Valerie Bertinelli

Valerie Bertinelli was born in Wilmington, Delaware, on April 23, 1960. Her early life involved frequent relocations due to her father’s career as a General Motors executive. At a young age, she enrolled in the Tami Lynn School of Artists to study acting. Her breakthrough came in December 1975 when she landed the role of Barbara Cooper in the CBS situation comedy “One Day at a Time.” The series, produced by Norman Lear, ran for nine seasons until 1984, establishing Bertinelli as a prominent young actress and earning her two Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actress.

Following her success on “One Day at a Time,” Bertinelli expanded her career into feature films, including “C.H.O.M.P.S.” (1979), “Ordinary Heroes” (1986), and “Number One with a Bullet” (1987). She also starred in numerous made-for-TV movies and miniseries. In the 1990s, she continued her television work with lead roles in sitcoms like “Sydney” (1990) and “Cafe Americain” (1993). In 2001, she joined the cast of the religious drama “Touched by an Angel” for its final two seasons. A significant turning point in her adult career was her role as Melanie Moretti in the Emmy Award-winning series “Hot in Cleveland” (2010–2015), which garnered a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

Bertinelli’s career has extended beyond acting into television hosting and authorship. Since 2015, she has hosted “Valerie’s Home Cooking” and “Kids Baking Championship” on Food Network, earning two Daytime Emmy Awards for her hosting. She has authored several best-selling books, including “Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time” (2008) and “Enough Already: Learning to Love the Way I Am Today” (2022). In 2012, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, recognizing her contributions to the entertainment industry.