Valerie Bertinelli
- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Valerie Bertinelli was born in Wilmington, Delaware, to Nancy (Carvin) and Andrew Francis Bertinelli, Jr., a General Motors executive, and raised with her one older and two younger brothers. In her early teens, her father was transferred to a GM assembly plant in the Detroit, Michigan area and her family resided in Clarkston, Michigan, where she attended Clarkston Middle School. A short time later, her father again was transferred to another GM automotive plant in Van Nuys, California. At this time, Bertinelli became neighborhood friends of the daughter of a TV producer and soon enrolled in the Tami Lynn School of Artists to study acting. Tami Lynn launched Valerie's career in the CBS hit TV series, One Day at a Time (1975). Tami Lynn was Valerie's Personal Manager from 1971 through 1979.
In December 1975, the situation comedy One Day at a Time (1975), produced by Norman Lear, premiered on CBS with Bertinelli as "Barbara Cooper", one of two daughters of a recently divorced woman. The show was a long-time hit and ended production in 1984.
Bertinelli has starred in three feature films: C.H.O.M.P.S. (1979), Ordinary Heroes (1986), and Number One with a Bullet (1987). She was also the protagonist of the miniseries, I'll Take Manhattan (1987), based on a novel by Judith Krantz. She has appeared in several made-for-TV movies. She was also the star of two other situation comedies, Sydney (1990) and Cafe Americain (1993), both of which were canceled after short runs.
In 1981, she married rock guitarist Edward Van Halen. They had homes in the Hollywood Hills and Malibu and have a son, Wolfgang Van Halen. They separated in 2001, when Van Halen had tongue cancer. In 2005, Bertinelli filed for divorce for irreconcilable differences and, it was finalized two years later. It was in 2004 that she first met her second husband, Tom Vitale. The couple started living together shortly thereafter and in 2011 they wed, only to later divorce in 2022.
She starred as "Melanie Moretti" on the Emmy® Award-winning series, Hot in Cleveland (2010), which ran from 2010-2015. Her non-acting career has included work as a Jenny Craig spokesperson (2007-2013), a cookbook author and memoirist. In 2024 Valerie joined season five of "The Drew Barrymore Show" as a member of the "Drew Crew"; she was hired after the Food Network ended her hosting contracts for both "Valerie's Home Cooking" and "Kids Baking Championship" in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
In December 1975, the situation comedy One Day at a Time (1975), produced by Norman Lear, premiered on CBS with Bertinelli as "Barbara Cooper", one of two daughters of a recently divorced woman. The show was a long-time hit and ended production in 1984.
Bertinelli has starred in three feature films: C.H.O.M.P.S. (1979), Ordinary Heroes (1986), and Number One with a Bullet (1987). She was also the protagonist of the miniseries, I'll Take Manhattan (1987), based on a novel by Judith Krantz. She has appeared in several made-for-TV movies. She was also the star of two other situation comedies, Sydney (1990) and Cafe Americain (1993), both of which were canceled after short runs.
In 1981, she married rock guitarist Edward Van Halen. They had homes in the Hollywood Hills and Malibu and have a son, Wolfgang Van Halen. They separated in 2001, when Van Halen had tongue cancer. In 2005, Bertinelli filed for divorce for irreconcilable differences and, it was finalized two years later. It was in 2004 that she first met her second husband, Tom Vitale. The couple started living together shortly thereafter and in 2011 they wed, only to later divorce in 2022.
She starred as "Melanie Moretti" on the Emmy® Award-winning series, Hot in Cleveland (2010), which ran from 2010-2015. Her non-acting career has included work as a Jenny Craig spokesperson (2007-2013), a cookbook author and memoirist. In 2024 Valerie joined season five of "The Drew Barrymore Show" as a member of the "Drew Crew"; she was hired after the Food Network ended her hosting contracts for both "Valerie's Home Cooking" and "Kids Baking Championship" in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
