Brenda Bakke

Brenda Bakke, an American actress known for her versatile performances across comedy, action, and noir, first stepped onto the stage at the tender age of fifteen in a Portland production of Years Ago. Born in Klamath Falls, Oregon on May 15, 1963, she graduated from Sunset High School near Beaverton in 1981 before relocating to Los Angeles to hone her craft at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Her screen debut arrived in 1986 with the sequel Hardbodies 2, and a year later she earned a guest spot on the iconic series Star Trek: The Next Generation, signaling her entry into television. Throughout the early 1990s Bakke built a reputation as a reliable genre player, appearing in low‑budget sci‑fi and horror titles such as Gunhed, Solar Crisis, and The Medium. The breakthrough came in 1993 when she portrayed Michelle Huddleston, the witty love interest in the parody Hot Shots! Part Deux, followed by a leading role in the action‑comedy Gunmen the next year. She continued to expand her résumé with memorable parts like the street‑wise Cordelia in Ernest Dickerson’s cult classic Demon Knight and Captain Linda Gilder in Under Siege 2: Dark Territory. A regular on the CBS horror series American Gothic (1995‑96) and a cameo as the legendary Lana Turner in the neo‑noir masterpiece L.A. Confidential (1997) further solidified her standing. In the new millennium Bakke transitioned to guest‑starring roles on procedural powerhouses such as CSI, NYPD Blue, The Mentalist, and Supernatural, while also taking supporting turns in independent films like The Quickie and Moving August. Since 2015 she has enjoyed a recurring part as Virginia on the Oprah Winfrey Network drama If Loving You Is Wrong, and more recently appeared in episodes of Heartbeat and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. Throughout a career spanning over three decades, Brenda Bakke’s blend of charisma, toughness, and comedic timing has made her a respected fixture in both film and television.