Valerie Bertinelli

Valerie Anne Bertinelli is an American actress and television personality. She first gained wide recognition for her role as Barbara Cooper Royer on the television sitcom One Day at a Time, which ran from 1975 to 1984. She later earned further acclaim for her adult television roles in the drama series Touched by an Angel and the comedy series Hot in Cleveland. Beyond her acting career, Bertinelli has hosted numerous cooking programs for Food Network, including Valerie's Home Cooking and Kids Baking Championship.

Bertinelli was born on April 23, 1960, in Wilmington, Delaware, to Nancy and Andrew Bertinelli, a General Motors executive. Raised Roman Catholic, she moved frequently during her childhood due to her father's career, residing in Delaware, Michigan, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and California. While living in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles, she studied acting at the Tami Lynn School of Artists and attended Granada Hills High School.

Bertinelli made her screen debut in a 1974 episode of Apple's Way. Shortly after, producer Norman Lear approached her to audition for One Day at a Time. Cast as Barbara Cooper, Bertinelli appeared in 208 of the show's 209 episodes over nine seasons. Her performance on the series earned her two Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actress.

Following One Day at a Time, Bertinelli appeared in numerous television films, miniseries, and guest spots. During the 1990s, she played a private detective in the sitcom Sydney and starred in Café Americain. She joined the cast of the religious drama series Touched by an Angel for its final two seasons from 2001 to 2003. From 2010 to 2015, she co-starred in the sitcom Hot in Cleveland alongside Betty White, Wendie Malick, and Jane Leeves, a role that netted her a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012.

In 2015, Bertinelli began hosting cooking shows for Food Network, co-hosting Kids Baking Championship with Duff Goldman and presenting Valerie's Home Cooking. Her hosting work on Valerie's Home Cooking earned her two Daytime Emmy Awards. She hosted additional network programs in 2019, including Family Food Showdown and Family Restaurant Rivals, and signed a new deal with Food Network in December 2021. Outside of television hosting, Bertinelli became a spokeswoman for Jenny Craig in 2007, authored several memoirs, and completed the 2010 Boston Marathon.

Bertinelli was married to rock musician Eddie Van Halen from 1981 until their divorce in 2007, and they had a son named Wolfgang. She later married financial planner Tom Vitale in 2011, before filing for legal separation in 2021 and finalizing their divorce in 2022.