Wendie Malick

Tall, slim and acerbic, this character actress worked as a fashion model in Europe in the '70s before turning to acting. After appearing in a number of stage productions in New York, she relocated to Hollywood. With her husky voice and crack comic timing, Malick was a more attractive, modern-day Eve Arden-type, who found her niche in sitcoms. Her six seasons as Brian Benben's neurotic but endearing ex-wife on Dream On earned her four CableACE awards, and during her tenure, she popped up on other series, notably in a harrowing dramatic turn as a battered socialite on NYPD Blue. In 1997 Malick graduated to regular network prime-time player on Just Shoot Me, portraying a bitchy ex-model turned fashion editor, a role that earned her two Emmy nods. Although she made occasional forays onto the big screen, Malick remained a formidable small-screen presence, elevating subpar material (Jake in Progress) and holding her own on classic shows (her stint as a lounge singer on Frasier). Off screen, Malick leads a much more down-to-earth life, devoting much of her downtime to humanitarian causes and animal rights.