Mark Valley

After serving abroad as an officer in the U.S. Army, actor Mark Valley fell into acting by chance when he was spotted in Germany and asked to work as an extra in John Schlesinger's thriller, "The Innocent" (1995). Though initially a non-speaking part, Valley impressed the filmmakers enough to earn some dialogue, which soon led him to pursue an acting career. Once out of the army, he made his way to New York City, where he found his first prominent role playing Jack Devereaux on "Days of Our Lives" (NBC, 1965- ). From there, he landed several guest starring roles on popular drama series while appearing in occasional feature films. Valley did manage to score a few television series on which he played the central character, only to find himself out of work once the series was canceled after its initial season. He finally hit his stride in 2004 when he joined the cast of "Boston Legal" (ABC, 2004-08) as a dogged and earnest attorney who served as the chief foil and agitator to James Spader's morally-slippery Alan Shore. After leaving the popular legal drama, he starred on the cult hit "Fringe" (Fox, 2008-2013) before striking out on his own as the lead on "Human Target" (Fox, 2010-2011), both of which proved that Valley had finally come into his own as a prominent presence on the small screenBorn on Dec. 24, 1964 in Ogdensburg, NY, Valley grew up in an academic home of sorts, headed by his father, Michael, a school principal, and his mother, Martha, who ran a nursery school. Though he acted while attending high school in Ogdensburg, Valley put his ambitions aside when he attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY, where he earned his Bachelor's degree in Mathematics in 1987. He was stationed in Germany for most of his five-year stretch in the Army, eventually rising to the rank of lieutenant, though he did see some action as a transport driver during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Upon his return to Germany from Iraq, Valley was convinced to try his hand at acting full stride, which led to being cast as an extra in John Schlesinger's thriller, "The Innocent" (1995), which was filmed in 1993. Though he initially was given no lines, his talent shone through enough for Valley to earn some dialogue and an onscreen credit.

Once finished with the military, Valley moved to New York City in order to pursue a fulltime acting career. In 1993, he made his television debut with an episode of the daytime soap, "As the World Turns" (CBS, 1956-2010). Following a co-starring role in "Vanishing Son IV" (1994), a syndicated martial arts action movie made for television, he became the fourth actor to portray Jack Devereaux on "Days of Our Lives" (NBC, 1965- ). Though he had the unenviable task of replacing his popular predecessor, Matthew Ashford, Valley was able to make the character his own and win over skeptical fans, many of whom were disappointed when he left the show after his three-year contract ended in 1997. Once finished with the soap opera, Valley had a small role as a resident in the original cable movie, "Breast Men" (HBO, 1997), which he followed by playing Robert Kennedy in the miniseries "George Wallace" (TNT, 1997). On the big screen, he was the leader of an FBI tactical squad in "The Siege" (1998); played Rupert Everett's doctor lover in "The Next Best Thing" (2000); and had the title role of a gunfighter in the Western, "Jericho" (2001).

Though he had appeared in a few movies over the years, Valley remained more vital on the small screen with both guest appearances and starring roles. He had a recurring guest spot as Marin Hinkle's love interest on the drama, "Once and Again" (ABC 1999-2002), which he followed with episodes of "Gideon's Crossing" (ABC, 2000) and "The Lone Gunman" (Fox, 2001). After a turn as Maura Tierney's loutish ex-husband on "ER" (NBC, 1994-2009), Valley landed his first regular primetime gig on the well-reviewed, but short-lived serial, "Pasadena" (Fox, 2001). On the show, he played Robert Greeley, the arrogant scion of a wealthy, newspaper-owning family with a host of skeletons in the closet. Valley also received strong critical praise for his turn as the lead in his next series, "Keen Eddie" (2003-2004), a comedic crime drama in which he played a sharp-tongued, no-nonsense New York detective who becomes a private investigator in London after botching a drug bust. Despite a loyal cult following, the show lasted only a single season, but was popular enough to merit a DVD release.

After a couple of episodes on the cult sci-fi hit, "The 4400" (USA Network, 2004-07), Valley traded in the rough-edged characters he previously played to take on the role of the more refined, morally centered attorney Brad Chase on David E. Kelley's wonky lawyer drama, "Boston Legal" (ABC, 2004-08). For three seasons, Valley's Chase provided a rich foil and counterpoint to James Spader's morally slippery Alan Shore. While on the show, he made a brief return to the big screen, voicing the Cyclops in "Shrek the Third" (2007) and having a brief appearance as a stage manager in the World War II drama, "Nanking" (2007). After "Boston Legal," Valley had a regular role on the sci-fi drama, "Fringe" (Fox, 2008-2013), playing an FBI agent and former lover of Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), a special agent assigned to investigate unexplained phenomena. Though only on "Fringe" for season one, Valley came away with a new set of fans, not to mention a real-life romance with co-star Anna Torv, whom he married in December 2008. Valley was the star of his next series, "Human Target" (Fox, 2010-2011), in which he played Christopher Chance, a private contractor and security expert who protects his clients by completely integrating himself into their lives. But that show proved to be ratings-challenged and was canceled after its second season. After a small role as a C-130 pilot in the acclaimed feature drama "Zero Dark Thirty" (2012), Valley was part of the third season retooling of "Body of Proof" (ABC, 2011-13), a medical drama about a former neurosurgeon (Dana Delany) who becomes a medical examiner following a devastating accident.