Biografía
With a career spanning 35 years as an actor, director, and writer, Valerie is best known globally for her role as Doris Schwartz in the television series Fame. This role touched the hearts of audiences of all ages, earning her international recognition. Last December, she reunited with her castmates for a sold-out concert in Salsomaggiore Terme, Italy.
For the past twenty years, Valerie has mainly worked behind the camera. She is currently finishing her indie feature Offer and Compromise, starring Tom Cavanagh, Bellamy Young, and Bailee Madison. Her short film Trixie's Score was acquired by Shorts International. As a writer and director, she created Belters for Profile Films America, An Unexpected Gift for The Hallmark Channel, and Norwegian Wood, a teen comedy for Kinetic Arts. She also directed the action-thriller Bound By Lies, featuring Kristie Swanson and Stephen Baldwin.
Her acting credits include numerous television series regular and recurring roles, as well as several made-for-TV movies. Valerie made her film debut in the disco classic TGIF. On stage, she appeared on Broadway in Neil Simon's I Ought To Be In Pictures, Off-Broadway in Surviving Grace, and Woody Allen's The Floating Lightbulb. A longtime improviser, she performs annually at the Groundlings Theater with various groups and has served as an on-set coach for both actors and directors.
Valerie travels widely, teaching as an adjunct faculty member at UCLA and Rockport College, and as a guest lecturer at the University of Southern Maine and the University of Central Florida. She developed Master Class for Euro Disney and recently joined the international faculty of The Asian Academy of Film and Television in New Delhi, India. She also provides consulting services to independent business professionals both within and outside the entertainment industry.
Residing in a 600-square-foot loft on the coast of Maine, Valerie is also a photographer and a singer-songwriter/musician with gold and platinum records for her work on Fame. She is currently preparing to record her second CD, Firebrand. Her album Grownup continues to sell worldwide.
