Bree Van de Kamp (Marcia Cross) Bio

Character Bio

Bree Van de Kamp is a searing, uptight perfectionist. Her strong resolve and proper demeanor have caused tension in her marriage and home-life. As a mother of two teenagers, her icy cool nerves were often tested. She struggled to rein in her rebellious, and at times soulless son, Andrew, and fought to give her self-absorbed daughter, Danielle, a proper perspective on life.

During a routine meeting with the neighborhood call-girl, her husband Rex suffered a heart attack, thus shining a light on his dark secrets. Bree reluctantly cared for him during his recovery after her children's insistence. He marriage was further troubled when she began dating the local pharmacist, George Williams, much to her husband's dismay. Rex took matters into his own hands when he went to ward off George, only inciting his jealousy which led him to begin tampering with Rex's heart medication. Bree was eventually widowed when after months of poisoning by their pharmacist, Rex's heart gave way.

Despite all this, her "perfect housewife" routine remained nearly unshaken during the past year. She was able to keep up appearances at the country club, find time to bake muffins for her incarcerated arch nemesis, Maisy Gibbons and somehow maintain her perfectly quaffed flip.

About Marcia Cross

In 2005 Marcia Cross was nominated for both a Golden Globe Award in the Best Actress category and an Emmy Award in the Best Actress in a Comedy Series category.

Prior to her role on "Desperate Housewives," Cross starred as Dr. Linda Abbott on The WB's critically-acclaimed series, "Everwood." She is also well known for her role as Dr. Kimberly Shaw on the hit drama "Melrose Place."

Born and raised in Marlborough, Massachusetts, Cross was determined to become an actress from the moment she performed in her first school play, "The Witch of Blackbird Pond," in the sixth grade. At the age of 18 she was accepted at the Juilliard School as a Drama major.

On stage Cross performed in "La Ronde" at the Williamstown Theater Festival, in "Twelfth Night" at the Hartford Stage Company, and in "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. Her memorable 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, and "Cheers," where she portrayed the younger sister to Kirstie Alley's character. She has also appeared on the comedies "Ally McBeal," "Spin City," "The Garry Shandling Show" and "King of Queens." Her dramatic roles include appearances on "CSI," "Profiler" and "Touched by an Angel," and her film credits include ""Living in Fear," "Always Say Good-bye," "Dancing in September" and "Bad Influence."

Aside from her successful career as an actress, Cross has also made time to continue her education. She recently completed her clinical training to earn a Masters Degree in Psychology.

Cross makes her home in Los Angeles.

Source: CTV, ABC