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Prior to her role on Desperate Housewives, Cross starred as Dr. Linda Abbott on WB's critically-acclaimed series, Everwood. She is also well known for her portrayal of the mentally unbalanced Dr. Kimberly Shaw on Melrose Place, whom she played from 1992 to 1997. Kimberly was, and remains, a firm fan favorite - providing many of the show's most memorable moments, in her plans to kill many of the characters on the show. One Melrose website's poll on most popular characters on the show listed Cross's Kimberly Shaw second only to Heather Locklear's Amanda Woodward but the series' producers were curiously slow in promoting Cross to full-fledged cast member status in the opening credits, an honor she did not receive until her fourth season in the role despite having had as much screen time as any series regular.

On stage, Cross performed in La Ronde at the Williamstown Theater Festival, in Twelfth Night, or What You Will at the Hartford Stage Company, and in The Two Gentlemen of Verona at the Old Globe in San Diego.

Her first television job was on the daytime drama The Edge of Night. Leaving New York to try her luck in Los Angeles, Cross was soon landing roles in television movies such as The Last Days of Frank and Jessie James, co-starring with Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson. Later, in 1986, she went on to portray Kate Sanders on the ABC daytime drama, One Life to Live. She played the role until 1987.

In 1991, Cross guest-starred on the 13th season of Knots Landing as the mysterious wife of Pierce Lawton (Bruce Greenwood). Ironically, she spent most of her screen-time on the show confronting Paige Matheson, played by Desperate Housewives co-star Nicollette Sheridan.

Her most notable soap role on Melrose Place began when she was hired for one episode. The producers were so impressed, they kept asking her back for additional appearances, eventually bringing her character back from the dead to continue on the hit show.

Cross also guest-starred on such series as Seinfeld, where she played Jerry's dermatologist girlfriend (or as Jerry preferred, "Dr. Sitarides: Pimple Popper M.D."), and Cheers, where she portrayed Susan Howe, the younger sister to Kirstie Alley's character, Rebecca Howe. She has also appeared on the comedies Boy Meets World, Ally McBeal, Spin City, It's Garry Shandling's Show and King of Queens. Her dramatic roles include appearances on CSI, Profiler, Everwood and Touched by an Angel. Cross's film credits include Living in Fear, Always Say Good-bye, Dancing in September,Bad Influence and "Female Perversions" in 1996, which featured her only on-screen nude scene.

(wikipedia.org)