One of the most recognizable faces of the ’90s and 2000s gave fans a treat with a rare sighting in Los Angeles on Monday.
The stunning actress, 63, who got her start on the daytime soaps One Life to Live and Knots Landing, looked effortlessly chic as she ran errands in a casual ensemble featuring a cozy cardigan and faded jeans.
Channeling one of her most unforgettable moments as Melrose Place’s Kimberly Shaw — when she famously ripped off her wig to reveal a shocking head scar — the star rocked a large bucket hat that covered most of her signature red hair during the daytime outing.
The laid-back look was a far cry from the perfectly pressed skirts and pearls she wore as Bree Van de Kamp on Desperate Housewives, the hit ABC series she led from 2004 to 2012.
Longtime fans will also remember her scene-stealing turns on Seinfeld, Boy Meets World, Ally McBeal, Spin City, and The King of Queens.
Can you guess the famous redhead?
One of the most recognizable faces of the ’90s and 2000s gave fans a treat with a rare sighting in Los Angeles on Monday
The stunning actress, 63, who got her start on the daytime soaps One Life to Live and Knots Landing, looked effortlessly chic as she ran errands in a casual ensemble featuring a cozy cardigan and faded jeans
If you said Marcia Cross, you’re right!
‘I’d auditioned to be on just one episode,’ Cross once told The Hollywood Reporter of her Melrose Place gig.
She continued, ‘The part was for a doctor, which sounded cool. They had me back for one more. Then it was two. Then it was three. They just kept asking me to come back even though they’d had Kimberly dying.
‘I was told, “We have an idea of how you can come back.”‘
Then came the scene — the moment that would turn Melrose Place into TV legend.
Kimberly started as Michael’s (Thomas Calabro) co-worker and secret lover in the first season, but it wasn’t until her supposed death in a horrific car crash during season two that things really took off.
Fifteen episodes after Michael was told his fiancée had died from her injuries, she returned — very much alive — secretly spying on him and Sydney (Laura Leighton) from the beach and even making eerie late-night visits.
While her shocking resurrection could have been the ultimate twist for most shows, Melrose Place wasn’t done yet.
Channeling one of her most unforgettable moments as Melrose Place’s Kimberly Shaw — when she famously ripped off her wig to reveal a shocking head scar — the star rocked a large bucket hat that covered most of her signature red hair during the daytime outing
The laid-back look was a far cry from the perfectly pressed skirts and pearls she wore as Bree Van de Kamp on Desperate Housewives , the hit ABC series she led from 2004 to 2012
Tormented by a migraine, Kimberly slipped into the bathroom for relief — and what happened next left viewers speechless.
She ripped off her flowing red wig, revealing a patchy buzzcut and a jagged scar running across her scalp.
As the camera zoomed in and the screen cut to black, 17.5 million viewers were left gasping, instantly cementing the scene as one of the most talked-about TV moments in history.
‘I was doing Twelfth Night at the Old Globe in San Diego at the time they said Kimberly was coming back. I enjoyed doing Melrose but didn’t want to give up the play. I decided to do both at the same time,’ she told THR.
‘My agent even said, ‘Don’t do it.’ I just said, ‘Watch me.’ I remember flying up from San Diego to the set in Oxnard, going from Shakespeare to pulling off a wig to show a scar.
‘After that twist, and seeing how people went a kooky for it, I realized, ‘Oh god, this is real!’ I didn’t really understand what was going on for a long while until then.’
Cross got her start in 1984 on the soap The Edge of Night, playing recurring character Liz Correll.
She soon moved from New York to Los Angeles and scored roles in TV movies like The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James, co-starring Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson.
If you said Marcia Cross, you’re right! (picutred 2005)
‘I’d auditioned to be on just one episode,’ Cross once told The Hollywood Reporter of her Melrose Place gig
Then came the scene — the moment that would turn Melrose Place into TV legend
Tormented by a migraine, Kimberly slipped into the bathroom for relief — and what happened next left viewers speechless: She ripped off her flowing red wig, revealing a patchy buzzcut and a jagged scar running across her scalp
Her breakout role came in 2004 as Bree Van de Kamp on Desperate Housewives, earning multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations while helping the series run for eight seasons
In 2006, she married stockbroker Tom Mahoney, and soon after, underwent in vitro fertilization; (pictured 2017)
After joining One Life to Live as Kate Sanders in 1986, she appeared on primetime favorites including Who’s the Boss?, Quantum Leap, Knots Landing and Cheers.
In 1992, she became a household name as Dr. Kimberly Shaw on Melrose Place, later guest-starring on hits like Seinfeld, Boy Meets World, Ally McBeal, Spin City and The King of Queens.
Her breakout role came in 2004 as Bree Van de Kamp on Desperate Housewives, earning multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations while helping the series run for eight seasons.
In recent years, Cross has continued to appear on TV, including guest spots on Law & Order: SVU and a recurring role as President Claire Haas on Quantico.
As for her personal life, Cross was the long-time companion of actor Richard Jordan, who was 25 years her senior, until his death from a brain tumor in 1993.
In 2006, she married stockbroker Tom Mahoney, and soon after, underwent in vitro fertilization.
The following year, just before her 45th birthday, she welcomed fraternal twin daughters, completing a new chapter in her life far from the drama of the small screen.
