Whatever Happened To Marcia Cross?

Bree Van de Kamp was a complex character that perfectly encapsulated the idea of a "desperate housewife," and no one could have played her better than Marcia Cross. The actor had already been on the scene for several decades when "Desperate Housewives" premiered, as she starred on soap opera "The Edge of Night" in 1984 and was one of the actors who got their start on "One Life to Live."

According to Janet Cross, the actor's mother, she seemed destined for stardom from an early age. "We owe it all to her sixth grade teacher Betsy Banks who put her in a play called 'The Witch of Blackbird Pond.' As a child, Marcia was always lively. She took piano lessons and dance lessons from the Ceil Sharon School of Dance, where everyone went in those days," she told Fifty Plus Advocate in January 2021.

Throughout the '80s and '90s, Cross established herself as a redheaded staple on television, with recurring roles on "Knots Landing" and "Melrose Place," as well as a handful of movies before she landed her most renowned role in 2004. However, since "Desperate Housewives" went off the air more than a decade ago, fans have been wondering whatever happened to Marcia Cross. Luckily, the actor hasn't completely disappeared from the spotlight. In fact, she's been keeping pretty busy.

Many celebrities have been involved with Plan International over the years, a non-profit humanitarian organization that fights for the rights of children, especially young girls. In 2012, Marcia Cross was one of them, as she was named Global Ambassador following the end of "Desperate Housewives" and used her platform to raise awareness around the issues children face around the world.

The actor spoke with Plan International at the time about why the cause hit close to home for her, saying, "As a mother of two young girls, I strongly believe everyone has the right to a good education — and that means girls too. Empower a girl, keep her safe from harm, and watch her grow. And then watch her help transform her family and her community."

Cross also spoke about the organization during an interview with "Today" in October 2012. She explained that she'd previously sponsored a child with Plan International USA, but couldn't commit to much more until her obligations with "Desperate Housewives" wrapped up. Cross then took a trip with the organization to India, as she explained, "I actually went [feeling] kind of scared that I would see so much poverty and suffering that I'd be overwhelmed. But the truth is, I saw what can happen when you actually care about people and you work with an organization, that lives are changed, that these girls are given opportunities that they never would have if it weren't for Plan."

Her brief stint on Fox may have been a bust, but Marcia Cross wasn't down for long. The following year, in 2015, the "Desperate Housewives" star returned to ABC when she secured a spot on "Quantico," a thriller series about young FBI recruits. The show also starred Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Jake McLaughlin, and received moderately positive ratings.

Cross played Claire Haas, a powerful political figure, for just 15 episodes and two out of the three seasons. However, it was no small role as, according to the series' executive producer Joshua Safran, she was a high priority when it came to casting. During an interview with TVLine in November 2015, he said that landing Cross for the show "was like kismet." He added, "The role was written for her. The second we came up with Claire, I was like, 'We have to get Marcia Cross.'"

From there, the actor went on to make appearances in several shows like "Ned and Stacey," "Youth & Consequences," and "The Edge of Sleep." However, Cross' cameos have been limited to just a handful of episodes at a time and, unfortunately, it seems she has still yet to find her next big role in television.

While Marcia Cross has been open about her anal cancer diagnosis, she's also worked to reduce the stigma around its cause — which may be linked to her husband's cancer, as well. Way back in 2009, the actor's other half, Tom Mahoney, was diagnosed with throat cancer. It was later determined that both of their cancers came from the same strain of HPV (human papillomavirus) which can be contracted through sexual intercourse or skin to skin contact. HPV has been linked to many forms of cancer, but it causes up to 90% of all forms of anal cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Thankfully, early immunization can prevent these health complications from occurring. As Cross told "CBS Mornings" in June 2019, "My girls don't know it yet but they're up for their first shot [at] the end of the school year," referring to her two daughters who were then 12 years old.

In October 2020, Cross and fellow HPV-associated cancer survivor Lillian Kreppel started the non-profit organization HPV Alliance. The organization's goals, according to Cross per PR Newswire, is twofold. "First it will work to educate the public about this very misunderstood and ubiquitous virus. Secondly, it will work to facilitate changes in the medical profession to more effectively deal with the detection, prevention and treatment of HPV. We are thrilled to have an incredible board of medical experts who are dedicated to this mission," the actor said.

The death of a loved one is often a difficult and tragic ordeal. Sadly, Marcia Cross' dad died in September 2021 after a short illness at the age of 98. He and his famous daughter were very close, and Cross often shared snaps on social media of herself with her dad. One Instagram post of the two of them was shared on Father's Day of 2019, and the actor captioned it: "One of the happiest moments of my life.. dancing with my father, probably the kindest person I will ever know, on my wedding."

Part of Mark Cross' obituary via Slattery Funeral Home read, "Mark will be remembered for his kindness, his peaceful nature, and his graceful dance moves which his wife, Janet said, 'Made me look like I knew what I was doing.'" While Cross hasn't spoken publicly about the toll her father's death had on her, she did share a touching Instagram tribute a few days after he died. Alongside the photo, which was the same snap of the pair at the actor's wedding, she wrote, "Incomparable Human. My Father. And my first and longest love."

Marcia Cross' love for theater began early in life. As a sixth grader, she was given the lead in a school play, and in high school, she convinced her drama teacher to take her and a few others on a field trip to New York City where they got to see a live show. From there, Cross fell even more in love with theater, becoming president of the drama club and getting to direct her own play. Following high school the "Desperate Housewives" star enrolled at Juilliard to study acting and she went on to perform in several plays, but ultimately, Cross found herself more successful in television roles instead.

She spoke with Forbes in September 2023 about this time in her life, saying, "Theater is what I went to school for and was my original love. I went after it fiercely when I was younger, wound up in television and then got married and had babies."

But, decades after leaving her theater work behind, Cross made her return to the stage with an off-Broadway play called "Pay the Writer" in August 2023. She starred in the seven-week production as Lana Holt, alongside Ron Canada and Bryan Batt. "I love the material and my husband, [Tom Mahoney], said, 'This is what you should be doing," Cross added.