Jessica Walter

A veteran actress of stage and screen, Jessica Walter was born Jan. 31, 1940, in Brooklyn, N.Y., and grew up in Astoria, Queens. By the time she turned 21, she'd performed on Broadway and was on her way to landing roles in TV and film, beginning with a three-year stint on the soap opera "Love of Life."

Walter's long résumé includes Golden-Globe nominated turns as a driver's estranged wife in the race-car drama Grand Prix (1966) and an unstable stalker in Clint Eastwood's directorial debut, Play Misty for Me (1971). She nabbed an Emmy in 1975 for her portrayal of a female chief of detectives in the short-run television series "Amy Prentiss."

Later in life, Walter struck gold doling out throaty insults as self-centered matriarch Lucille Bluth on the critically acclaimed comedy "Arrested Development." The role earned her an Emmy nomination along with multiple Screen Actors Guild ensemble honors.

Filmography