Nicollette Sheridan

Nicollette Sheridan portrays the role of Edie Britt on Desperate Housewives.

Biography
Nicollette Sheridan was born on November 21, 1963 in Sussex, England to English actress Sally Sheridan. She has a half-brother named Nick Savalas whose father is Telly Savalas.

She lost the part of Grace Adler in Will &amp; Grace in the final auditions. She is most famous for portraying Edie Britt on the highly successful show ABC series Desperate Housewives. In November 2004, spent 1 week in the center of the sports world as a key figure in a controversial skit preceding ABC's "NFL Monday Night Football" (1970) in which she ran supposedly nude into the arms of Philadelphia WR Terrell Owens. The skit was designed to bring viewers to ABC's Desperate Housewives (2004), whose next episode posted the show's highest numbers to date. She was engaged to Michael Bolton but has since called off the engagement.

Nicollette Sheridan originally auditioned for the role of Bree Van de Kamp, but was instead seen by Marc Cherry as much more of an Edie Britt. And so, in February 2004, Sheridan was the last series' regular cast, and as Edie.

Sheridan recently filed a lawsuit towards Desperate Housewives' creator Marc Cherry, she claims that he had assaulted her while she suggested a change in the script she was given.

In November 2017, Sheridan will play as Alexis Carrington (previously played by Joan Collins) as Blake's ex-wife in the reboot series Dynasty, then she was later promoted to series regular on season two right before Ana Brenda Contreras (replacing Nathalie Kelley) and Maddison Brown joins the cast.

Behind Closed Doors
The character Edie was originally written as a recurring role in the series. Actress Nicollette Sheridan, who originally auditioned for Bree Van de Kamp, one of the series' more prominent roles, was cast in the role in February 2004. On August 11, Sheridan was announced to have joined the main cast for the series' first season, the thirteenth cast member to do so. Despite proving popular with fans and critics, Sheridan's role remained somewhat minimal in the series' first two seasons. Series creator Marc Cherry insisted that Edie served "only as a spoiler to complicate the other women's lives." Although Sheridan thought of Edie as the fifth main housewife—in addition to Susan, Bree, Lynette Scavo, and Gabrielle Solis—the opening credits only pictured the other four women, excluding Edie. Additionally, Cherry shared that his goal for the series would be to have the central four women remain in the series.

However, Marcia Cross's real-life maternity leave caused Bree to be absent in several episodes of the third season. Edie's character was elevated in prominence, providing the fourth concurrent storyline for the episodes. During this time, the character's "layers are peeled away and the character is developed on a deeper level than has been previously explored." Despite Cross's return, Edie maintained a more important role throughout seasons four and five until the character's death.

In February 2009, it was announced that Sheridan would be leaving the show following her character's death, which would involve a car accident and electrical wire. Cherry had confirmed the death of several fan favorites at the beginning of the series' fifth season in September 2008. Rumors of on-set problems with Sheridan and her squabbles with Cherry reportedly led to her departure. Sheridan commented that killing Edie "was a risky decision that could have devastating ramifications," and admitted to feeling ignored by Cherry while on the series. Cherry alleges that the reason behind Edie's death was to cut costs from the series. The series reportedly saved an estimated $100,000 to $200,000 per episode without the cost of Sheridan's salary. In April 2010, Sheridan filed a lawsuit against Cherry, alleging wrongful dismissal and assault and battery, among five other counts. The following June, Sheridan filed an amended claim, clarifying that the alleged assault was a "light tap," but reaffirmed her stance that her contract was wrongfully terminated.

Sheridan's portrayal of the character has earned mostly positive reviews. In 2005, Sheridan was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Career
Sheridan has starred or appeared in the following:
 * Paper Dolls
 * The Sure Thing
 * Lucky Chances
 * Knots Landing
 * Deceptions
 * Noises Off
 * Shadows of Desire
 * Virus
 * Silver Strand
 * Spy Hard
 * The People Next Door
 * Beverly Hills Ninja
 * Murder in My Mind
 * Dead Husbands
 * Raw Nerve
 * The Spiral Staircase
 * The Legend of Tarzan
 * .com for Murder
 * Haven't We Met Before?
 * Lost Treasure
 * Deadly Betrayal
 * Deadly Visions
 * The Karate Dog
 * Will & Grace
 * Becker
 * Desperate Housewives
 * Code Name: The Cleaner
 * Fly Me to the Moon
 * Honeymoon For One
 * Noah's Ark: The New Beginning
 * Dynasty (reboot)