Brenda Strong

Brenda Strong is an American actress, born Brenda Lee Strong on March 25, 1960, in Portland, Oregon. She trained in music at Arizona State University and started on screen in the mid 1980s with guest roles on shows such as St. Elsewhere, MacGyver and Cheers. Over the following decades she became a familiar face in television, with recurring parts on Twin Peaks, Seinfeld, Sports Night, Party of Five and Everwood. She is best known as Mary Alice Young, the deceased neighbor who narrates Desperate Housewives from 2004 to 2012, work that earned two Emmy nominations for voice-over performance and, with the cast, Screen Actors Guild ensemble awards in 2005 and 2006. Her film credits include Starship Troopers and its sequel, and later television work includes Dallas, Supergirl and 13 Reasons Why, where she also directed two episodes.