Sharon Gless Sharon Gless Sharon Marguerite Gless (born May 31, 1943) is an American actress, who is known for her television roles as Maggie Philbin, the naïve, young receptionist of Frank MacBride and Pete Ryan (played by Eddie Albert and Robert Wagner) on "Switch" (1975–78), Sgt. Christine Cagney in the police procedural drama series "Cagney & Lacey" (1982–88), the title role in "The Trials of Rosie O'Neill" (1990–92), as Debbie Novotny in the Showtime cable television series "Queer as Folk" (2000–2005), and as Madeline Westen on "Burn Notice" (2007–2013). A 10-time Emmy Award nominee and seven-time Golden Globe Award nominee, she won
Sharon Gless had a large clientele of major film studio executives and actors. Wanting to become an actress, she sought her grandfather's advice and he told her, "Stay out of it, it's a filthy business!" A few years later, though, when she spoke to him again about acting, he encouraged her, and gave her money for acting classes. She worked as a secretary for the advertising agencies Grey Advertising and Young & Rubicam, and then for the independent movie production companies Sassafras Films and General Film Corporation. While she worked as a production assistant, Gless studied drama with acting coach Estelle Harman,