucked life of a beauty school dropout, who now must work for the wealthy and spoiled Ridgeway family. The rest of the hired help are also very unusual in their...
.
Strong was born in
BrightwoodBrightwood is an unincorporated community within the Mount Hood Corridor in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. It is located between Wemme and Sandy just off of U.S. Route 26 at an elevation of 355 meters. It is one of the communities that make up the Villages at Mount Hood.A post office...
,
OregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and grew up near
Portland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the state of Oregon. As of July 2008, it has an estimated population of 575,930, making it the 29th most populous in the United States. It has been referred to as the most...
, graduating in 1978 from
Sandy Union High School-Academics:In 2008, 81% of the school's seniors received their high school diploma. Of 341 students, 275 graduated, 43 dropped out, 7 received a modified diploma, and 16 are still in high school.-External links:*...
in
Sandy, OregonSandy is a city located in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, and named after the nearby Sandy River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 5,385, however the 2006 estimate shows 7,070 people....
. She later moved to
ArizonaThe State of Arizona is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix. The second largest city is Tucson, followed in size by the four Phoenix metropolitan area cities of Mesa, Glendale, Chandler, and Scottsdale.Arizona was the 48th and...
to attend college.
Brenda Lee Strong (born March 25, 1960) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress and
yogaYoga refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India. The word is associated with meditative practices in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. In Hinduism, it also refers to one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy, and to the goal toward which that school directs...
instructor, known for her role as
Mary Alice YoungMary Alice Young is a fictional character on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives. The character is played by actress Brenda Strong and narrates the series from beyond the grave; the character's suicide in the pilot episode served as the catalyst of the series...
on the hit TV show
Desperate HousewivesDesperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry, who also serves as show runner, and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producers, as of the fourth season, are Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
.
She is also known for portraying Sally Sasser on
Sports NightSports Night is an American television series about a fictional sports news show and the people who work there. It focuses on the friendships, pitfalls, and ethical issues they face while trying to produce a good show under constant network pressure...
and her lead role as Arlene Ridgeway on the short-lived series
The HelpThe Help is a television series which aired on The WB in March and April of 2004. The show was a raunchy comedy that focused on the hard-lucked life of a beauty school dropout, who now must work for the wealthy and spoiled Ridgeway family. The rest of the hired help are also very unusual in their...
.
Early life
Strong was born in
BrightwoodBrightwood is an unincorporated community within the Mount Hood Corridor in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. It is located between Wemme and Sandy just off of U.S. Route 26 at an elevation of 355 meters. It is one of the communities that make up the Villages at Mount Hood.A post office...
,
OregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and grew up near
Portland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the state of Oregon. As of July 2008, it has an estimated population of 575,930, making it the 29th most populous in the United States. It has been referred to as the most...
, graduating in 1978 from
Sandy Union High School-Academics:In 2008, 81% of the school's seniors received their high school diploma. Of 341 students, 275 graduated, 43 dropped out, 7 received a modified diploma, and 16 are still in high school.-External links:*...
in
Sandy, OregonSandy is a city located in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, and named after the nearby Sandy River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 5,385, however the 2006 estimate shows 7,070 people....
. She later moved to
ArizonaThe State of Arizona is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix. The second largest city is Tucson, followed in size by the four Phoenix metropolitan area cities of Mesa, Glendale, Chandler, and Scottsdale.Arizona was the 48th and...
to attend college. She graduated from
Arizona State UniversityArizona State University is the largest public research university in the United States under a single administration, with total student enrollment of 68,064 as of fall 2009...
with
Bachelor of MusicBachelor of Music is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree; the majority of work consists of prescribed music courses and study in applied music, usually requiring a...
in musical theatre. Strong was crowned
Miss ArizonaThe Miss Arizona competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Arizona in the Miss America pageant. Arizona has twice won the Miss America title.- Winners :-External links:*...
in 1980. Strong stands 6'0" (1.83 m).
Career
Her first break after college was a spot in
Billy CrystalWilliam Edward "Billy" Crystal is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian, and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the box office successes When Harry...
’s 1984 music video
You Look Marvelous. Her first television appearances began in 1985 with brief stints on
St. ElsewhereSt. Elsewhere is a U.S. drama television series that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. The series is set at St. Eligius, a decaying urban teaching hospital in Boston's South End neighborhood. The hospital's nickname, "St...
,
MacGyverMacGyver is an American action/adventure television series created by Lee David Zlotoff and executively produced by Henry Winkler and John Rich that aired on ABC. Seven seasons were produced, all of which were broadcast by American Broadcasting Company Network in the United States and various...
, and
CheersCheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for eleven seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association with Paramount Television for NBC, having been created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
. She also made guest appearances on
MatlockMatlock is an American television legal drama, starring Andy Griffith in the title role of Ben Matlock. The show originally aired from September 23, 1986, to May 8, 1992 on NBC, where it replaced The A-Team, then from November 5, 1992 until May 7, 1995 on ABC.The format of the show was similar to...
,
Murphy BrownMurphy Brown is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from November 14, 1988 to May 18, 1998, for a total of 247 episodes. The program starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, an investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional CBS television newsmagazine.The...
,
Herman's HeadHerman's Head is a sitcom that aired on the Fox network from 1991 to 1994.As FOX was a relatively young network, they were able to experiment with the show's format, allowing for a unique device: whenever Herman Brooks, the main character, had an important decision to make, the TV audience would be...
,
Star Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next Generation is a science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Created about 21 years after the original Star Trek, and set in the 24th century about 80 years after the orginal series, the program features a new crew and a new...
,
BlossomBlossom is a term given to the flowers of stone fruit trees and of some other plants with a similar appearance that flower profusely but for a short period of time in the spring. Blossoms are either pink or white depending on the species or variety. Nectarine blossoms, peach blossoms, most cherry...
, as well as a recurring role on the cult favorite
Twin PeaksTwin Peaks is an American television serial drama created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. The series follows the investigation, headed by Special Agent Dale Cooper , of the brutal murder of a popular teenager and homecoming queen, Laura Palmer...
.
By the mid-90s, she was a regular guest player on dozens of series, with prominent recurring roles on
3rd Rock From the Sun3rd Rock from the Sun is an American sitcom that aired from 1996 until 2001 on NBC. The show is about a group of extraterrestrials on an expedition of what they consider to be the least important planet, Earth , while posing as a human family of four, to observe human beings.- Basic premise :"As...
and
Party of FiveParty of Five is an American Teen drama television series that aired on Fox for six seasons, from September 12, 1994 until May 3, 2000.Critically acclaimed, the show suffered from low ratings and after its first season was slated for cancellation...
. Strong also appeared on
ERER is an American medical drama series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 1994 to April 2009. It is set primarily in the emergency room of fictional County General Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment in...
,
Picket FencesPicket Fences is a 60-minute American television drama centering around the residents of the fictional community of Rome, Wisconsin. The show initially ran from September 1, 1992, to June 26, 1996, on the CBS television network in the United States. Picket Fences was created by producer David E....
,
Silk StalkingsSilk Stalkings is a TV crime drama originally shown on CBS in 1991 as part of the network's late-night Crimetime After Primetime programming package, and rebroadcast on the USA Network. After CBS ended the Crimetime experiment in 1993, the series ran exclusively on USA until its finale in the...
and
Dawson's CreekDawson's Creek is an American primetime television drama which initially aired from January 20, 1998, to May 14, 2003, on The WB Television Network. The lead production company was Sony Pictures Television. The show was set in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts and in Boston,...
.
One of Strong's most prominent roles during the 1990s was a recurring stint as Elaine’s nemesis Sue Ellen Mischke, the “bra-less wonder” and
candy barA chocolate bar is a confection in bar form comprising some or all of the following components: cocoa solids, cocoa butter, sugar, milk. The relative presence or absence of these components form the subclasses of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. In addition to these main...
heiress, on several episodes of the hit sitcom
SeinfeldSeinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. The eponymous series was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, with the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
.
She is well known to viewers for recurring roles on
Sports NightSports Night is an American television series about a fictional sports news show and the people who work there. It focuses on the friendships, pitfalls, and ethical issues they face while trying to produce a good show under constant network pressure...
, in which she played Sally Sasser, the nemesis of
Felicity HuffmanFelicity Kendall Huffman is an American actress. She is known for her role as Lynette Scavo, the hectic Super-Mom on the ABC show Desperate Housewives, which earned her an Emmy Award...
's Dana Whitaker. She also guest starred on
The WB'sThe WB Television Network, or simply The WB, was a television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture of Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. As a replacement, on January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
popular
7th Heaven7th Heaven is an American drama television series, created and produced by Brenda Hampton. The series premiered on Monday August 26, 1996, on the WB, the first time that the network aired Monday night programming, and was originally broadcast from 1996-2007...
,
Gilmore GirlsGilmore Girls is an American comedy drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. The series made its debut on The WB on October 5, 2000, and ended on May 15, 2007, in its seventh season, which aired on The CW. Time magazine named Gilmore Girls to their...
and
EverwoodEverwood is a prime time television drama that initially aired in the United States on The WB. The series is set in the fictional small town of Everwood, Colorado...
. While working for
The WBThe WB Television Network, or simply The WB, was a television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture of Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. As a replacement, on January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
, she also managed to squeeze in guest appearances on
Ally McBealAlly McBeal is an American television series which ran on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
,
Nip/TuckNip/Tuck is an American television drama series created by Ryan Murphy and broadcast on FX Networks. The show is set at the McNamara/Troy plastic surgery practice, and follows the professional and personal lives of its owners, Dr. Sean McNamara and Dr. Christian Troy...
,
CSICSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
,
Malcolm in the MiddleMalcolm in the Middle is an American comedy television series created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Network. The series was first broadcast on January 9, 2000, and ended its six-and-a-half-year run on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes...
, and the short-lived
The Lyon’s Den.
Strong appeared in movies such as
The CraftThe Craft is a 1996 supernatural teen horror film directed by Andrew Fleming and starring Robin Tunney, Rachel True, Fairuza Balk and Neve Campbell. The film's plot centers on a group of four teenage girls who pursue witchcraft and use it for their own gain, and how this changes their friendship...
,
SpaceballsSpaceballs is a 1987 science fiction parody film co-written, directed by, and starring Mel Brooks. It was released on June 24, 1987, and earned only modest returns, but has gone on to become a seminal cult classic on video...
,
The Deep End of the OceanThe Deep End of the Ocean is a best-selling novel by Jacquelyn Mitchard, released in 1996. It is about an American middle class, suburban family that is torn apart when the youngest son is kidnapped and raised by a mentally ill woman, until he appears at the frontdoor step of his real mother and...
,
Red DragonRed Dragon is a 2002 thriller film, based on the novel of the same name written by Thomas Harris and featuring psychiatrist and serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter...
, Black Dog,
Exposed,
Starship TroopersStarship Troopers is a 1997 American military science fiction film, written by Edward Neumeier , directed by Paul Verhoeven, with some names and details taken from Starship Troopers, a novel by Robert A. Heinlein. It was the first of three films released in the Starship Troopers franchise...
and
Starship Troopers 2 (her character died in the original but she returned in a different role in the second movie). More recently, she can be seen in the dramatic Lifetime
movieFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
Family in Hiding which premiered on August 6, 2006 as well as
Curb Your EnthusiasmCurb Your Enthusiasm is an American comedy series starring Seinfeld writer, co-creator, and executive producer Larry David as himself. It is produced and broadcast by HBO....
where she plays a love interest of
Larry DavidLawrence Gene "Larry" David is an American actor, writer, comedian, producer, and film director. David is the co-creator and producer of two successful television comedies, Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm .In 1989, he teamed up with Jerry Seinfeld to co-create the television series Seinfeld,...
.
Strong made an appearance on
Boston LegalBoston Legal is an American legal drama-comedy created by David E. Kelley, which originally ran on ABC from October 3, 2004 to December 8, 2008. A spin-off of the long-running series The Practice, Boston Legal followed the personal and professional exploits of a group of attorneys working at the...
as a judge hearing
Denny CraneDennis "Denny" Crane is a fictional character on the television series Boston Legal. He first appeared during the final season of The Practice, and is portrayed by William Shatner.-Character biography and personality:...
's case.
Desperate Housewives
Strong currently appears on the ABC hit
dramedyComedy-drama, also called dramedy or seriocomedy, is a style of television, theatre and film in which there is an equal or nearly equal balance of humor and serious content.-Theatre:...
Desperate HousewivesDesperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry, who also serves as show runner, and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producers, as of the fourth season, are Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
, opposite
Felicity HuffmanFelicity Kendall Huffman is an American actress. She is known for her role as Lynette Scavo, the hectic Super-Mom on the ABC show Desperate Housewives, which earned her an Emmy Award...
,
Marcia CrossMarcia Anne Cross 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.-Career:...
,
Eva LongoriaEva Jacqueline Longoria Parker is an American film and television actress. She portrayed Isabella Braña Williams on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. She currently plays Gabrielle Solis in the ABC television series Desperate Housewives...
, Nicolette Sheridan,
Dana DelanyDana Welles Delany is an American film, stage, and television actress. She is known for her role as Colleen McMurphy on the ABC television show China Beach , in more recent times as Katherine Mayfair on Desperate Housewives and, as a voice-actress, Lois Lane in the DC Animated Universe as well as...
and
Teri HatcherTeri Lynn Hatcher is an American actress who is best known for her roles as Lois Lane in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, as Susan Mayer in Desperate Housewives and as Paris Carver in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies...
. She plays the deceased
Mary Alice YoungMary Alice Young is a fictional character on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives. The character is played by actress Brenda Strong and narrates the series from beyond the grave; the character's suicide in the pilot episode served as the catalyst of the series...
, who narrates the events of her friends' and neighbors' lives from beyond the grave. She can be heard in every episode of the series (which was sparked by Mary Alice's death) with the exception of one narrated by Rex Van de Kamp (portrayed by
Steven Culp-Early life:Culp was born in La Jolla, California to a naval officer father. During his childhood, his parents divorced and his mother, Ohio-born Mary Ann "Anjo" Joseph, re-married to John Raymond Grabinsky. Culp attended First Colonial High School in Virginia...
from 2004-2005) and one episode narrated by Nicolette Sheridan in which her character
Edie BrittEdie Britt , portrayed by Nicollette Sheridan, is a fictional character in the American television series Desperate Housewives. The series revolves around several housewives who live on the fictional Wisteria Lane, a suburbia...
died in 2009. She appears several times in flashbacks from when Mary Alice was still alive and in a dream episode in which Lynette struggles to understand why she couldn't stop Mary Alice's suicide. She played another deceased wife on the television series
EverwoodEverwood is a prime time television drama that initially aired in the United States on The WB. The series is set in the fictional small town of Everwood, Colorado...
, appearing mainly in flashback sequences as the late Julia Brown.
Marcia CrossMarcia Anne Cross 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.-Career:...
, 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. While Brenda remains mostly off-camera and heard rather than seen, both she and the producer
Marc CherryMarc Cherry is an American writer and producer, best known for creating the show Desperate Housewives.-Early career:...
feel that her character is most essential to the entity of the series. Strong also admitted that she does not feel ostracized by the on-air talents. Strong attends functions related to the show, just as the other actors do.
Personal life
As a certified
yogaYoga refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India. The word is associated with meditative practices in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. In Hinduism, it also refers to one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy, and to the goal toward which that school directs...
instructor and
fertilityFertility is the natural capability of giving life. As a measure, "fertility rate" is the number of children born per couple, person or population. This is different from fecundity, which is defined as the potential for reproduction...
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 and they have a child together, Zakery Henri.
External links