While her role on the ABC hit drama “Desperate Housewives” (2004 - ) means Brenda Strong is heard more than seen as narrator Mary Alice Young, television viewers have unwittingly seen a lot of her since 1985. She made a string of appearances on some of the most popular network TV shows for nearly twenty years before her breakout role on “Housewives.”

Strong grew up in Portland, Ore. and graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s in musical theater. She was Miss Arizona in 1980 and competed in the Miss America competition. Her first break after college was a spot in Billy