Sharon Gless Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature. Between 2000 and 2005, Gless appeared as Hal Sparks's mother, Debbie Novotny, in her biggest and most critically acclaimed role since Cagney & Lacey in the acclaimed Showtime cable television series "Queer as Folk." In 2000, she was on an episode of "Touched by an Angel" entitled "The Perfect Game". On May 26, 2005, Gless was one of the mourners at Eddie Albert's funeral, along with ex-"Switch" co-stars Robert Wagner and Charlie Callas. In 2006, Gless starred in the BBC television series "The State Within". The following year she co-starred in the USA
Sharon Gless and in 1974 she signed a 10-year contract with Universal Studios. Near the end of her contract, she was identified in the media as the last of the contract players — a salaried, old Hollywood apprentice system which Universal was the last to employ. Actress Elizabeth Baur is Gless's first cousin. At the beginning of her career, Gless appeared in numerous television series and TV movies, such as "Revenge of the Stepford Wives", "Faraday & Company" with Dan Dailey and James Naughton in 1973 and 1974, "Emergency!", and "The Rockford Files". She played small parts in "Marcus Welby, M.D." (1969–1976),