Marcia Cross was born on March 25, 1962 in Marlborough, Massachusetts. After graduating from the Juilliard School in New York in the early 1980s, Marcia Cross began to work as an actress, starting with the ABC soap “Edge of Night” in 1984. She then made her primetime TV debut in the CBS TV-movie “Brass” in 1985. The following year, Cross landed a regular spot on the ABC daytime soap “One Life to Live” and appeared on the miniseries “George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation.” During this time, Marcia Cross starred in several stage productions, including work at the renowned Williamstown Theater Festival.

Marcia Cross moved to Los Angeles and landed a recurring role as Kirstie Alley’s sister on “Cheers,” followed by several TV shows such as “Cheers,” and “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show.” Marcia made her movie debut in the 1990 movie “Bad Influence,” followed by guest appearances on more TV shows like “Knots Landing,” “Herman’s Head,” “Raven,” “Burke’s Law,” and “Ned and Stacy,” as well as TV-movies like “M.A.N.T.I.S.,” “Mother’s Day,” and “All She Ever Wanted.”

Although Marcia Cross has built a stable portfolio since her acting debut, it was only in 1992 when she was cast as Dr. Kimberly Shaw for the TV series “Melrose Place” did she become a household name. Marcia Cross left the show in 1997 to pursue a Master’s Degree in Psychology at LA's Antioch University. She then came back in 1999 with a recurring role in the sitcom “Boy Meets World” and several sitcoms after. In 2002, Marcia Cross appeared on the second season of the drama “Everwood” as Dr. Linda Abbott, but it was her role as Bree Van de Kamp in the hit ABC series “Desperate Housewives” made her more famous than ever and earned her three Golden Globe nominations (2005, 2006 & 2007) and an Emmy in 2005 for ‘Best Actress in a Comedy Series.’

Marcia Cross married Tom Mahoney in June 24, 2006. They have fraternal twin daughters – Eden and Savannah – born on February 20, 2007.