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Brenda Strong

Brenda Strong has built a screen career around poise, authority and a knack for making supporting characters feel immediately established. Born in Portland, Oregon, on March 25, 1960, she graduated magna cum laude from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Music degree. Before acting became her focus, she was crowned Miss Arizona in 1980. Strong’s early television work included appearances on St. Elsewhere, MacGyver and Cheers, followed by guest and recurring roles across both comedy and drama. She appeared in Twin Peaks and later became a memorable adversary for Elaine on Seinfeld as Sue Ellen Mischke, the candy-bar heiress better known as the “bra-less wonder.” Her film work during this period included Spaceballs, The Craft and Starship Troopers, in which she played Captain Deladier. She returned to that world in Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation as a different character, Sergeant Dede Rake. Her most distinctive television role arrived with Desperate Housewives. As Mary Alice Young, Strong narrated the secrets and crises of Wisteria Lane from beyond the grave, appearing largely off-screen but providing the series with its guiding voice. Her narration earned Emmy nominations for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance in 2011 and 2012, while the cast received two Screen Actors Guild Awards for ensemble performance in a comedy series. Strong moved from Wisteria Lane to Southfork Ranch as Ann Ewing in the Dallas revival, playing Bobby Ewing’s third wife and the new matriarch of the Ewing family. The part also brought her back to a series on which she had made a guest appearance in 1987. Later roles have included Queen Nia in The 100, a recurring part in Fear the Walking Dead, Lillian Luthor in Supergirl and a series-regular role in 13 Reasons Why. Across sitcoms, soaps, science fiction and drama, Strong’s range has often depended on the same quality: a composed presence that can suggest warmth, danger or hidden complications without demanding the center of the frame.