Biography

Although she has a very large body of work, with 35 years working as an actor, director and writer, most of the world knows Valerie as Doris Schwartz from the television series Fame. She became a globally recognized star in a role that moved deeply into the hearts of people young and old. She performed with her cast mates for the sold out reunion concert in Salsomaggiore Terme, Italy last December.

Having resided mostly on the other side of camera for the last twenty years Valerie is completing her indie feature Offer and Compromise, with Tom Cavanagh, Bellamy Young and Bailee Madison. Her short form film Trixie's Score was picked up by Shorts International..As a Writer/Director she penned Belters for Profile Films America, An Unexpected Gift for The Hallmark Channel and Norwegian Wood, a teen comedy for Kinetic Arts as well as directing the action-thriller Bound By Lies, with Kristie Swanson and Stephen Baldwin.

Her other work as an actor includes multiple roles as a television-series regular or a recurring role as well as multiple movies made for the small screen. She made her film debut in the disco classic TGIF. 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. She is a long time improviser and performs yearly at the Groundlings Theater with various groups. Valerie has worked as an on set coach for both actors and directors.

She travels extensively teaching as an adjunct faculty member at UCLA, Rockport College and guest lecturer at the University Of Southern Maine, and the University of Central Florida. She created Master CLass for Euro Disney and has just joined the International faculty of The Asian Academy of Film and Television in New Delhi, India. She consults independent business professional both inside and outside the entertainment industry..

She lives in a 600 square foot loft on the coast of Maine, A photographer and singer-songwriter/musician with gold and platinum records for her work in Fame and is now preparing to record her second CD Firebrand. Grownup still sells worldwide.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Gerlwerks