As Dr. Grace Santiago, Valerie Cruz became an eminent figure on the first season of Nip/Tuck.  She worked as a staff psychologist for McNamara/Troy, giving advice and helping the plastic surgeons screen potential patients.  Throughout the show, she was noted for consultations regarding the identical twins that wanted to look different, the patient with manic depression and the patient with multiple personality.  Aside from her medical expertise, she was also known for her affair with the promiscuous Dr. Christian Troy (Julian McMahon). In attempt to address the doctor's high sexual activity, she referred him to a support group but contradicted her own advice by having a sexual encounter with him.  She disappeared from the show with very little explanation, although it was revealed that Christian and Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) were talking about firing her.  Later this year, the 31-year-old actress will be featured in a comedy flick directed by Ian Gurvitz.

From the director of the comedy series Becker comes a new movie called LA Blues, which unravels the lives of six guys through a scene of what may have been an attempted suicide in a Hollywood parking lot.  Told through flashback narrations, the film trips on humor, hope, sorrow and adversity while leaving the viewers curious about what really happened in the earlier parking lot mishap.  The former Nip/Tuck actress stars alongside Kevin Rahm, William Ragsdale and Dave Foley.

Following her exposure on Nip/Tuck, Valerie Cruz landed guest roles on television series like Crossing Jordan, Las Vegas, Grey's Anatomy and Invasion.  She was also cast as Maria Nolan on the short-lived series Hidden Palms.

At present, Valerie Cruz remains on the television loop as Lt. Connie Murphy on the mystery series The Dresden Files.


-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of MSN)