Early work Her first break after college was a spot in
Billy Crystal's 1984 music video "You Look Marvelous". She also had recurring roles on
Party of Five,
7th Heaven and
Everwood and guest starred on
3rd Rock from the Sun,
ER,
Picket Fences,
Silk Stalkings, ''
Dawson's Creek, Any Day Now, Ally McBeal, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Nip/Tuck''. From 1998 to 2000, she played Sally Sasser, the nemesis of
Felicity Huffman's Dana Whitaker, in the ABC comedy-drama
Sports Night. In early 2004, she starred as wealthy Arlene Ridgeway in
The WB short-lived sitcom,
The Help. ,
Teri Hatcher, Strong and
Andrea Bowen at the 2009
GLAAD Media Awards Strong had roles in a number of films, including
My Life,
Malice, and
The Craft before being cast as Captain Deladier in the 1997 science fiction action film
Starship Troopers. Her character died in the original film, but she returned in a different role as Sergeant Dede Rake in the second film,
Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation. In 1998, she starred opposite
Patrick Swayze in the action film
Black Dog, playing his wife. The following year, she played
Michelle Pfeiffer's character's best friend in the drama film
The Deep End of the Ocean. In 2000, she appeared in the horror anthology
Terror Tract and, in 2002, had a short part in
Red Dragon.
2004–2012: Desperate Housewives Strong starred, mostly off-screen, on
Desperate Housewives, opposite
Felicity Huffman,
Marcia Cross,
Eva Longoria and
Teri Hatcher during the show's run from 2004 to 2012. She played the deceased
Mary Alice Young, who narrates the events of her friends' and neighbors' lives from beyond the grave. Her narrations yielded Emmy Award nomination, for
Outstanding Voice-Over Performance, in 2011 and 2012. Along with the cast, she received two
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2005 and 2006. She starred in the 2006
Lifetime movie Family in Hiding. Also in 2006, she played
Ted Danson's love interest in the short-lived ABC comedy series
Help Me Help You. She also guest starred on
Curb Your Enthusiasm as a love interest of
Larry David,
Law & Order: Criminal Intent,
Boston Legal, and
Rizzoli & Isles.
2012–2014: Dallas During her final year on
Desperate Housewives, Strong signed on to play
Ann Ewing, the third wife of
Bobby Ewing (
Patrick Duffy) and new matriarch of
Southfork Ranch, in the
TNT series
Dallas, the revival of long-running CBS prime time soap opera
of the same name. Strong previously made a guest appearance in the original series in 1987 as
Cliff's one night stand. The show premiered on June 13, 2012, and was cancelled after three seasons in 2014. During her
Dallas years, she began hosting
Investigation Discovery series
Blood Relatives and played Joan Reston, the wife of Governor Samuel Reston, in two episodes of
Shonda Rhimes' political series
Scandal.
2015–present After
Dallas, Strong appeared in an episode of
NBC comedy procedural
The Mysteries of Laura. In 2015, she joined the cast of the third season of
The CW post-apocalyptic drama series
The 100, playing the role of Nia, Queen of the Ice Nation. In 2016, Strong had a recurring role on season 2 of
Fear the Walking Dead. Later she joined the cast of The CW series
Supergirl a recurring role as
Lillian Luthor. In 2018, Strong appeared in the second season of Netflix series
13 Reasons Why. In 2018, Strong was promoted to series regular status for its third season. ==Personal life==