Heather Dubrow

A striking, sassy, dark-haired performer with expressive eyes and a warm smile, Heather Paige Kent has excelled in roles that capitalize on her street-smart charisma. Multi-talented, she started her career as an actress and singer working at Disneyland fresh out of college in the early 1990s and later formed her own 14-piece big band with which she toured, opening for artists such as Mel Torme and Dana Carvey. Kent's television credits go back to 1991, when she guested on an episode of the ABC sitcom "Baby Talk." Singing and acting on stage rounded out her time before she returned to the small screen in 1994 with a guest turn on the Fox sitcom "Married... With Children" and a featured role in the fact-based TV-movie "Roseanne and Tom: Behind the Scenes" (NBC). A cameo in the premiere episode of "Nowhere Man" (UPN, 1995) predated her recurring role on the low-rated sitcom "Life With Roger" (The WB, 1996-1997). In 1997, after appearing in guest shots on the network's sitcoms "Men Behaving Badly" and "Chicago Sons," Kent was cast on NBC's "Jenny" playing the best friend of Jenny McCarthy's working girl-turned-heiress character. Her own sugar and spice persona meshed well with McCarthy's, who was as well-known for her zany, self-mocking comedy as for her Playboy appearances. More guest starring roles followed "Jenny"'s 1998 demise, including 1999 appearances on "Early Edition" (CBS) and "The Norm Show" (ABC). From 1999-2000, Kent returned to regular series work on NBC, portraying wisecracking bartender Maddie Keller on "Stark Raving Mad." Cast opposite a neurotic and controlling book editor (Neil Patrick Harris) and his brilliant but batty writer (Tony Shalhoub), Kent's Keller offered the series a good grounding force, and her balance of grit and grace made her both a funny and alluring character.

A veteran of many a short-lived show and failed pilot, Kent approached her next project "That's Life" with tempered enthusiasm. Playing Lydia DeLucca, a working-class woman in her early thirties who gives up the chance at a comfortable married life to go to school, the actress gave a charming and realistic performance, evoking both the ambition of youth and age-appropriate pragmatism for her independent character. With an impressive supporting cast (including Ellen Burstyn, Paul Sorvino and Debi Mazar), solid ratings and good response from critics, "That's Life" held more promise than Kent's prior entries, and appeared to be her breakthrough vehicle.