Zach Young

Main characters

The following are characters whose portrayer received "Starring" billing at any point of the series. They are sorted in the order in which they were introduced to the main cast, and not by episode count, screen time, or popularity.

Zach Young

Zachary "Zach" Young (Cody Kasch) is the son (non-legal) of Paul and Mary Alice. Zach's birth parents are Deirdre Taylor and Mike Delfino; however, this, along with his original name of Dana Taylor, is not revealed until "One Wonderful Day".

Zach is put in a mental institution by his father after his mother's suicide. Zach later runs away and is found hiding in Julie's room, and after they start dating. Whilst at the institution, Zach was diagnosed with clinical depression and a borderline personality disorder. When Julie eventually ends their relationship due to his mental instability, Zach blows up her kitchen.

Zach then goes into hiding, and later Mike and Susan look for him, Mike having realized he is his father. Susan finds him, but when he speaks about reconciling with Julie, she suggests he go to Utah and find Paul and gives him money for the bus fare. Months later, when Paul is arrested, Paul begs Zach to ask his grandfather, Noah Taylor, for money to pay a lawyer. Noah refuses, and Zach turns off Noah's respirator, killing him. After, he finds that he has inherited a vast fortune and no longer wants anything to do with Paul. Zach moves to his grandfather's mansion.

Zach reappears in season three as Gabrielle's secret admirer. Zach unsuccessfully tries to impress Gabrielle with luxurious gifts and his wealth. After getting her drunk, Zach lets her believe that they had sex, which she cannot remember. Gabrielle then asks Carlos to scare Zach off, and Carlos realizes that Zach and Gaby had not slept together, after accidentally seeing Zach's penis at the urinals, and telling Gaby that if they had sex, she would have remembered. Later Zach proposes at Scavo's Pizzeria but Gabrielle declines as she does not want a relationship with him.

Zach returns in season seven, shooting Paul at the end of the episode "Down the Block There's a Riot". He first appears as a delivery guy delivering flowers to Bree. Later in the episode, a gun matching the one used to shoot Paul is found on Bree's couch after Zach planted it there. It's revealed that Zach is now addicted to drugs and gambling and has lost his entire fortune on both. Paul and Mike both momentarily put their differences aside to help Zach by placing him in a rehab clinic for treatment, where he remains for the rest of the series.

Karl Mayer

Karl Mayer (Richard Burgi) is the ex-husband of housewife Susan and father of Julie, as well as a successful practitioner of family law. According to Cherry, casting the role of Karl was difficult because he "wanted a guy that was nice looking and seemed like he would have been married to Teri, but was also someone you wouldn't like." The character was portrayed by another actor in a series of non-speaking flashbacks in the pilot episode, but the role was recast once the direction of the character changed. After making some guest appearances during the first season, Burgi joined the regular cast in the second season. However, he returned to his guest starring status from the third season until his character's death halfway through the sixth season. Burgi returned for the series finale, appearing as his character's ghost among other deceased characters.

Karl was born in 1963. He married Susan and a year later their daughter, Julie, was born. In 1992, he moved with his wife and daughter to Fairview, 4353 Wisteria Lane. Eleven years later, Karl cheated on Susan with Edie Britt and his secretary Brandi. After discovering his affair with Brandi, his wife filed for divorce with the court and kicked him out of the house, changing the locks. When Brandi cheats on him, he goes to Susan to ask for a second chance, but she declines because of her commitment to Mike Delfino. Later, he begins a relationship with Edie.

In the second season, Susan discovers that Karl is now living with Edie. However, he continues trying to get back with Susan, as he is still in love with her. Eventually he lies to Susan, claiming him and Edie are broken up, and they sleep together. Later in the season, when Susan finds out she needs to have a surgical operation to correct a wandering spleen, Karl offers to marry Susan so that she can use his health insurance to pay for it, but they plan to divorce soon after Susan's surgery. Karl becomes jealous of Susan and Dr. Ron McCready's relationship and sabotages it. Later on, Karl asks Edie to marry him; however, when Edie learns of his sham marriage with Susan, she demands that Karl throws her a lavish wedding. However, when she discovers they had also slept together, Edie burns Susan's house down, prompting Karl to buy her a new one. Karl eventually leaves Edie before the marriage.

Karl eventually marries a woman named Marissa (played by Sunny Mabrey) and even has a child with her, teasing Susan about his new life. After the five-year time jump between the fourth and fifth seasons, Karl has enrolled his son Evan in Susan's art class, where she learns Marissa has left Karl because she could not handle being a mother, leaving him to raise Evan by himself. The experience has led Karl to come to understanding the ramifications of his infidelities during his marriage to Susan. Susan sympathizes with him,. Bree later hires Karl as her divorce lawyer, and he helps her stage a fake burglary of her house to hide assets that she does not want Orson to have access to. When Orson finds out about the scheme and blackmails Bree into staying in the marriage, Karl and Bree begin an affair.

Ana Solis

Ana Solis (Maiara Walsh) is the granddaughter of Carlos' Aunt Connie. Ana arrives to Wisteria Lane in the fifth-season finale to live with Carlos and his family when her grandmother could not take care of Ana anymore. They eventually become her legal guardians.

Later, Ana gets a job working for John Rowland, Gabrielle's ex-lover, and develops a crush on him, until Gabrielle confesses to her about her past affair with John after Ana witnesses him kissing her, and she quits her job.

Ana begins to date Danny, but Gabrielle sends Ana to New York to protect her after hearing Angie and Nick argue about their dangerous past. By the end of season 6, Ana remains in New York City, and Danny leaves to be with her.

Bob Hunter and Lee McDermott

Bob Hunter (Tuc Watkins) and Lee McDermott (Kevin Rahm) are the first gay couple to live on the fictitious Wisteria Lane. They first appeared in the season four episode "If There's Anything I Can't Stand" on October 21, 2007. Within the series, Bob is an attorney, and Lee is a real estate agent. At the end of season 7, they adopt a 10-year-old daughter named Jenny.

Prior to the fourth season of Desperate Housewives, the series' sole leading gay character was Andrew Van de Kamp, whom critics noted as having a minimal role in season three. In July 2007, two months before the premiere of season four, series creator Marc Cherry announced that a gay couple would be moving to Wisteria Lane around the fifth episode of the new season. Cherry named the characters after ABC journalist Bob Woodruff and his wife, Lee, and based them on his own experiences and interactions with neighbors as a gay man. Cherry decided not to make the new characters "issue-oriented" and treat them like the heterosexual couples on the series. Actor Tuc Watkins was cast in the recurring role of Bob in August 2007, having previously auditioned for the role of Adam Mayfair for the series only a few weeks earlier. Kevin Rahm, who was cast as Bob's partner Lee, originally auditioned for Bob.

Both Watkins and Rahm were promoted from recurring guest stars to series regulars for the seventh season. However, for the eighth and final season of the series, both of them were demoted to "Also starring".

Chuck Vance

Chuck Vance (Jonathan Cake) is introduced in the seventh season as the investigator in charge of keeping an eye on Felicia Tilman who has moved back onto the lane. He begins dating Bree Van de Kamp until she discovers he is still married, though he had filed for divorce a year ago. When Bree confronts Chuck with this information, Chuck retaliates by telling her he had also run a background check on her. After an argument, they make up and continue to date. In the seventh season finale, Lee tells Bree he recognizes Chuck as a gay man he has seen in local gay bars. Bree drops in on him at the police station, and her suspicions deepen, leading her to believe Chuck's marriage has broken down because he is gay. After a dinner date, Bree insists Chuck take her to a gay bar, where several patrons and a waiter recognize him. Chuck tells her he had worked undercover in the bar, and discloses his marriage broke down because his wife had been having an affair with his police partner.

In the eighth season, Bree continues her relationship with Chuck, but she fears that he might discover what happened with Alejandro in "Come on Over for Dinner", so she breaks up with him on the same night Chuck had planned to propose to her. Chuck is later given a missing person report for Alejandro. Chuck recalls seeing Alejandro at Wisteria Lane the night of the progressive party, so he guesses that Bree is involved in the case. Chuck investigates while harassing Bree and her friends, in an attempt to get revenge and make Bree suffer. Chuck is close to discover the truth until he is run over and killed by Orson. Chuck appears amongst other deceased characters in the series finale.

Ben Faulkner

Ben Faulkner (Charles Mesure) is an Australian real estate developer who moves to Wisteria Lane in the final season. He attracts Renee's attention, and they eventually begin dating. Bree comes to volunteer at Ben's soup kitchen and helps him get the right to build his houses for the poor in the woods, but she later finds out that it is the same place that the girls buried Alejandro. Bree first tries to prevent Ben from building the houses there, but after Ben finds the corpse, Bree decides to reveal the secret to him, and asks Mike to bury it under the concrete foundations at the site.

Ben has a financial crisis and decides to do business with a loan shark but later has trouble paying him back. After a stress-related attack, he is taken to the hospital. Mike tells Renee about the situation with the loan shark, so she pays off the loan shark behind Ben's back.

Ben decides to propose to Renee, but he gets arrested when the police find Alejandro's body at his construction site. Renee gets the ring on her finger before he is taken in for questioning. Ben is let go, but when Bree is thanking Ben for covering up the murder, the cops are listening in to their phone call. Renee confronts Ben after finding out that Ben is on the witness list for Bree's trial, but Ben tells her he cannot tell her anything because he does not want to put her at risk. Ben goes to the trial but refuses to speak. He is arrested and jailed until he speaks, and the prosecutor threatens Renee with sending him back to Australia unless she confesses what she knows. In the end, Bree is exonerated, and Ben finally marries Renee.

Juanita Solis

Juanita Solis (Kaili Say in season 4 and Madison De La Garza from season 5 onwards) is the legal daughter of Gabrielle and Carlos Solis born in the 5-year gap between seasons 4 and 5. Kaili Say was originally cast to play Juanita as seen by the end of season 4's final episode. However, Madison De La Garza replaced her from season 5 onwards. She is named after Carlos' late mother.

In Season 7, Carlos learns that Juanita was switched at birth with Grace Sanchez (Ceci Balagot), and that her biological parents are Hector and Carmen Sanchez (Ronaldo Molina and Carla Jimenez, respectively). Upon discovering the switch, Gabrielle tracks down her biological daughter, Grace. Unaware of the truth, Juanita is jealous of the attention her mother bestows on Grace. When Juanita's biological parents turn out to be illegal immigrants, Grace is forced to leave with them, causing Gabrielle to be heartbroken. She tries to get through her feelings by writing a note to Grace but Juanita finds it and discovers the truth. She yells at Gabrielle and even shoves her down before fleeing the house, ending up in the back of Lee's car during the riot caused by Paul. When the car is attacked as part of a riot, Juanita is nearly hurt but is rescued by Gabrielle and Carlos and appears ready to forgive her parents.

De La Garza is promoted to "Starring" status in the eighth season, but only in the episodes she appears in.

Secondary characters

The following are characters whose portrayer received "Also starring" billing at any point of the series, but never received "Starring" billing. They are sorted in the order in which they were introduced to the cast, and not by episode count, screen time or popularity.

Danielle Van de Kamp

Danielle Van de Kamp (Joy Lauren) is the daughter of Bree and Rex Van de Kamp, and Andrew's younger sister.

After being broken up with by John Rowland, she begins dating Matthew Applewhite, who has recently moved to Wisteria Lane. Danielle is an accomplice to Matthew's scheme to have Caleb "put down" and frees Danielle when his mother catches him. The two pack to run away while Betty and Bree race to stop them. When Bree confronts the kids, Matthew threatens to kill Bree, as Danielle pleads for her mother's life. Matthew is killed by a police sniper, and Bree and Danielle tentatively reconcile.

Later, Danielle has a brief affair with her history teacher, until she is dumped by him. She reveals their affair to her teacher's wife, going as far as to get him fired and possibly criminally charged. Soon afterward Danielle begins another affair with Austin McCann, eventually blackmailing him with telling Julie about their relationship if he tries to end it.

When Danielle discovers she is pregnant with Austin's child, Bree and Orson take Danielle to a convent, and tell others that Danielle is studying abroad. Bree pretends she is pregnant, intending to raise her grandchild herself. Danielle eventually gives birth at home to a baby boy named Benjamin, during a Halloween party. The next morning she gives Bree the baby and leaves to attend college in Miami.

During the five-year gap in the series, Danielle had returned for her son, leaving Bree devastated. After several years but finally agrees to bring her son and new husband, Leo Katz, a lawyer, to visit. Bree constantly criticizes the way Danielle is raising Benjamin, including their vegetarianism, homeschooling, and practicing Judaism. An angry Danielle departs early along with her family, leaving her relationship with her mother strained once again.

By the end of the series, she has gotten divorced and started an online business selling exercise equipment. Bree soon discovers she is selling "sex swings" and while angry, she decides eventually to support her daughter in hopes of bridging the gap between them.

Caleb and Matthew Applewhite

Caleb (Page Kennedy, replaced by NaShawn Kearse) and Matthew Applewhite (Mehcad Brooks; in flashbacks portrayed by Hendrix Henrie-Erhahon) are Betty Applewhite's sons. Through conversations and flashbacks, it is revealed that prior to moving to Fairview, Matthew was dating a young woman named Melanie Foster. He had tried to break up with her, but Melanie asked him to meet her at a lumber yard. Caleb arrived first, and after telling Melanie he loves her, he tried to kiss her, but she slapped him and then hit him with an axe. Frightened, Caleb took the axe and hit Melanie in the head. When she fell to the ground, Caleb fled, thinking he had killed her. Matthew arrived later to find Melanie injured but alive. He tried to convince her that Caleb acted out of fear and would not intentionally hurt her, but she told him she would go to the police unless Matthew agreed to resume their relationship. As she walked away, he bludgeoned her with the axe, killing her. However, because Caleb arrived home first with blood on his hands, Betty is convinced it is he who murdered Melanie.

In Fairview, Betty insists on keeping Caleb locked in the basement, wanting to protect him from the authorities. One day, however, Caleb manages to escape and sneaks into Gabrielle's house. While searching for Caleb, Matthew meets Danielle Van de Kamp, who flirts with him and suggests they date. Knowing he himself is really Melanie's killer and wanting to help his brother, Matthew tries to convince Betty to allow Caleb to live upstairs. As Gabrielle has admitted, Caleb had the chance but chose not to hurt her and that his only crime was stealing a bowl of ice cream. Betty eventually concedes. Bree is displeased with Matthew and Danielle's relationship when she learns about Melanie's murder from Betty. Forbidden to see each other, Matthew and Danielle decide Caleb is the problem and devise a plan to get him out of their way. Matthew tells Caleb that Danielle likes him and wants to kiss him. Caleb goes to the Van De Kamp house and into Danielle's room, where Danielle screams for Bree. Bree enters with her gun and frightens Caleb away. Betty realizes she cannot control Caleb and decides to kill him peacefully by crushing pills into a bowl of ice cream. As Caleb eats the ice cream, he tells his mother that Matthew had told him to go to Danielle's room. Furious, Betty takes the ice cream from Caleb and locks Matthew in the basement, but he is soon freed by Danielle. Betty learns that Matthew is really Melanie's killer and informs Bree, who rushes home to find Danielle and Matthew with money they have just taken from her safe. Betty alerts the police, while a standoff ensues between Matthew and Bree. After Matthew threatens to kill Bree, he is shot in the heart by a police sniper before he can pull the trigger. Following Matthew's death, Betty and Caleb leave Wisteria Lane.

Preston and Porter Scavo

Preston and Porter Scavo (Brent and Shane Kinsman seasons 1 to 5, Max and Charlie Carver seasons 5 to 8) are Lynette's oldest twin sons. They are shown to be very rebellious, much to the distress of their parents. Their uncontrollable nature leads to hints that they may have ADHD.

In Season 5, they have continued their mischievous ways in forms such as underage drinking, smoking, and joyrides in their family's cars. However, it appears that the twins are showing signs of growing up and following their parents' rules. It is discovered later in the season that Porter was having an affair with his best friend's mother, Anne Schilling. She ultimately leaves town, and Porter is accused of starting the fire at Warren Schilling's club, although the charges are later dropped.

In Season 6, Preston leaves to backpack in Europe for a year, whilst Porter continues living at home to attend Fairview Community College. Later, Preston returns in the episode with a fiancée from Russia named Irina Korsakov, who he leaves after discovering her deceit. Eventually, with both twins living at home again, Lynette and Tom agree that it is time for them to find their own place. The boys briefly move in with Mrs. McCluskey until she kicks the twins out after a house party.

In the final season, it is announced that Porter is the father of Julie's baby. In "Finishing the Hat", his and Julie's baby is born.

Parker Scavo

Parker Scavo (Zane Huett seasons 1 to 4, Joshua Logan Moore season 5 to 8) is the youngest son of Lynette and Tom. He, just like all of Lynette's kids, drives her crazy with his unruliness and rebellious nature. In the first season, Parker stays at home while his brothers are in school. In season two, Parker starts school, although he struggles with his mom's absence with work.

He gets along very well with his half-sister, Kayla, and is most connected to McCluskey, especially when she is victim of rumors that she killed her husband, convincing her to tell everybody the truth. He gets buried alive in McCluskey's house during the tornado and is the second one to be pulled out of it. He was disgusted to learn his parents were still having sex after they tell the family Lynette is pregnant again. In "Lovely" he and his friends are doing a peeping tom on Robin in the shower. It is later revealed that he offered money to sleep with her, which she declined. His parents later had a talk with him, with Tom reassuring Parker that he will have sex when the time is right.

George Williams

George Williams (Roger Bart) is a pharmacist who begins a relationship with Bree Van de Kamp after she discovers her husband Rex's affair. George becomes increasingly obsessed with Bree, until he begins tampering with Rex's heart medication, substituting it with dangerous amounts of potassium, ultimately leading to Rex's death in the episode "One Wonderful Day."

After Rex's death, George proposes to a reluctant Bree, but she accepts. After she refuses to wear her ring, George learns Bree's therapist, Dr. Goldfine, has suggested Bree slow things down in their relationship. He attacks Dr. Goldfine, throwing him over a bridge while he is jogging. He survives the attack and is hospitalized.

After George places an engagement announcement in the newspaper, his ex-fiancée, Leila Mitzman, warns Bree that George is unstable. However, George claims that it is Leila who is obsessed with him.

After a fight at a restaurant about Bree not wearing her ring, wherein he assaulted her old college boyfriend, she ends the engagement and orders George to leave. Later, when Bree realizes that George was the one who attacked Dr. Goldfine. She notifies the police, and George retreats to a hotel where Bree is co-hosting a charity event. He sends her a note through a bellman telling her he is committing suicide, and includes his room number, hoping Bree will come to save him. Bree goes to his room but refuses to call for help when George declines to take responsibility for Rex's death. George dies from overdosing on pills.

George appears amongst other deceased characters in the series finale.

Austin McCann

Austin McCann (Josh Henderson) is Edie's troubled teenage nephew. When Edie catches him trying to break into her house, she lets him stay with her for some time instead of going to Mexico like he was planning to. He is instantly attracted to Julie, and they begin a relationship after both being held hostage by Carolyn Bigsby. However, it is revealed that Austin has also been sleeping with Danielle Van De Kamp, who blackmails him into continuing the affair. However, when Edie and Susan catch Austin and Danielle having sex, Susan tells Julie, which ends their relationship.

Later, he discovers that he got Danielle pregnant just when he managed to mend his relationship with Julie. Orson tells Austin he needs to leave town. Although Austin initially refuses, Andrew points out that sooner or later he would just hurt Julie again, and Austin agrees to leave.

Dylan Mayfair

Dylan Mayfair (Lyndsy Fonseca) is Katherine's daughter. Dylan has no memory of her childhood or Wisteria Lane, or Julie Mayer who insists they used to play together as children.

One day, Dylan is driving, and a police officer pulls her over for speeding. Later, she finds out he is her father, Wayne, who she always thought had died. Wayne asks Dylan not to tell Katherine that they have met, and they secretly meet a few times for dinner.

Wayne later discovers that Dylan is not his daughter, and Katherine explains the truth (See Katherine Mayfair).

In the fifth season Katherine reveals that Dylan has married and that she and her husband, Bradley, have had a baby. It is learned that Dylan and her family live in Baltimore.

She makes her return to Wisteria Lane in Season 6, when her mother intentionally stabs herself. Katherine had told Dylan that she was married to Mike, and that Susan had stabbed her; however, after Susan shows Dylan her wedding album, Dylan realizes that her mother has been lying to her and living in delusion. When Dylan confronts her mother, Katherine goes into a full-blown meltdown and both Susan and Dylan watch as she is restrained.

Kayla Huntington Scavo

Kayla Scavo (Rachel Fox) née Huntington is the daughter of Tom Scavo and Nora Huntington, and stepdaughter of Lynette. Tom reveals that he has just found out that a one-night stand twelve years ago (prior to meeting Lynette) had resulted in the birth of Kayla. Lynette tries to include Kayla in their family, but it becomes increasingly difficult due to Nora's hostility. Kayla's true sociopathic personality does not emerge until after Nora's death, which causes Kayla to move in with the Scavo's full-time.

In season four, Kayla seems to be closer to Lynette and fits in perfectly with the rest of the Scavo family. Later on in the season, however, she becomes more crafty and psychotic when she persuades Porter and Preston to set fire to Rick Coletti's rival pizza joint, and tricks Preston into jumping off the roof of the house by pretending that she had safely done so herself by using an umbrella as a parachute. Lynette takes Kayla to a therapist, who tells Lynette that she and Kayla should spend more time together, so Lynette takes her shopping. Kayla blackmails her to get what she wants in the store, and she then threatens to hurt Penny, causing Lynette to slap her. Later, Kayla calls her therapist and tells him that Lynette has repeatedly hit her many times before. These accusations bring Child Protective Services to the Scavo home. After intentionally overhearing the conversation between the Scavo's and their lawyer, she hears that Lynette could lose her rights of parental custody over her children. Kayla proceeds by burning herself with a curling iron, claiming Lynette did it to her, and leading to Lynette's arrest. Later that night Tom tricks Kayla into confessing everything, while her therapist listens to their conversation. Kayla insists that Tom has to let her stay within the family household, but Tom decides to call Nora's parents, and Kayla is forced to move away and live with her grandparents.

Penny Scavo

Penelope Lynne Scavo (Dylan and Jordan Cline - season 1; Darien and Kerstin Pinkerton - seasons 2–4; Kendall Applegate - season 5 and 6; Darcy Rose Byrnes - season 7 and 8) is Lynette and Tom's fourth child and first daughter. She has her first line in the season three episode "God, That's Good". She is the most well-behaved out of Lynette's children.

Penny plays a more active role in the series after the 5-year jump between seasons 4 and 5. She learns she is going to be a big sister when Lynette becomes pregnant again in season 6, and becomes jealous of the new baby. In the episode "The Chase" she celebrates her 11th birthday, but Tom and Lynette forget it. They rush to plan a party, resulting in a birthday dinner with only half the family there, and a cake with the name "Polly" on it. Upset, Penny uses her parents' credit card to check herself in a hotel. Lynette discovers this when Penny does not come home from school, and one of Penny's friends gives her mom a note explaining that she ran away. When baby Paige is born, Penny has a change of attitude and even helps Lynette babysit Paige in "The Thing That Counts is What's Inside", taking her to school with her. Throughout season eight, Penny helps Lynette try to win Tom back many times.

Nick Bolen

Nick Bolen (formerly Dominic; Jeffrey Nordling) is the husband of Angie Bolen. He had a brief affair with Julie, leading him to be a suspect for her strangling. Angie finds out about the affair when the police calls her, and she lies and provides him an alibi. Angie forgives him after punching him in the face.

Later, Patrick Logan arrives to Wisteria Lane, he runs Nick over. Gabrielle visits Nick in the hospital and shows him the note that Angie left her, and he leaves the hospital with her. However, Nick passes out in Gabrielle's car due to the influence of pain pills. After Patrick is killed, Nick and Angie leave Wisteria Lane and move to Atlanta to remain in hiding.

Danny Bolen

Danny Bolen (formerly Tyler; Beau Mirchoff) is the son of Angie and Nick Bolen. He comments that he did not want to move to Fairview, to which his mother replied "Oh, honey. Whose fault was that?" He has feelings for Julie, but is prone to random fits of anger around her, and thus becomes a suspect after Julie is strangled. Danny confronts his father after he discovers his father's affair with Julie. After Julie tells Danny she will never be with him, he attempts to commit suicide, but fails. Later at the hospital, he is being looked after by Nurse Mona Clarke, who lives on Wisteria Lane. When Mona calls him by name, a dazed Danny says that his name is Tyler. He starts dating Ana Solis, which concerns Angie, as she is afraid that Ana is going to break his heart someday. He goes to New York City to talk with Ana about her supposed modeling job and reconnects with his grandmother. It also revealed that Patrick Logan is his biological father, but he does not know this and thinks of Nick as his real dad. Patrick meets Danny Patrick in episode "We All Deserve to Die", and tells Danny that he is writing a novel, which in reality is the story of how Patrick and Angie met. Patrick asks Danny for advice on how to "end the novel" and Danny, believing it is all fiction, suggests that the main character kill "the girl", for taking away the main character's kid (who takes the role of Danny). When Patrick runs Nick over, Angie tells Danny to escape, and though she reveals Patrick's past as an eco-terrorist, she misses out the important fact of their relationship. Danny is about to leave town, but is tricked by Patrick into returning, and is held hostage along with Angie. Patrick reveals to Danny the truth about his paternity. Patrick attempts to kill Danny by making Angie build a bomb and placing it in the Bolens' house; however, Angie planted the bomb within the detonator and Patrick is killed, while Danny is saved by Gabrielle. Later, while Angie and Nick relocate to Atlanta, Danny is seen relocating to New York to be with his grandmother and Ana.

Maynard James "M.J." Delfino

M.J. Delfino (Mason Vale Cotton) is Susan and Mike's son. He is born on Mother's Day in the fourth season episode "Mother Said", shortly before the five-year time jump. His first name honors Mike's maternal grandfather and second name, his paternal grandfather.

M.J. is shy, quiet, and like his mother when she was younger, is an underachiever who struggles in school due to his lack of intelligence and common sense, prompting Susan and Mike to enroll him in private school. When Mike begins dating Katherine, M.J. resents their relationship; however, he grows fond of Katherine as her romance with Mike progresses. M.J. becomes the target of a murder scheme when Dave Williams wants revenge on Susan for killing his wife and daughter in a car accident several years earlier. However, Dave spares M.J.'s life after experiencing overwhelming guilt.

The eighth and final season sees Mike being killed and M.J. and Susan dealing with the loss. M.J. is generally depicted in a bad temper because he feels like the other children at school think of him as a "weird kid" for not having a father anymore. M.J. and his family eventually leave Wisteria Lane in the series finale, due to his half-sister Julie's new baby.

Recurring characters

The following are characters whose portrayer received "Guest starring" billing at any point of the series, but never received "Starring" or "Also starring" billing. Only those relevant characters that appeared in two or more seasons, or in a major story arc during one season, are included. They are sorted first by the season in which they were introduced and then by the episode in which they first appeared.

Introduced in season one

Martha Huber (Christine Estabrook) lives at 4350 Wisteria Lane. She first appears in the pilot episode as a nosey neighbor who discovers Mary Alice's body after the latter commits suicide. When Edie's house burns down, Martha discovers a measuring cup that Edie said was not hers in the ruins, making Martha curious. When she finds a new measuring cup in Susan's groceries, she realizes that Susan burned Edie's house down. Martha consequently blackmails Susan until Susan and her daughter, Julie, break into Martha's home to retrieve the cup and destroy it.

Later, it is revealed that Martha discovered Mary Alice's secret. Martha decides to solve her financial difficulties by blackmailing Mary Alice by letter, but Mary Alice commits suicide after receiving it. Mary Alice's friends find the note when packing up her belongings and give it to Paul. He hires a private eye/hit man to discover who was responsible and kill them. After discovering Martha had stationary matching the note, Paul confronts her. She explains that she was desperate for money, and Mary Alice killed herself because of "what she did to that poor baby (Zach Young)". In a rage, Paul kills Martha by bludgeoning her with the blender and strangling her. He then buries her next to a forest hiking trail.

Martha Huber has made few appearances since season one. In season five, she appears gossiping to the residents of Wisteria Lane about finding Mary Alice Young's body. Martha was seen again in the season seven premiere episode "Remember Paul?" via flashbacks. At the end of the same season, Paul finally confesses to her murder and is arrested. She again appeared in the series finale "Finishing the Hat" in a flashback to when Mary Alice arrived on the Lane, and later as among a group of the deceased who watch Susan leave.

Noah Taylor (Bob Gunton) is Dierdre's father who holds a vast fortune and heavy influence over several police officers in the city. Noah finances Mike's mission to discover what happened to Dierdre. Throughout the first season, he often checks on Mike's progress, and briefly fires Mike when he feels his focus has been pulled. He simultaneously discovers that he has a cancerous tumor and only has one more year to live. Noah is on bed rest as his imminent death draws near. Eventually, Noah learns that Mike has been keeping Zach's existence a secret. He demands to see Zach, but Mike stalls until Zach and Paul can leave town. In retaliation, Noah orders a rogue cop named Detective Sullivan (Nick Chinlund) to kill Paul, but he is unsuccessful. When Paul is framed for Felicia Tilman's murder, Zach attempts to secure his bail money from Noah, who refuses to provide it. This prompts Zach to shut off Noah's life support and subsequently inherits his entire fortune.

Introduced in season two

Phyllis Van de Kamp (Shirley Knight) is Rex's mother. She has always had a very cold relationship with Bree, disapproving of her marriage to Rex and accusing her of making her son's life miserable. After Rex's death, she continues to disrupt Bree's life.

Phyllis first appears in the second season when she arrives for Rex's funeral. She clashes with Bree on the stories the minister would tell about Rex, or the tie he was going to wear. Soon after, Phyllis calls a detective who is looking into Rex's death and informs them that Bree has a boyfriend after seeing Bree being hugged by George Williams. Suspecting foul play, the detectives exhume Rex to examine his body. When Bree learns what Phyllis has done, she packs her bags and sends her home.

Phyllis appears in the episode "If There's Anything I Can't Stand" at Bree's baby shower and discovers that Danielle is actually pregnant and Bree intends to raise the baby as her own. Phyllis later leaves but goes to the convent that Danielle is staying at to take her home with her. Upon discovering this, Bree outbids Phyllis and offers Danielle a convertible and the college of her choice if she stays with them instead. Therefore, Danielle goes home with Bree and Orson. Bree feels sorry for Phyllis and tells her that she will be allowed to babysit the child on weekends.

"Parcher & Murphy" is an ad agency in which Lynette works during seasons two and three. Nina Fletcher (Joely Fisher) is Lynette's first boss at "Parcher & Murphy". Nina makes it clear to Lynette on her interview that she despises mothers who put their children above everything else. When Lynette brings Penny multitasks by changing a diaper and delivering a business plan at the same time, Nina's boss Ed Ferrara (Currie Graham) is very impressed and welcomes her aboard, but Nina is less welcoming. One night, Nina is caught in an affair with receptionist Stu Durber (Charlie Babcock) by Lynette, who offers to keep silent about it if Nina would be a little nicer on the job. Unfortunately, Nina fires Stu, and Lynette talks to him and ends up uttering something about a lawsuit. Next time she walks in, the place is in chaos, as it is found out Stu threatened a lawsuit against the firm and they paid him off to settle, Ed to fire the majority of staff, including Nina, and promotes Lynette to her position. Nina then explains to Lynette that being nice was one of many luxuries she gave up to keep the firm afloat, and told her that if she thought she was not seeing her kids enough before, then she will see them even less now.

Introduced in season three

Alma Hodge (Valerie Mahaffey) was Orson's first wife. Alma tricked him into marrying her by getting pregnant, thinking that having a baby together would make Orson fall in love with her. Unfortunately, she has a miscarriage. When Alma finds out that Orson had an affair with Monique Polier (Kathleen York), she leaves Orson and disappears to make people think Orson murdered her.

Alma suddenly arrives to Wisteria Lane, and Bree tries to have a good relationship with her. However, Alma buys herself the old Applewhite house, so Bree wants Orson to get rid of her. Orson tries to convince Alma to leave, but she blackmails him, threatening to reveal that it was he who ran over Mike Delfino in his car and buried Monique. Bree then proceeds to visit her to tell her to move away, but she discovers a picture of Orson and Monique and a bag containing Monique's teeth hidden under the linoleum, where they were planted by Alma. Bree gives Orson the teeth, who plants them back in Alma's house, stating that she will not find them and that she will now leave them alone, or else he will call the police and tell them that Alma murdered Monique and kept her teeth. Later, Orson's mother Gloria and Alma trick Orson into believing Alma was going to commit suicide. When Orson arrives to Alma's house, he is drugged by Gloria so that Alma could forcibly have sex with him. The morning after, Bree tells Orson that Alma raped him, and he finally tells her the truth about what happened with Monique. Orson then goes to Alma's to tell her that he does not need to worry about her anymore. She tells him she may be pregnant, to which he responds that he does not care. Alma then realizes that there is nothing else she can do to make Orson love her. Gloria, however, does not give up and locks Alma in the attic and plans to kill Bree. After Alma tries to escape from her attic through the window, she falls from the roof to her death. Orson discovers her dead body and plants the suicide note and the bag containing Monique's teeth in her house, making it seem to the police that she killed Monique and committed suicide.

Alma appeared amongst other deceased characters in the series finale.

Carolyn Bigsby (Laurie Metcalf) is Orson's former neighbor. Before his move to Wisteria Lane, Carolyn had found Orson thoroughly cleaning his house, and upon learning his wife, Alma, was missing, began to suspect him of Alma's murder. By the time Orson moves to Wisteria Lane, Carolyn's suspicion has become an obsession, and she tries in vain to warn Bree several times. Bree reaches her limit with Carolyn and retaliates by revealing the affair between Monique Polier and Carolyn's husband Harvey Bigsby (Brian Kerwin). This results in Carolyn going to Harvey's supermarket with a gun, intending to kill him. Harvey locks himself in the manager's office with Edie, and Carolyn panics and creates a hostage situation, in which Carolyn kills Nora Huntington. While Carolyn is having a discussion with Lynette, a hostage manages to retrieve a large food can from the floor behind him and throws it at Carolyn's head, and she pulls the trigger before falling to the floor and dropping the gun. Carolyn attempts to retrieve the gun, but Austin struggles with her long enough for another hostage to pick up the gun and shoot Carolyn in the head, killing her instantly.

Introduced in season four

Adam Mayfair (Nathan Fillion) is a gynecologist and Katherine's second husband. Katherine is very jealous of any attention other women pay to her husband, and it is often implied that he has a history as a womanizer. It eventually comes to light that the couple had left Chicago because of a lawsuit initiated by a patient named Sylvia Greene (Melora Walters) against Adam. The case had been settled out of court, with Adam allowing his wife to believe the patient was a nymphomaniac. When Sylvia arrives in Fairview hoping to rekindle a relationship with Adam, Katherine is furious and asks him to leave. While packing, he finds the letter that Katherine's Aunt Lillian had left for Dylan, which explains Katherine's secret, and he decides he wants to leave her. After the separation, Dylan asks to meet with Adam to learn the truth about her father. Katherine first meets with Adam, who agrees to talk to Dylan in the interest of learning what she already knows but promises he will not reveal Katherine's secrets. Katherine tells him she wants to work on their marriage, but Adam says he is finished. In the fourth season finale, Adam tells Katherine that, though he is still finished with her, he is not finished with Dylan and wants to protect her from Wayne. He and Katherine attend Dylan's cello recital, with Adam planning to take Dylan and Katherine away afterward on a vacation. Wayne also attends the recital, unbeknownst to Adam, who had neither met nor seen a photo of Wayne. During the intermission, Wayne elicits Adam's help with a flat tire. Wayne knocks Adam unconscious with a tire iron, drives him to an abandoned shack, and beats him until he believes Adam is dead. Adam, who had only feigned death, steals a car and rushes to save Katherine. He arrives as Wayne is preparing to shoot Katherine and struggles with him, taking his gun. Later, Bree takes Adam to nurse his wounds and he comforts Katherine after she shoots Wayne to death. This is Adam's last appearance.

Benjamin Tyson Van de Kamp (formerly Katz & Hodge; Jake Soldera) is Danielle's and Austin McCann's son and Bree's grandson. However, Bree fakes a pregnancy to make seem like he is her son by Orson. Danielle gives birth to Benjamin on Halloween when Dr. Adam Mayfair delivers him in Bree's kitchen, and Bree raises him as her son to save her family from scandal. Danielle reclaims her son when he is three years old. He is later adopted by her then husband Leo Katz. However, Leo leaves Danielle and Benjamin, resulting in Benjamin changing his name from Benjamin Katz to Benjamin Van de Kamp.

Wayne Davis (Gary Cole) is a police officer, Katherine's first husband, and the father of the "real" Dylan. It is shown in flashbacks that he beat his wife and also had a drinking problem, causing Katherine to leave him. He spent twelve years trying to track Katherine and his daughter down and discovered Katherine is back on Wisteria Lane. He wanted a relationship with who he thought to be his daughter, until Katherine informed him that Dylan is not his child. Upon hearing this, he has a DNA test done at the forensics lab. The test results come back concluding that he is not Dylan's father. He tries everything in his power to find out what actually happened to his daughter, even threatening to kill Katherine so she would tell him. He then held Katherine hostage along with Bree, until Katherine finally told him what really happened with Dylan (see Dylan's section). When Wayne finds this out from Katherine, he attempts to kill her, until Adam comes and a fight between the two ensues, resulting in Adam overpowering Wayne. While lying on the floor, Wayne threatens Katherine, telling her he may go to jail, but his friends at the police will help him get out and that he will come after her again. After realizing the truth in his statements, Katherine shoots him in the chest, killing him instantly.

Introduced in season five

Jackson Braddock (Gale Harold) is Susan's boyfriend throughout the fifth season. He is briefly introduced at the end of the fourth season finale, which flashforwards five years into the future. The couple continues dating in the fifth season. Meeting while Jackson was painting her home, they keep their relationship secret until Mike and M.J. soon learn of the relationship and are both supportive. Jackson sustains serious injuries in a nightclub fire. After recovering, Jackson decides to move to Riverton and pursue a career opportunity at a college in Riverton and invites Susan to come with him, but she declines. Jackson returns later in the season and asks Susan to marry him, as his visa has expired and he must marry an American citizen to avoid being deported to Canada. Dave fears that Jackson could inform police of his involvement in the club fire and reports him to immigration officials. Jackson is subsequently deported.

On October 14, 2008, Harold entered intensive care after a motorcycle accident. He sustained several injuries, including brain swelling and a fractured shoulder. While Desperate Housewives were required to rewrite one scene in the episode "City on Fire", Gale's absence did not delay production. Originally, the writers had planned to end the character's storyline around midseason, but Harold's accident forced them to push the storyline's resolution to the end of the season. Following the accident, Harold recorded dialogue for an offscreen speaking part in the January 2009 episode "Home is the Place". In April 2009, Harold returned to the series six months following the accident to continue his character's storyline. While reviewing the fifth season, TV Guide's Matt Roush commented the introduction of Harold, as well as other new cast members, "make Wisteria Lane once again an irresistible place to revisit."

Dr. Alex Cominis (Todd Grinnell) is Andrew's ex-husband. He is a plastic surgeon and resides with Andrew on Wisteria Lane, in a house which Bree purchased for them. He is quick to point out Bree's selfishness, which Bree has come to appreciate. Alex appeared in the gay porn film "Rear Deployment" while putting himself through medical school. Alex is not seen in season six, but it is revealed that Andrew cheated on him. Alex leaves Andrew in season seven, due to Andrew's severe drinking problem.

Principal Hobson (John Rubinstein) is the head of a prestigious private elementary school called Oakridge. Susan takes a job at the school in order to enroll M.J. and pay his tuition. Later, he makes sporadic appearances. In the seventh season, he fires Susan after discovering that she had appeared on a pornographic website. Susan fails to convince Principal Hobson to rehire her some episodes later. His final appearance is in the final season, when he tells Gabrielle that Juanita is sexually harassing a boy named Ryan.

Introduced in season six

Paige Scavo (Emmett, Hudson and Noah Martin Greenberg in season 6+7, Samantha and Isabel Kahle in season 8, Mindy Montavon as Older Paige in 6x11) is the youngest child of Tom and Lynette. Lynette thinks her cancer has returned in "If It's Only In Your Head" and goes to the doctor to find that it is not cancer, but that she is pregnant with a second set of twins. In the season 6 episode "If...", Lynette has complications with her pregnancy and one of her babies needs surgery to prevent mental and physical damage. The surgery does not go as expected, and the baby Lynette was going to name Patrick (Zayne Emory as a teenager and Anthony Traina as an adult in hypothetical flashforwards) does not survive. Lynette is still pregnant with Paige. In the 6th-season finale entitled "I Guess This Is Goodbye" Lynette goes into labor with her daughter while she's held hostage by Eddie Orlofsky.

Roy Bender (Orson Bean) is a retired steak salesman, who begins dating Karen at the start of the sixth season. Together they discover Julie after she is strangled. He and Karen later confess that they are in love with each other. Lynette later hires Roy as a handyman, at Karen's request. It is where Roy is revealed to be a little old fashioned when it comes to women and does not like that Lynette bosses Tom around and goes behind her back to get his approval on things. He and the Scavo's later come to an understanding. He is also hired by Bree to watch Orson when she fears he will commit suicide. However instead of watching Orson, Roy leaves him in the laundry room, puts a broom through Orson's wheelchair spokes and goes to sleep. By the seventh season, he and Karen have married. In the final season, it is revealed that the name of his first wife is Miriam, who died two weeks before their 40th anniversary from brain cancer. Roy plays a vital role in the two hours season finale, by advising Tom on telling Lynette how much he loves her, and later by contacting Trip Weston to ask her to get some music for Karen, which impresses Bree. He is by Karen's side when she dies.

Eddie Orlofsky (Josh Zuckerman) is the infamous "Fairview Strangler". He is a friend of Danny's, one of the few that remained friends with him even when Danny was being accused of assaulting Julie, who was attacked by Eddie himself. Eddie is shown working at a local café where Emily Portsmith, a waitress, becomes his second known victim. Eddie mentions that he was glad he was late to work, because he does not think he could have handled discovering Emily's body. Eddie invites Julie and Danny to watch him do stand-up comedy at a local club, but he performs terribly. Eddie picks up Irina after she is dumped by Preston Scavo on their wedding night. After she insults him, Eddie strangles her and buries her in the woods.

Introduced in season seven

Keith Watson (Brian Austin Green) is a contractor who helps Bree redecorate her house. Keith dates both Bree and Renee in different occasions, and the two try to sabotage the other until Renee admits defeat. Bree and Keith begin a steady relationship.

Bree is introduced to Keith's parents, Richard Watson (John Schneider) and Mary Wagner (Nancy Travis). Richard is retired from the army and Mary is Bree's gynecologist for some time. When his parents' divorce, Richard moves in with Keith. Taking pity on him, Bree frequently invites Richard to join them for dinner, much to Keith's annoyance. Richard later tries to kiss Bree, leading Keith attack Richard while the residents of Wisteria Lane are staging a protest against a halfway house. Several protestors mistake Keith for a convict and attack him, ensuing a riot on the lane.

When Keith discovers he has a son who lives in Florida, he asks Bree to move there with him. They then break up on amicable terms when she does not want to move with him.

Beth Young (née Tilman; Emily Bergl) is Paul Young's second wife introduced in "You Must Meet My Wife". A friendly, but troubled and sensitive woman, Beth met Paul while writing to him in prison where he was serving time for the supposed murder of Felicia Tilman. When she arrives to Wisteria Lane, Paul wants to finally have their "wedding night", but Beth refuses to have sex, preferring to take it slowly. In "Truly Content" the housewives invite Beth to their weekly poker game, during which Beth shares some information about her past and how she met Paul at prison. Later, Beth learns from Karen McCluskey that, while Paul was exonerated from the supposed murder of Felicia, everyone blames him for the murder of Felicia's sister, Martha Huber. Beth and Paul talk about this, and she claims that, even if he is really a murderer, she will remain by his side. However, Beth is worried about Paul's plans for Wisteria Lane. When his former cellmate moves into the neighborhood, Beth threatens to tell people he attacked her unless he tells her Paul's plans. She meets Paul at home in sexy underwear, revealing what she knows but she supports him, saying she knows all about revenge.

It is soon revealed that Beth is actually Felicia's daughter, aiding her mother in revenge on Paul. After she and Paul sleep together, Beth questions her mother's sanity and if she knew for certain Paul killed her sister, so the two women have a fight. When Paul is shot later in the season, Beth returns to jail, convinced her mother had something to do with it but Felicia is honestly surprised to hear it happened. Unknown to Beth, the detectives investigating the shooting told Paul how she was Felicia's daughter, making him realize that she has been using him all along. While Paul develops hatred for Beth, Beth falls in love with Paul and has turned against Felicia. He kicks Beth out of the house, but she tries to get back with Paul, telling him how she believed her mother's claims of Paul killing her aunt but now that she knows him, does not believe it. She is thus shocked when Paul confesses to having killed Martha after all. Beth goes to see Felicia in prison where her mother berates her for being so stupid as to not get the confession on tape and that Beth is useless to her, telling the guards to remove her daughter from the visitor list. Beth then learns she is a match to be a kidney donor for Susan. With nothing else to live for, Beth goes to the hospital and makes sure the nurse in the waiting room files the paperwork ensuring her kidney will go to Susan. Beth then pulls a gun out of her purse and shoots herself in the head, leaving her brain dead.

Introduced in season eight

Jane Carlson (Andrea Parker) is first introduced when Lynette suspects Tom has a new girlfriend following their separation, but she suspects Chloe, who is in fact Jane's daughter. At first, Jane and Lynette are friendly to each other, but when Lynette asks Jane to back off from Tom, Jane refuses and hostility between the two women begins. Jane and Tom continue to spend time together, leading Penny to suspect they will eventually get married, worrying Lynette. Jane and Tom organize a romantic trip to Paris, but when Lynette tells Tom about her involvement in the cover of the murder of Alejandro Perez, he decides to stay for a while. Jane leaves to Paris anyway, and Tom joins her later. When they return from Paris, Jane and Tom move together. After Mike's death, Lynette decides to get Tom back, while Tom realizes he still has feelings for Lynette. In "With So Little to Be Sure Of", Jane gives Lynette her and Tom's divorce papers, which Tom has already signed but was not ready to give Lynette. Tom then fights with Jane about ending his marriage when Tom was not ready. In "The People Will Hear", Tom confesses that he is still in love with Lynette. Jane is sad because she actually loved Tom. Jane moves out at the end of the episode, heartbroken.

Trip Weston (Scott Bakula) is a criminal lawyer who defends Bree after she is accused of the murder of Alejandro Perez (aka Ramon Sanchez). Bob Hunter, who was initially Bree's lawyer, tells her she needs a criminal lawyer, and suggests Weston for the job, describing him as a "shark." At first, Weston refuses to defend Bree, claiming her case is not challenging enough; however, he later accepts the job. Bree begins to develop a crush for Trip. Besides that, Trip started to defend his client in court, until Karen McCluskey lies to claim to everybody that she killed Gabrielle's stepfather. Bree and Trip got married and move three years after Susan, who was the first to leave the lane, to Louisville, Kentucky.