Born on Jan 21, 1968 in Winnetka, Illinois, USA. Reportedly 5' 4".

It's like something from a Greek play: the hero spends his whole life cleverly avoiding the grim fate that has been laid down for him at birth, but tragically meets it anyway despite all his noble efforts.

The hero in this case is Charlotte Ross, currently of NYPD Blue fame. Charlotte is a beautiful blonde. Not Pamela Anderson-in-her-prime beautiful, to be sure — although she was voted “Illinois Dream Girl” when she was 19 — but good looking enough that she'll always be the Beautiful Blonde in any show she's in as long as there aren't any other, younger beautiful blondes on the show. (Charlotte's in her mid-thirties at the time of this posting, an age when most TV Hot Chicks start to hit the wall.) And being a beautiful actress in Hollywood, while it has its perks and certainly opens doors, tends to overshadow any other talents an actress might have and doom her to playing eye candy for the rest of her short career.

But Charlotte doesn't want to be trapped into forever playing a bukkake-type focus for the masturbating masses — she's a two-time Emmy-winning Serious Actress, after all, with a strong background in opera to boot. So she's tried to keep her roles varied, from tough-talking cops to stockbrokers to drug addicts, from comedies to drama, TV to film. Short of plunging her face into a bowl of battery acid, she's done all a Hot Chick can reasonably do to avoid the Permanent Hot Chick label and still pay the bills. (Which apparently isn't much, judging from her pictures in the galleries here.)

And have her efforts paid off? How will she be remembered, at long last? Her chameleon-like acting talents? Her singing? Her comedy?

None of these, of course. In the end, even if she manages to eliminate cancer, AIDs, and international terrorism, Charlotte's only enduring fame will rest on her ass-showing PETA ads and, more than that, her near-naked appearance in an episode of NYPD Blue. Her career will have been one of a sex icon whether she likes it or not.

From Oedipus to Charlotte, then, the edifying lesson to be learned here is — to quote the more familiar Homer of The Simpsons — “Never try”.

Also sprach Golem.
(More recent commentary below)

Charlotte Leaves NYPD Blue
April 2, 2004
From TVGuide.com:

COP OUT — NYPD Blue star Charlotte Ross, who's currently on maternity leave following the birth of her first child, son Maxwell, on March 23, will not be returning for the cop drama's 12th and final season next fall, TV Guide Online has learned. "She requested to take next year off and [series creator Steven Bochco] was kind enough to let her out [of her contract]," confirms Ross's manager hubby, Michael Goldman. "She's burnt on the character and burnt on drama and really also wanted to be a mom." That's all well and good, but what about the fact that Ross's Blue character is married and expecting a child with Dennis Franz's Andy? Producers will deal with that tricky matter next season. Says a show rep: "They haven't made a decision about it one way or the other at this point."

I suppose this move was inevitable, but one wonders just how employable Charlotte will be in a few years after the novelty of child-rearing starts to wear thin. Semi-retired TV hot chicks in their 40s seldom go further than Hollywood Squares and the occasional TV movie-of-the-week, after all. Best of luck to her.

Film

• Looking for Lola (1998) .... Debbie
• Savage Land (1994) .... Mandy
• Love and a .45 (1994) .... Mary Ann
• Foreign Student (1994) .... Sue Ann
• Touch and Go (1986) .... Courtney's Girl Friend

• Beggars and Choosers (1999) .... Lori Volpone

• Inside NYPD Blue: A Decade on the Job (2002) .... Herself [uncredited]
• Kidnapped in Paradise (1999; aka “Dark Waters”) .... Megan Emerson
• Fall Into Darkness (1996) .... Ann Price
• A Kiss So Deadly (1996) .... Amanda Blake
• She Says She's Innocent (1991; aka “Violation of Trust”) .... Justine Essex

• A Will of Their Own (1998) .... Susan Peterson

• Jake in Progress (2006-) .... Annie
• Frasier: “Sliding Frasiers” (Feb 13, 2001) .... Monica
• NYPD Blue (2001-) .... Det. Connie McDowell
• NYPD Blue: “I Don't Wanna Dye” (Mar 31, 1998) .... Laurie Richardson
• NYPD Blue: “The One That Got Away” (Mar 3, 1998) .... Laurie Richardson
• Trinity (1998) .... Fiona McCallister
• Pauly (1997) .... Dawn Delaney
• Murder One: “Chapter Seventeen” (Mar 11, 1996) .... Stephanie Lambert
• Minor Adjustments: “Baba-Doo-Wang” (Mar 5, 1996) .... Amy
• ER: “The Right Thing” (Feb 8, 1996) .... Angel, Nathan's girlfriend
• Murder One: “Chapter Eight” (Nov 16, 1995) .... Stephanie Lambert
• Birdland: “Crazy for You” (Jan 12, 1994) .... Ronnie
• The Five Mrs. Buchanans (1994) .... Bree Larson Buchanan
• Married ... with Children: “Teacher Pets” (Apr 5, 1992) .... Darlene
• Drexell's Class: “The Resentments” (Mar 5, 1992) .... Janet
• Empty Nest: “Sayonara” (Feb 22, 1992) .... Antoinette
• The Heights (1992) .... Hope Linden
• Reasonable Doubts: “Dicky's Got the Blues” (Dec 20, 1991)
• Days of Our Lives (1987-1991) .... Eve Baron

Cyber Temples

• Charlotte Ross Celebrity Movie Reviews
  Mr. Skin
  Bio, filmography, and stills and clips from her films

Miscellaneous

• Charlotte Ross Filmography
  Internet Movie Database
  Always up-to-date filmography
• Charlotte Ross
  Wikipedia
  Charlotte Ross in wikireality