Marcia Cross (born March 25, 1962 in Marlborough, Massachusetts) is an American actress. She graduated from Juilliard and earned a master's degree in psychology at Antioch University in Los Angeles. In 2005 she was nominated for her first Emmy for her work on Desperate Housewives. In December of 2005, Cross garnered her second consecutive nomination for the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.

Prior to her role on Desperate Housewives, the 5'10" Cross starred as Dr. Linda Abbott on Warner Bros.' critically-acclaimed series, Everwood. She is also well known for her portrayal of the mentally unbalanced Dr. Kimberly Shaw on Melrose Place, which she played from 1992 to 1997. Kimberly was, and remains, a firm fan favorite - providing many of the show's most memorable moments, in her plans to kill many of the characters on the show.