Amanda Bearse (born August 9, 1958) is an American actress, director and comedian. She is known for her role as wacky neighbor Marcy D'Arcy (formerly Marcy Rhoades) on Married... with Children, a popular sitcom that ran in the United States between 1987 and 1997, and for her performance in the 1985 horror film Fright Night.
Bearse studied acting at New York City's Neighborhood Playhouse under instructor Sanford Meisner. Her initial success came with the role of Amanda Cousins on the soap opera All My Children between 1981 and 1984. During and after that time she appeared in a string of independent and B-movies, including Protocol (1984), Fright Night and Fraternity Vacation (both 1985). Her big break came in 1987, when she was cast as Marcy Rhoades on the hit FOX TV sitcom Married... with Children. She played the role until the show's end in 1997, and became known to television audiences. In the mid-1990s, Bearse also appeared in the films The Doom Generation and Here Come the Munsters.
Bearse took up the challenge of television and film directing while appearing on Married... with Children. Between 1991 and 1997, she helmed over 30 episodes of the show. She also directed episodes of Reba, Mad TV, Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher, Malcolm & Eddie, Pauly, The Tom Show, Dharma & Greg, Veronica's Closet, Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place, Jesse (starring her former Married... with Children co-star Christina Applegate), and Ladies Man. In 2005, she directed The Sperm Donor, a pilot for NBC starring Maggie Wheeler and David DeLuise. In 2006, Bearse teamed with Rosie O'Donnell to direct The Big Gay Sketch Show, that debuted on Logo on April 24, 2007.
Bearse was born in Winter Park, Florida, and was also raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She attended Young Harris College. She has been openly a lesbian since 1993. She lives in Atlanta with her adopted daughter Zoe and is currently directing for Logo.
