Valerie Anne Bertinelli[1] (born April 23, 1960)[2] is an American actress and television personality. She first achieved recognition as an adolescent, portraying Barbara Cooper Royer on the sitcomOne Day at a Time (1975–1984), for which she won two Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film. She subsequently earned adult stardom as Gloria on the religious drama series Touched by an Angel (2001–2003), and Melanie Moretti on the sitcom Hot in Cleveland (2010–2015), which brought her a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. In 2012, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Bertinelli was born in Wilmington, Delaware to Nancy (née Carvin) and Andrew Bertinelli, a General Motors executive. Her father is of Italian descent and her mother of English descent.[4] She has three brothers, David, Patrick, and Drew. An older brother, Mark, died at 17 months from accidental poisoning before she was born.[5]
Bertinelli in One Day at a Time in 1975Bertinelli in 2008
Following her appearance in an episode of Apple's Way, Bertinelli was approached by producer Norman Lear to audition for the role of cooperative daughter Barbara Cooper in a new sitcom called One Day at a Time, which debuted in late 1975 when Bertinelli was 15. She appeared in 208 of the 209 episodes before it left the air on May 28, 1984, and won two Golden Globe Awards for her performances. In the 2005 One Day at a Time Reunion Special, she was reunited with cast members Bonnie Franklin, Mackenzie Phillips and Pat Harrington Jr. to watch memorable clips from the show's nine seasons. They talked about actors who had appeared on the show as well as Phillips's drug problem, which had wreaked havoc on-set and caused Phillips to be fired.
After One Day at a Time, Bertinelli starred in several made-for-TV films and miniseries and made many guest appearances on other television shows. In the 1990s, she starred in two short-lived sitcoms: Sydney, as the title character, a private detective (with Matthew Perry and Craig Bierko); and Café Americain. In 2001, she joined the cast of Touched by an Angel for its last two seasons.
In 2007, she became a spokeswoman for the Jenny Craig weight-loss program, and appeared in several commercials.[8] The following year, she released the autobiography, Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time,[9] which culminates in a description of her Jenny Craig diet experience. In 2009 she wrote a follow-up book, Finding It: And Satisfying My Hunger for Life Without Opening the Fridge.[10] From 2010 to 2015, she starred in the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland with Betty White, Wendie Malick and Jane Leeves.[11][12] After a successful six-season run, its final episode aired on June 3, 2015.
In 2015, Bertinelli began hosting two shows, Valerie's Home Cooking, and Kids Baking Championship with cake artist Duff Goldman on the Food Network.[13][14] She won two Daytime Emmy Awards for her work on Valerie's Home Cooking. In 2019, she hosted two other Food Network shows, Family Food Showdown and Family Restaurant Rivals. In June 2021, it was announced that Bertinelli would star opposite Demi Lovato in NBC's single-camera comedy pilot, Hungry.[15] In December 2021, she signed a new deal with Food Network.[3] In January 2022, she released her memoir Enough Already: Learning to Love the Way I Am Today.[16] In January 2024, she confirmed that she had been cut from Kids Baking Championship by Food Network.[17]
Personal life
According to his autobiography, Paul Shaffer went on a "few fun dates" with Bertinelli when she was 16 and he was 27.[18]
Bertinelli married rock musician Eddie Van Halen in 1981.[19] They had a son, Wolfgang (born March 16, 1991).[19] They separated in 2001 and divorced on December 20, 2007.[20] In her autobiography, Bertinelli wrote that the main reasons for her divorce were her husband's cocaine addiction, and his refusal to quit smoking despite being diagnosed with oral cancer and losing one-third of his tongue in the treatment process.[5] After their divorce, they remained amicable, and she was at his bedside when he died.
In May 2010, Bertinelli announced her engagement to financial planner Tom Vitale, with whom she had begun a relationship in 2004. They were married on January 1, 2011, in Malibu, California.[21][22] She has four step-children through her marriage to Vitale. Both her ex-husband, Eddie Van Halen, and their son, Wolfgang Van Halen, attended the wedding.[21] Bertinelli filed for legal separation from Vitale on November 24, 2021, citing irreconcilable differences.[23] Their divorce was finalized on November 22, 2022.[24]
The following is a list of awards and nominations received by Bertinelli.[29] On August 22, 2012, Bertinelli received the 2,476th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[30]
