Brenda Jean Bakke (born May 15, 1963) is an American actress, best known for her roles in 1990s films '' Hot Shots! Part Deux'', '' Gunmen'', ''

Demon Knight ''Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight'' is a 1995 American black horror comedy film directed by Ernest Dickerson from a screenplay by Mark Bishop, Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris. It stars Billy Zane, William Sadler, Jada Pinkett, Brenda ...

'', '' Under Siege 2: Dark Territory'', and '' L.A. Confidential''.

Life and career

Bakke was born in

Klamath Falls, Oregon Klamath Falls ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Klamath County, Oregon, United States. The city was originally called ''Linkville'' when George Nurse founded the town in 1867. It was named after the Link River, on whose falls the city ...

, and began her acting career in a Portland stage production of ''Years Ago'' at age 15. After graduating in 1981 from Sunset High School, near

Beaverton, Oregon Beaverton is a city in the Tualatin Valley, located in Washington County in the U.S. state of Oregon, with a small portion bordering Portland. The city is among the main cities that make up the Portland metropolitan area. Its population was ...

, she moved to Los Angeles to study acting at the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a Private college, private drama school with two locations, one in New York City and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related ...

. She made her screen debut in the 1986 movie ''

Hardbodies 2 ''Hardbodies 2'' is a 1986 adult comedy film, It is sequel to ''Hardbodies'' (1984). It was directed by Mark Griffiths (film director), Mark Griffiths and featured Brad Zutaut, Fabiana Udenio, James Karen and Alba Francesca. The plot involves two ...

'', and the following year, guest starred in an episode of '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''. In later years, she had a number of roles in low-budget genre movies, such as '' Gunhed'', '' Solar Crisis'', and ''

The Medium ''The Medium'' is a short (one-hour-long) two-act dramatic opera with words and music by Gian Carlo Menotti. Commissioned by the Alice M. Ditson Fund at Columbia University, its first performance was there on 8 May 1946, with Claramae Turner a ...

''. In 1993, Bakke appeared as Michelle Huddleston in the comedy film '' Hot Shots! Part Deux'', where the love interest of

Charlie Sheen Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3, 1965), known professionally as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor. He is known as a leading man in film and television. Sheen has received numerous accolades including a Golden Globe Award as well as ...

. The following year, she played the female leading role in the action-comedy film, '' Gunmen''. In 1995, she appeared as Cordelia the prostitute in

Ernest Dickerson Ernest Roscoe Dickerson (born June 25, 1951) is an American director, cinematographer, and screenwriter of film, television, and music videos. As a cinematographer, Dickerson is known for his frequent collaborations with Spike Lee ever since they ...

's ''

'', and as Captain Linda Gilder in '' Under Siege 2''. During the 1995-96 television season, she was a regular cast member in the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

horror series, '' American Gothic'' alongside

Gary Cole Gary Michael Cole (born September 20, 1956) is an American actor. He began his professional acting career on stage at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 1985. His breakout role was playing Jack 'Nighthawk' Killian in the NBC series '' M ...

. In 1997, Bakke appeared as

Lana Turner Julia Jean "Lana" Turner ( ; February 8, 1921June 29, 1995) was an American actress. Over a career spanning nearly five decades, she achieved fame as both a pin-up model and a film actress, as well as for her highly publicized personal life. ...

in the neo-noir mystery crime film, '' L.A. Confidential''. In 1999, she returned to television with the role of the lead character's mother in the short-lived

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

drama series, '' Ryan Caulfield: Year One''. In 2000s, Bakke continued appearing in films, playing roles in smaller movies, such as '' The Quickie'' and '' Moving August''. She spent the following years playing guest star roles in episodes of '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble ca ...

'', ''

The Mentalist ''The Mentalist'' is an American procedural drama television series that ran from September 23, 2008, until February 18, 2015, broadcasting 151 episodes over seven seasons, on CBS. Created by Bruno Heller, who was also its executive producer, t ...

'', and ''

Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

''. In 2015, she began appearing in the recurring role of Virginia in the

Oprah Winfrey Network The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN, also known as the OWN Network) is an American multinational basic cable television network which launched on January 1, 2011, effectively replacing the Discovery Health Channel, which one month later merged with ...

prime time soap opera '' If Loving You Is Wrong''. In 2016, Bakke appeared in guest starring roles in episodes of '' Heartbeat'' and '' Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders''.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bakke, Brenda 1963 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Portland, Oregon American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni American film actresses American people of Norwegian descent American stage actresses American television actresses People from Klamath Falls, Oregon Sunset High School (Beaverton, Oregon) alumni