Some Facts
She has twice played a strong, domineering, and slightly wacky mother to a man named "Michael." First in Queer as Folk (2000) and second in Burn Notice (2007). When rattled or lecturing either of the Michael characters, she pronounces "Michael" in the same way, with an over-emphasis on the first syllable of "MI-chael".
Her grandfather, Neil S. McCarthy was an entertainment lawyer whose clients included Paramount Pictures, Howard Hughes, Louis B. Mayer (personally), and Cecil B. DeMille.
Acting protégée of Eddie Albert.
A female fan was sentenced to 6 years for breaking into her home with a rifle in 1990.
Best known by the public for her starring roles as Sgt. Christine Cagney on Cagney & Lacey (1981), as Debby Novotny on Queer as Folk (2000), and as Madeline Westen on Burn Notice (2007).