Shera Danese (born October 9, 1949) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

actress and the widow of actor

Peter Falk Peter Michael Falk (September 16, 1927 – June 23, 2011) was an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the long-running television series '' Columbo'' (1968–1978, 1989–2003), for which he ...

Biography

Life and career

Danese was born Sherry Lynn Kaminski in

Hartsdale, New York Hartsdale is a hamlet located in the town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 5,293 at the 2010 census. It is a suburb of New York City. History Hartsdale, a CDP/hamlet/post-office in the town of Green ...

. She was the 1970 Miss Pennsylvania World. In 1974, Kaminski legally changed her name to Sherry Lynn Danese, later adopting Shera as her first name. Her acting career began in 1975 playing the part of Kitty in an episode of the TV series ''

Medical Story ''Medical Story'' is an American anthology series that aired on NBC from September 4, 1975, until January 8, 1976. Premise This was an anthology series about issues in the medical field, making it into the medical equivalent of '' Police Story'' ...

'' (credited as Sherry Danese). She subsequently guest-starred in other TV series during the 1970s, with appearances in '' One Day at a Time'', ''

Serpico ''Serpico'' is a 1973 American neo-noir biographical crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Al Pacino in the title role. The screenplay was adapted by Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler from the book of the same name written by ...

'', ''

Baretta ''Baretta'' is an American detective television series which ran on ABC from 1975 to 1978. The show was a revised and milder version of a 1973–1974 ABC series, '' Toma'', starring Tony Musante as chameleon-like, real-life New Jersey pol ...

'', ''

Three's Company ''Three's Company'' is an American sitcom television series that aired for eight seasons on ABC from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984. It is based on the British sitcom '' Man About the House''. The story revolves around three single room ...

'', ''

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American action crime drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theodopolis "Theo" Kojak. Taking the time slot of the popular ''Cannon'' series, ...

'', ''

Family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

'', ''

Hart to Hart ''Hart to Hart'' is an American mystery television series that premiered on August 25, 1979, on ABC. The show stars Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, respectively, a wealthy couple who lead a glamorous jetset life ...

'', ''

Starsky and Hutch ''Starsky & Hutch'' is an American action television series, which consisted of a 72-minute pilot movie (originally aired as a '' Movie of the Week'' entry) and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each. The show was created by William Blinn (inspired by ...

'' and ''

Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by ...

''. In one of her few movie roles, Danese starred with

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Go ...

and

Rebecca De Mornay Rebecca De Mornay (born Rebecca Jane Pearch; August 29, 1959) is an American actress and producer. Her breakthrough film role came in 1983, when she starred as Lana in '' Risky Business''. She is known for her role as Debby Huston in the Neil ...

in ''

Risky Business ''Risky Business'' is a 1983 American teen comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Brickman (in his directorial debut) and starring Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay. Best known as Cruise's breakout film, ''Risky Business'' was a critica ...

'' (1983), playing a prostitute named Vicki. In 2005, she appeared alongside her husband Peter Falk in the movie '' Checking Out''.

''Columbo'' (1976–1997)

Danese had major supporting roles in six episodes of the TV series ''

Columbo ''Columbo'' () is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originally aired on NBC fr ...

'', appearing alongside her husband

, (who played detective Columbo) in ''Fade in to Murder'' (1976), ''Murder Under Glass'' (1978), ''Murder, a Self Portrait'' (1989), ''Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star'' (1991), ''Undercover'' (1994) and ''A Trace of Murder'' (1997). Although she played the killer only once, Danese has the distinction of having appeared in more episodes of the series than any other actress.

Personal life

Danese met Peter Falk on the set of the movie '' Mikey and Nicky'' and became his second wife on December 7, 1977. They were married for 33 years until Falk's death on June 23, 2011 at age 83 from complications of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...

and pneumonia. She is mentioned on his headstone: "I'm not here. I'm home with Shera". Danese was Falk's conservator, and, allegedly, according to his daughter Catherine, prevented some of his family members from visiting him, did not notify them of major changes in his condition, and did not notify them of his death and funeral arrangements. Catherine later encouraged the passage of legislation, called Peter Falk's Law, that provides guidelines that guardians and conservators for an incapacitated person must comply with regarding visitation rights and notice of death. As of 2016 more than ten states had enacted such laws.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Danese, Shera American film actresses 1949 births Living people 20th-century American actresses People from Hartsdale, New York American television actresses Actresses from New York (state) 21st-century American women