# Brenda Bakke

Brenda Jean Bakke (born May 15, 1963) is an American actress, best known for her roles in 1990s films Hot Shots! Part Deux, Gunmen, Demon Knight, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, and L.A. Confidential.

## Life and career

Bakke was born in Klamath Falls, Oregon, and began her acting career in a Portland stage production of Years Ago at age 15. After graduating in 1981 from Sunset High School, near Beaverton, Oregon, she moved to Los Angeles to study acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She made her screen debut in the 1986 movie Hardbodies 2, and the following year, guest starred in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. In later years, she had a number of roles in low-budget genre movies, such as Gunhed, Solar Crisis, and The Medium.
In 1993, Bakke appeared as Michelle Huddleston in the comedy film Hot Shots! Part Deux, where the love interest of Charlie Sheen. The following year, she played the female leading role in the action-comedy film, Gunmen. In 1995, she appeared as Cordelia the prostitute in Ernest Dickerson's Demon Knight, and as Captain Linda Gilder in Under Siege 2.
During the 1995-96 television season, she was a regular cast member in the CBS horror series, American Gothic alongside Gary Cole. In 1997, Bakke appeared as Lana Turner in the neo-noir mystery crime film, L.A. Confidential. In 1999, she returned to television with the role of the lead character's mother in the short-lived Fox drama series, Ryan Caulfield: Year One.
In 2000s, Bakke continued appearing in films, playing roles in smaller movies, such as The Quickie and Moving August. She spent the following years playing guest star roles in episodes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, NYPD Blue, The Mentalist, and Supernatural. In 2015, she began appearing in the recurring role of Virginia in the Oprah Winfrey Network prime time soap opera If Loving You Is Wrong. In 2016, Bakke appeared in guest starring roles in episodes of Heartbeat and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1986 | Last Resort | Veroneeka | |
| 1986 | Hardbodies 2 | Morgan | |
| 1987 | Scavengers | Kimberly Blake | |
| 1987 | Medium Rare | | |
| 1988 | Fast Gun | Julie Comstock | |
| 1988 | A Father's Homecoming | Nurse Pitzer | Television film |
| 1988 | Dangerous Love | Chris | |
| 1989 | Fist Fighter | Ellen | |
| 1989 | Nowhere to Run | Joannie | |
| 1989 | Another Chance | Sandy | |
| 1989 | Gunhed | Texas Air Ranger Sgt. Nim | |
| 1989 | Death Spa | Laura Danvers | |
| 1990 | Stolen: One Husband | Samantha | Television film |
| 1990 | Solar Crisis | Claire Beeson | |
| 1992 | The Medium | | |
| 1992 | Secrets | Sandy Warwick | Television film |
| 1993 | Hot Shots! Part Deux | Michelle Rodham Huddleston | |
| 1994 | Gunmen | Maria | |
| 1994 | Twogether | Allison McKenzie | |
| 1994 | Terminal Voyage | Zinovitz | |
| 1995 | Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight | Cordelia | |
| 1995 | Under Siege 2: Dark Territory | Captain Linda Gilder | |
| 1995 | Lone Justice 2 | Wren | |
| 1996 | Lone Justice 3 | Wren | |
| 1996 | Frame by Frame | | |
| 1997 | L.A. Confidential | Lana Turner | |
| 1997 | Trucks | Hope Gladstone | |
| 1998 | Shelter | Helena | |
| 1998 | The Fixer | C.J. | Television film |
| 1998 | Nobody Lives Forever | Laurel Trevelyn | Television film |
| 2000 | Warm Texas Rain | Kim | |
| 2000 | Time Loves a Hero | Alice | Short film |
| 2001 | The Quickie | Jane | |
| 2002 | Moving August | Ginny Forster | |
| 2002 | Groom Lake | Joyce | |
| 2004 | Hot Rush | Old Lady | Short film |
| 2004 | Leave No Trace | Victoria Blake | |
| 2015 | There | LLM | |
| 2015 | Unbelievable!!!!! | Nurse Christine Choppel | |
| 2017 | Juvenile | Margarette | |
| 2018 | Foster Boy | Linda Ryan | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1987 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Rivan | Episode: "Justice" |
| 1987—1988 | High Mountain Rangers | | Episodes: "Pilot" and "Russian Skier Defects" |
| 1990 | Father Dowling Mysteries | Claudia Marshall | Episode: "The Showgirl Mystery" |
| 1991 | The Young Riders | Alice | Episode: "The Peacemakers" |
| 1992 | Jake and the Fatman | Lori Menza | Episode: "Come Closer to Me" |
| 1993 | Ned Blessing: The True Story of My Life | Wren | Miniseries |
| 1994 | Second Chances | Lara Peterson | Episodes: "Miss Friendly Santa Rita" and "Justifiable Jealousy" |
| 1994 | The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. | Frances McCabe | Episode: "Ned Zed" |
| 1995—1996 | American Gothic | Selena Coombs | Series regular, 18 episodes |
| 1997 | Trucks | Hope Gladstone | TV movie |
| 1999 | Ryan Caulfield: Year One | Mrs. Caulfield | Series regular, 8 episodes |
| 1999 | Charmed | Soul Collector | Episode: "The Power of Two" |
| 2001 | Popular | Mary Lou Parker | Episodes: "Miss Friendly Santa Rita" and "It's Greek to Me" |
| 2001 | Dark Angel | Dr. Adriana Vertes | Episode: "Female Trouble" |
| 2001 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Bonnie Ritten | Episode: "Burked" |
| 2004 | NYPD Blue | Claudia Weintraub | Episode: "I Love My Wives, But Oh You Kid" |
| 2009 | Dollhouse | Margaret Bashford | Episode: "Haunted" |
| 2010 | The Mentalist | Det. Sharon Florey | Episode: "Blood in, Blood Out" |
| 2010 | Dark Blue | Ana Perry | Episode: "Dead Flowers" |
| 2014 | The Bridge | Guard | Episode: "Eye of the Deep" |
| 2015 | Supernatural | Suzie | Episode: "The Werther Project" |
| 2015-2017 | If Loving You Is Wrong | Virginia | Recurring role, 9 episodes |
| 2016 | Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders | Camille | Episode: "Iqiniso" |
| 2016 | Heartbeat | Marie | Episode: "Match Game" |
| 2017-2018 | Colony | Swiss Chancellor | Episodes: "Panopticon" and "Puzzle Man" |
| 2017 | Grey's Anatomy | Gwen Nolan | Episode: "Back Where You Belong" |
| 2019 | What/If | Older Laura | Episodes: "What Remains" and "WTF" |