Brenda Strong
Brenda Strong | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Brenda Lee Strong |
| Years active | 1985 - present |
| Spouse | Tom Henri (1989 - present) 1 child |
Brenda Lee Strong (born March 25, 1960) is an American actress and yoga instructor, best known for her roles as Sue Ellen Mischke on Seinfeld and Mary Alice Young on Desperate Housewives.
Biography
Early life
Strong was born in Brightwood, Oregon and grew up near Portland, Oregon, graduating in 1978 from Sandy High School in Sandy, Oregon. She later moved to Arizona to attend college. She graduated from Arizona State University with Bachelor of Music in musical theatre. Strong was crowned Miss Arizona in 1980. Strong stands 5' 11 1/2".[1]
Career
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, Star Trek: The Next Generation, 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 and Party of Five. Strong also appeared on ER, Picket Fences, Silk Stalkings and Dawson's Creek.
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 bar heiress, on several episodes of the hit sitcom Seinfeld.
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.
Strong appeared in movies such as Spaceballs, The Deep End of the Ocean, Red Dragon, Exposed, (film),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 as well as Curb Your Enthusiasm where she plays the love interest of Larry David.
Desperate Housewives; The Voice Without the Body
Strong currently appears on the ABC hit dramedy Desperate Housewives, opposite Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Eva Longoria, and Teri Hatcher. She plays the deceased Mary Alice Young, who narrates the events of her four best friends' 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 from 2004-2005). Long before her now popular role on Desperate Housewives, she played a 'desperate housewife' in Undercurrent (1999), starring Lorenzo Lamas. She 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. While Brenda remains off-air and heard only, both she and the producer Marc Cherry 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.[2][3] Strong attends functions related to the show just as do the others.
Personal life
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 and they have a child together, Zak Henri.