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Marcia Cross Movies

An actress whose fire-red mane sets the screen ablaze, Marcia Cross has carved out an impressive television career thanks to winning roles on such shows as Melrose Place and Desperate Housewives. With a resumé that reads like a "television's greatest hits" list from the mid-'80s through the new millennium, small-screen veteran Cross is hardly a new face to devoted TV viewers, and thanks to her role as über-perfectionist suburban homemaker Bree Van De Kamp on ABC's surprise hit Desperate Housewives, chances are she'll be sticking around for some time.

A native of Marlborough, MA, who first discovered her love for acting while taking the stage for a sixth-grade production of The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Cross was soon setting her sites on New York's world-renowned Juilliard Drama School, where she would major in drama. In the years following her graduation, Cross made a name for herself in and around the New York stage, with performances in the Williamstown Theater Festival's production of La Ronde and the Hartford Stage Company's production of Twelfth Night serving as early career highlights. Appearances on shows like Cheers and Who's the Boss? got the actress started on screen, preparing her for the career landmark of being cast as Dr. Kimberly Shaw on 1992's Melrose Place. A direct descendent of Beverly Hills 90210 that lit the small-screen ablaze for much of the 1990s, Melrose Place occupied most of Cross' time, save for the occasional television guest appearance or feature role. Though she had only been slated to appear in one episode of Melrose Place, Cross' character proved so popular that producers went to great lengths to keep her on board, eventually going so far as to reach beyond the grave to keep the character alive.

If it seemed like Cross' career was floundering somewhat in the wake of her Melrose Place success, a role in the WB's 2002 drama Everwood served well to bring her back into the collective conscience of television viewers. Though she would only remain with the series for one season, her furlough from the small screen proved to be short-lived when Cross returned stronger than ever in 2004 in the hugely popular dark comedy drama Desperate Housewives. Cast as a Martha Stewart-worshipping suburbanite whose obsession with perfection is slowly tearing her family apart at the seams, Cross used her keen skills in front of the camera to hold her own in an ensemble cast that included the likes of Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, and Nicollette Sheridan. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
2007  
 
Add Desperate Housewives: Season 04 to Queue Add Desperate Housewives: Season 04 to top of Queue  
A truly contemporary take on happily ever after, Desperate Housewives takes a darkly comedic look at suburbia, where the secret lives of housewives aren't always what they seem.

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Starring:
Teri HatcherFelicity Huffman, (more)
 
2006  
 
Add Desperate Housewives: Season 03 to Queue Add Desperate Housewives: Season 03 to top of Queue  
The women of Wisteria Lane are back, and it's time to air some dirty laundry. In the Emmy Award-winning show's sensational third season, the gossip is juicier, the secrets are more scandalous and the revenge is even sweeter. "Desperate Housewives is back," raves The New York Daily News. Experience all 23 tantalizing episodes of Season Three, and get the dish on Susan's new love, Bree's unsettling marriage to Orson (Kyle MacLachlan) and a dangerous new presence living down the lane. Everything will come out in the wash in this spectacular six-disc set. Bubbling over with exclusive bonus features, including a behind-the-scenes look at the season finale and even more secrets straight from the show, this is the sudsiest season yet.

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Starring:
Teri HatcherFelicity Huffman, (more)
 
2005  
 
Add Desperate Housewives: Season 02 to Queue Add Desperate Housewives: Season 02 to top of Queue  
Television's hottest show gets even juicier in its delicious second season. The women of Wisteria Lane are back, and just when you thought things couldn't get any steamier, a new neighbor and her handsome teenage son arrive to make new waves on the shady side of suburbia. Join the Emmy(R) Award-winning cast for all 24 episodes of Season Two, and discover Bree's new life without Rex, Lynette's chaotic return to the working world, and what becomes of Susan's on-again, off-again relationship with Mike. That's just the beginning of the secrets in store in this six-disc DVD experience. Sizzling with sensational bonus features, including revealing, never-before-seen story lines featuring Susan Mayer and Lynette Scavo, "there are almost too many things to love in DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES" (San Francisco Chronicle).

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Starring:
Teri HatcherFelicity Huffman, (more)
 
2004  
 
Add Desperate Housewives: Season 01 to Queue Add Desperate Housewives: Season 01 to top of Queue  
An awful lot of awful things happen in the outwardly respectable neighborhood surrounding Wisteria Lane during the first season of Desperate Housewives, beginning with the suicide of Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong) -- who still manages to stick around in spectral form to serve as the series' narrator. Why did she do it -- and what exactly is her husband, Paul (Mark Moses), trying to cover up by throwing that old box he'd dug up from the backyard swimming pool into the river? Then there are Mary Alice's housewife friends Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher), Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman), Bree Van De Kamp (Marcia Cross), and Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria). Divorcée Susan starts dating handsome plumber Mike (James Denton), only to be undercut by the neighborhood's resident vamp, the much-married Edie Britt (Nicollette Sheridan). Lynette has given up a high-paying business career to take care of her family, only to be rewarded with the cutthroat competitiveness of husband Tom (Doug Savant), the miserable behavior of her children, and the open scorn of such obnoxious neighbors as Maisy Gibbons (Sharon Lawrence). Control freak Bree, described by the ABC publicity folks as "Martha Stewart on steroids," finds her life spiralling out of control when her husband, Rex (Steven Culp), divorces her and her sociopathic son, Andrew (Shawn Pyfrom), adopts a "so what" attitude after striking down an old woman with his car. And sexy ex-model Gabrielle is cheating on her moonstruck millionaire husband, Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira), with hunky 17-year-old gardener John (Jesse Metcalfe). And that's only a sample of what season one has to offer. Want more? Well, you asked for it! Susan accidentally burns down Edie's house and is blackmailed on that account by a Mrs. Martha Huber (Christine Estabrook) -- who is later killed by Paul Young, but it is Mike who is arrested for her murder. Later still, Susan is descended upon by her ex-husband, Karl (Richard Burgi), and her intrusive mother, Sophie Bremmer (Lesley Ann Warren). As for Lynette, she finds out that her husband's sainted father (Ryan O'Neal) is a serial philanderer. Also, after painfully adjusting to the breakup of her marriage, Bree starts going out with pharmacist George Williams (Roger Bart); Paul Young's son, Zach (Cody Kasch), inexplicably drops out of sight; and it is revealed that the oh-so-judgmental Maisy Gibbons has been sleeping with practically every man in the neighborhood -- including Bree's ex Rex! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Teri HatcherFelicity Huffman, (more)
 
2001  
 
The CSI team investigates when the body of famed real-estate entrepreneur Bob Fairmont (Spencer Garrett) is found in a hotel elevator. An early verdict of "natural causes" is thrown out when Grissom (William L. Petersen) determines that someone has re-dressed the corpse and tampered with the evidence. And besides, all of Fairmont's organs have been removed and donated -- apparently even before the body was cold. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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2000  
R  
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Reggie Rock Bythewood makes his directorial debut with this sharp comedy-drama about love, compromise, and TV. The film opens with the parallel childhoods of Tomasina "Tommy" Crawford (Nicole Ari Parker) and George Washington (Isaiah Washington). Both were utterly shaped by television -- watching Roots was one of the few times that Tommy's parents stopped fighting long enough to sit on the couch together, while George was traumatized by being banned from TV for a month after swiping some church donation cash. As adults, George is a programming executive at the WPX network where fledgling writer Tommy tries to pitch shows. On the strength of both her passion for her craft and her striking good looks, George decides to champion her show called "Just Us," a serio-comedy about a juvenile offender adopted by a judge. They shoot the pilot, the network greenlights the project, and eventually they fall in love. Even though Tommy longs to present her characters in an uncompromised, unvarnished manner, pressure from network execs and advertisers forces her to water down the plot. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

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Starring:
James AveryNicole Ari Parker, (more)
 
1999  
 
Armed with "insider" information--mainly, that Pennbrook College's star football player Jerry Mungo (Grant Garrison) may lose his eligibility because of terrible grades--Jack (Matthew Lawrence) places what sounds like very small bet on Pennbrook's rival amish. Eric (Will Friedle) matches Jack's bet, little realizing that he has wagered a thousand dollars! Meanwhile, Topanga (Danielle Fishel) has a heart-to-heart with her divorcing parents, which helps change her mind about her future with Cory (Ben Savage). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1999  
 
Reporter Monica (Roma Downey) endeavors to persuade cynical Chicago tabloid publisher Liz Bradley (Ann Jillian) to return to her original, lofty journalistic ideals. Alas, Liz is so obsessed with reporting the "truth" at all costs that it threatens to destroy everyone around her. Particularly victimized by Liz's ruthlessness is her own sister Lauren (played by Desperate Housewives'Marcia Cross), who finds herself in the middle of a horrendous international scandal involving a corrupt politician (Scott Wilkinson. It takes the combined efforts of Monica and guileless young reporter Ray Rifkin (John Patrick White) to persuade Liz not to use "the truth" as a lethal weapon. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1999  
 
Just when it seems that nothing else could go wrong with the preparations for the marriage of Cory (Ben Savage) and Topanga (Danielle Fishel), Best Man Eric (Will Friedle) throws another spanner in the works by changing the locale of the wedding from the Matthews home to the very expensive Philadelphia Victorian Hotel--"borrowing" someone else's catered ceremony in the process, and forgetting to pick up the rings to boot! And why didn't Cory choose Shawn (Rider Strong) as Best Man instead? Well, he did--but Shawn had angrily refused to show up at the wedding after a particularly nasty argument with the bridegroom. Series regular Will Friedle plays a dual role in this Very Special episode. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1999  
 
It's "splitsville" for Cory (Ben Savage) and Topanga (Danielle Fishel), and likewise for Shawn (Rider Strong) and Angela (Trina McGee-Davis). The question: who is going to keep the apartment shared by both couples? The answer: A winner-take-all wrestling match between the boys and the girls. And just to keep the whole thing honest (if not credible), professional wrestler Mankind (playing himself) acts as referee--after breaking down the door of the apartment! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1998  
 
Ever since the 1950s, the area around the city of Springfield, Illinois has been plagued by mysterious 3-day abductions, with the victims returning just as quickly as they disappeared, seemingly none the worse for wear. In truth, however, these victims have been harvest by aliens, who, using implants on their human prey, are laying the groundwork for a mass takeover of the world once those implants are activated. But the only person who has an inkling of what is really going on is police detective Sam Adams (Christopher Meloni), a local "character" whom no one takes seriously. Things begin to intensify when Sam investigates the case of a local six-year-old girl who has undergone a sudden change of personality. Dabney Coleman and Chad Lowe play key roles in this made-for-TV derivation of the old favorite Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Target Earth originally aired February 5, 1998, on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1997  
R  
Add A Little Romance to Queue Add A Little Romance to top of Queue  
Writer-director Joshua Beckett also stars in this romantic comedy, winner at the 1997 Hollywood Film Festival. Self-confident wedding photographer Nick Evans (Beckett) has a domineering Jewish mother, Muriel (Liz Sheridan) and a pregnant sister, Donna (Polly Draper). But womanizing maneuvers are Nick's central preoccupation. Thus, Nick is somewhat taken aback to find himself developing a more lasting interest in clothing-designer Anne Kidwell (Marcia Cross). They begin living together and all is well until Anne begins to question Nick's commitment. At the same time, Nick starts to contemplate his career choices. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

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Starring:
Joshua BeckettMarcia Cross, (more)
 
1997  
 
Somehow or other, Kramer's (Michael Richards) purchase of a meat slicer qualifies him to diagnose the significance of a growth on the chest of George's (Jason Alexander) new boss. Jerry finds out that dating an attractive dermatologist (played by Desperate Housewives' Marcia Cross) can be an adulterated bore. And Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) resorts to drastic measures to counteract the noisemaking activities of her rude neighbor. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1996  
 
Per the title of this made-for-TV drama, all Rachel Stockman (played by future "Desperate Housewife" Marcia Cross) has ever wanted is to bear children. Unfortunately, Rachel suffers from a bipolar disorder, requiring her to take lithium, which thus far has prevented her from becoming pregnant. In desperation, Rachel discontinues her medication, and before long she is "with child." She is also undergoing severe and horrifying mood swings, leading to confinement in a hospital--and ultimately a competency hearing that will determine whether or not she can be legally obliged to take lithium...and to terminate her pregnancy. All She Ever Wanted originally aired April 14, 1996, on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Marcia CrossJames Marshall, (more)
 
1996  
R  
An outwardly successful woman teeters on the brink of emotional collapse in this psychological drama. Evelyn Stevens (Tilda Swinton) is a skilled and well-regarded attorney who is being considered for a prestigious judicial appointment. However, she's plagued by self-doubt and neurotic obsessions (the "perversions" referenced in the title), including an obsession with expensive clothes and cosmetics, lingering fears about her relationship with her lover John (Clancy Brown), an exaggerated sense of competition with the new lawyer in her office, and an intense sexual curiosity about Renee (Karen Sillas), the psychiatrist who has just moved into her building. Evelyn is forced to put her own problems on hold for the moment when she learns that her sister Madelyn (Amy Madigan), a Ph.D candidate struggling to complete her doctoral thesis, has been arrested again for shoplifting. In time, the two sisters realize that they have to come to terms with the psychic damage inflicted upon them in their childhood. Female Perversions was based on the best-selling novel by Louise J. Kaplan. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Starring:
Tilda SwintonAmy Madigan, (more)
 
1994  
 
Carl Lumbly stars as an unlikely super-hero in this made-for-television sci-fi movie. Lumbly stars as Dr. Miles Hawkins, a wheel-chair bound scientist who concocts a device that not only liberates him from his chair, but turns him into a crime-fighting super hero. The idea was later developed into a popular TV-series of the same name, also starring Lumbly. ~ Bernadette McCallion, Rovi

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Starring:
Gina Torres
 
1994  
 
Add Melrose Place: Season 03 to Queue Add Melrose Place: Season 03 to top of Queue  
One of the definitive, landmark shows of the 1990s, "90210" quickly became an important fixture on the FOX and in the popular discourse of adolescents and young adults. The third season's main characters, Dylan, Kelly, Donna, Steve, David, Andrea and twins Brandon and Brenda all attended West Beverly Hills High School. Brandon and Brenda Walsh and their parents, transplants from Minneapolis were the stable nuclear family with strong values; their home was a safe haven for the whole gang and the center of much of the drama. The show dealt with a steady stream of love triangles and other romantic entanglements and occasionally touched on more serious issues as well.

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1993  
 
Add Melrose Place: Season 02 to Queue Add Melrose Place: Season 02 to top of Queue  
There's a lot happening during the 31-episode 1993-94 season of Melrose Place, the sexy, steamy, outrageous, and slightly-more-grown-up spin-off of Beverly Hills, 90210. Heather Locklear (as Amanda Woodward) -- a late-first-season, ratings-boosting addition to the cast -- fully becomes the show's star this season as she purchases the titular apartment complex, takes over the D&D advertising agency, and sets her sights on Jake Hanson (Grant Show). Philandering doctor Michael Mancini (Thomas Calabro) has an affair with Dr. Kimberly Shaw (Marcia Cross, later of Desperate Housewives), divorces Jane Andrews (Josie Bissett), and then takes up with Sydney (Laura Leighton). Billy Campbell (Andrew Shue) still pines for Alison Parker (Courtney Thorne-Smith), whom he jilted for a fling with Amanda -- their boss -- in Season 1. But, this being Melrose Place, that's just the start of it: Jake breaks up with Jo Reynolds (Daphne Zuniga); Michael becomes paralyzed; Kimberly slips into a coma; Sydney becomes a prostitute; and the other soapy twists that were to be the show's trademark come fast and frisky. Features on this set include select audio commentaries by series creator Darren Star and featurettes such as: "Melrose Place - Meet the Neighbors," in which viewers get the inside scoop on favorite characters; a highlight- and lowlight-filled "Melrose Place - The Best of the Worst"; and an overview of the characters' tangled webs, "Melrose Place: Complex Relationships."

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1992  
 
Add Melrose Place: Season 01 to Queue Add Melrose Place: Season 01 to top of Queue  
A nighttime soap opera about the lives, careers, trials and tribulations of a group of young people living in an apartment building in the trendy neighborhood of Melrose Place. The show was a spin off of Beverly Hills 90210 and starred Heather Locklear as the scheming Amanda Woodward, head of her own advertising agency and owner of the apartment building.

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