Wendie Malick was born to a model mother and salesman father on Dec. 15, 1950 in Buffalo, N.Y. and went on to attend Ohio Wesleyan University. Shortly after graduation, she moved to Washington, D.C. to work for Republican Congressman Jack Kemp, but quickly left politics behind to act. In 1982, she auditioned for the role of Diane on Cheers, a role that (as everyone knows) went to Shelley Long. In the '80s, Malick appeared in many TV roles on series such as Three's Company, Kate & Allie and Anything but Love. Her film work includes Scrooged, The American President and Bugsy. Malick received a great deal of attention for her role as ex-wife Judith Tupper Stone in the HBO comedy Dream On, for which she received four Cable Ace Awards. The series showcased Malick's comedic timing as well as her sex appeal, and Just Shoot Me! was an organic next step.
In Just Shoot Me! Malick played the role of narcissistic fashion editor Nina Van Horn from 1997 to 2003. Just like her character, Malick was a former model; a statuesque 5'10", she had signed with Wilhelmina in the 1970s. In 1999, she was nominated for two Emmys and a Golden Globe. In 2003, she moonlighted as a lounge singer on Frasier, which featured her one-day future Hot in Cleveland co-star Jane Leeves. She stayed with the show until its final season in 2004. A vegetarian, Democrat and philanthropist who fights for women's rights and humane treatment of animals, Malick has done more than 80 guest appearances and enjoyed a successful voiceover career. Her TV work continues with Victoria Chase, an L.A. soap star who lands, quite unexpectedly, in Hot in Cleveland.