Wendie Malick

Early life and education

Wendie D. Malick was born on December 13, 1950, in Buffalo, New York, the daughter of Gigi, a former model, and Kenneth Malick (1920–2021), who worked in sales. Her paternal grandfather, Ayad Malick, was an Egyptian from a Coptic Christian family who met her grandmother Sarah Belle Float, a Pentecostal missionary, in 1913. Her other ancestry is French, German, and English. She graduated from Williamsville South High School in 1968. Malick is an alumna of the William Esper Studio for the performing arts in Manhattan, New York City.

Career

Early career

After graduating from Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio, in 1972, Malick began fashion modeling for the Wilhelmina modeling agency. She left to work for Republican Congressman Jack Kemp. She soon left Washington, D.C., to pursue a career on stage and screen. She began working as an actress appearing in the 1979 made-for-television romantic comedy film, How to Pick Up Girls! and later made appearances on the soap opera Love of Life and the comedy show Saturday Night Live. In 1982, she played supporting role in the romantic comedy film, A Little Sex. The same year, Malick auditioned for the role of Diane Chambers in the NBC sitcom Cheers,; Shelley Long was ultimately cast as Diane. She later was cast as one of lead characters of the ABC medical drama series Trauma Center. The series was cancelled after a single season. In 1984 she was featured in the pilot episode of ABC primetime soap opera, Paper Dolls and later guest-starred on Mike Hammer, Scarecrow and Mrs. King and Highway to Heaven. She also In 1986, Malick guest starred as Cecile's henchwoman in the 5,559th episode of Another World. In the late 1980s, Malick began her career in television comedies. She had a recurring role on Kate & Allie as Allie's ex-husband's new wife, and played a supporting role in the 1988 film Scrooged as Bill Murray's sister-in-law. In 1989 she starred as Gayle Buchannon, the sharp-tongued ex-wife of Mitch Buchannon (David Hasselhoff), in the Panic at Malibu Pier, a made-for-television movie and the pilot for the action series, Baywatch. She reprised her role in the series from 1989 to 1994 appearing total in six episodes.

Dream On and Just Shoot Me!

In 1990, Malick was cast in the HBO comedy series Dream On as Judith Tupper Stone, Brian Benben's neurotic but endearing ex-wife. She remained on this show until it ended in 1996, winning four CableACE Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. During Dream On years, Malick also acted in other television series, appearing in dramas, such as MacGyver in 1991, NYPD Blue as a battered socialite in 1993, and L.A. Law and Tales from the Crypt, and sitcoms, including Mad About You, Seinfeld, and Cybill. She also appeared in several television films, including Dynasty: The Reunion (1991), Madonna: Innocence Lost (1994), Hart to Hart: Secrets of the Hart (1995), The Return of Hunter (1995), Apollo 11 (1996) and Perfect Body (1997). Malick starred in the 1999 Lifetime Television film Take My Advice: The Ann and Abby Story, in which she played the dual roles of identical twin sibling advice columnists Ann Landers (Eppie Lederer) and "Dear Abby" Abigail Van Buren (Pauline Phillips). In feature films, Malick appeared in the 1990 romantic comedy, Funny About Love, the 1991 biographical drama Bugsy, the 1995 Rob Reiner-directed comedy-drama The American President, and the 1997 romantic teen comedy Trojan War. As lead actress, she starred in the 1998 independent drama film Jerome.

In 1996, Malick starred as the lead character in her own comedy series, Good Company on CBS. The show was cancelled after only six episodes. In 1997, she began starring as Nina Van Horn, a shallow, boozing former supermodel on the NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me!. She continued in this role until the show ended in 2003. She received positive reviews for her performance.She was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1999 and 2002, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film in 1999. She also guest-starred on The X-Files in 1998. She starred in Disney's animated film The Emperor's New Groove as Chicha in 2000 alongside her fellow Just Shoot Me co-star David Spade, who voices Emperor Kuzco. In 2000, Malick was honored by Women in Film as A Woman of Vision, along with Tipper Gore, Gwen Ifill, and Roseanne Barr.

In 2003, Malick went to star in the pilot My Life with Men, an unaired ABC comedy pilot about a woman who lives with her ex husband and four sons. Later that year she joined the cast of Cheers spin-off Frasier, portraying Ronee Lawrence, a Seattle lounge singer and Frasier's (Kelsey Grammer) childhood babysitter who develops a relationship with Frasier's father, Martin Crane (John Mahoney). Eventually, her character married Martin in the series finale "Goodnight, Seattle". Malick and Mahoney also both appeared in 1995 film The American President. In 2002, she starred opposite Shirley Jones and Cloris Leachman in the comedy film Manna from Heaven. She provided the voice of Principal Folsom for the Disney animated series Fillmore! until its end in 2004. In 2005, she co-starred in the Nickelodeon animated series The X's as Mrs. X.

Later career and Hot in Cleveland

From 2005 to 2006, Malick starred opposite John Stamos in the ABC comedy series Jake in Progress. Malick was to be part of the cast of the series Modern Men, but due to a Jake in Progress renewal, her role on Modern Men was recast with Jane Seymour. Both Jake in Progress and Modern Men were cancelled in 2006. Also in 2005, Malick starred as Clara Dalrymple in the film Racing Stripes. In 2005 and 2006, she provided the voice of Burdine Maxwell in the animated series Bratz. In late 2006 and early 2007, she starred in another short-lived comedy series, Big Day on ABC. Starting in 2005, Malick did voice work on radio and television ads for Marshalls department stores. Malick guest-starred on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Law & Order in 2005. In film, she appeared in Waiting..., Adventureland, and Confessions of a Shopaholic as the instructor of the "Shopaholics Anonymous" group, Miss Korch.

In 2010, Malick was cast as Victoria Chase, a five-time-divorced, Emmy Award-winning soap opera star, in the TV Land comedy series Hot in Cleveland, alongside Jane Leeves, Valerie Bertinelli, and Betty White. The series made ratings success for TV Land, and won generally favorable reviews from critics. In 2011, Malick was a promising contender for an Emmy Award in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series category, though she did not receive a nomination. In 2012, the Hot in Cleveland cast and she were nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. On November 17, 2014, TV Land announced season six would be the final season for the show.

In April 2011, Malick became the celebrity spokesperson for Budget Rent a Car in a series of online and television ads. Malick starred in the 2013 Hallmark original film After All These Years based on the book by best-selling author Susan Isaacs.

After Hot in Cleveland, Malick landed the role in the CBS action comedy-drama series Rush Hour, based on the film franchise of the same name. The series was cancelled after one season. Malick later joined the cast of Fox drama series Pitch in a recurring role as Maxine Armstrong. In 2016 she appeared as Sebastian Lund's (Rob Kerkovich) mother, Sylvia in the fourth episode of NCIS: New Orleans. From 2016 to 2021, she had a recurring role as Katy Mixon, the lead character's mother in the ABC comedy series, American Housewife. Malick also appeared on Mom, Grace and Frankie, This Is Us, Modern Family, and Physical.

Personal life

Malick has been married twice: from 1982 to 1989 to actor and screenwriter Mitch Glazer, and since 1995 to Richard Erickson. They live in Topanga, California, in the Santa Monica Mountains. Malick is a pescetarian. She donates to Democratic political candidates, organizations, and causes.

Filmography