Sharon Marguerite Gless (born May 31, 1943) is an American character actress of stage, who is best known for her roles as Maggie Philbin on Switch (1975-1978), as Sgt. Christine Cagney in the police procedural drama series Cagney & Lacey (1982–1988) and as Debbie Novotny, in the Showtime cable television series Queer as Folk (2000-2005). She is an Emmy Award winner currently playing Madeline Westen on Burn Notice.
A fifth-generation Californian, ...
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Sharon Marguerite Gless (born May 31, 1943) is an American character actress of stage, who is best known for her roles as Maggie Philbin on Switch (1975-1978), as Sgt. Christine Cagney in the police procedural drama series Cagney & Lacey (1982–1988) and as Debbie Novotny, in the Showtime cable television series Queer as Folk (2000-2005). She is an Emmy Award winner currently playing Madeline Westen on Burn Notice.
A fifth-generation Californian, Gless was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Marjorie (née McCarthy) and a father who worked as a sales executive in the garment trade. She worked as a secretary for the advertising agencies Grey Advertising and Young & Rubicam, and then for the independent movie production companies Sassafras Films and General Film Corporation. After deciding to switch to acting, Gless took classes and in 1974 signed a 10-year contract with Universal Studios. She has described herself as the “last of the studio contract players — a salaried, Old...
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