Valerie Bertinelli is an American actress with a $20 million net worth. Bertinelli has amassed her wealth through her numerous television performances and marriage to Eddie Van Halen. She won two Golden Globes for her part in the sitcom “One Day at a Time” (1975–1984), for which she is probably best remembered.
Valerie has further been in “Café Americain” (1993–1994), “Touched by an Angel” (2001–2003), and “Hot in Cleveland” (2010–2015). She launched the cookbooks “One Dish at a Time: Delicious Recipes and Stories from My Italian-American Childhood and Beyond” (2012) and “Valerie’s Home Cooking: More than 100 Delicious Recipes to Share with Friends and Family” (2015). (2017). “Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time” was released by Bertinelli in 2008, and “Finding It: And Satisfying My Hunger for Life Without Opening the Fridge” followed in 2009.
Early Years
Valerie Bertinelli was born Valerie Anne Bertinelli on April 23, 1960, in Wilmington, Delaware. She grew up with her mother Nancy, father Andrew (a General Motors executive), and brothers Patrick, David, and Drew in Claymont, Delaware, Shreveport, Louisiana, Clarkston, Michigan, Oklahoma City, and Los Angeles, California. Before Valerie was born, her parents lost a son, Mark, to accidental poisoning when he was 17 months old. Tami Lynn was Bertinelli’s manager from 1971 until 1979. Bertinelli attended Granada Hills High School and the Tami Lynn School of Artists.
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Career
In 1974, Valerie appeared in an episode of the CBS drama “Apple’s Way,” after which producer Norman Lear encouraged her to test for the new sitcom “One Day at a Time.” She was cast as Barbara Cooper at the age of 15 and became a television sensation. In 2005, Bertinelli and co-stars Mackenzie Phillips, Bonnie Franklin, and Pat Harrington, Jr. appeared on CBS’s “The One Day at a Time Reunion.” “One Day at a Time” broadcast 209 episodes over nine seasons.
While starring in “One Day at a Time,” Valerie also appeared in “Battle of the Network Stars III” (1977), “The Hardy Boys” (1978), “C.H.O.M.P.S.” (1979), and “Fridays” (1981–1982), in addition to the television films “Young Love, First Love” (1979), “The Promise of Love” (1980), “The Princess and the Cabbie” (1981), “I Was a Mail Order Bride” (1984). Throughout the 1980s, Bertinelli starred in numerous more made-for-TV films, including “Silent Witness” (1985), “Ordinary Heroes” (1986), “Rockabye” (1986), and “Taken Away” (1989), as well as the miniseries “I’ll Take Manhattan” (1987).
In 1990, Bertinelli portrayed the titular character on the CBS comedy “Sydney,” which starred future “Friends” star Matthew Perry and aired 13 episodes. She portrayed Holly Aldridge on NBC’s “Café Americain” from 1993 to 1994, and later acted in the television films “The Haunting of Helen Walker” (1995) and “Two Mothers for Zachary” (1996).
Valerie portrayed the angel Gloria in 59 episodes of the CBS drama “Touched by an Angel” from 2001 to 2003, and she also provided her voice for the animated Fox comedy “Family Guy” in 2001. She appeared in a cameo as herself in the 2004 film “Saved!” and was a guest star on the 2008 season of the ABC series “Boston Legal.” Bertinelli portrayed Melanie Moretti on “Hot in Cleveland” from 2010 to 2015, with Betty White, Jane Leeves, and Wendie Malick. In 2015, she began hosting “Valerie’s Home Cooking” and “Kids Baking Championship” on the Food Network. In 2019, the network handed her “Family Restaurant Rivals” and “Family Food Showdown.”
Personal Life
On April 11, 1981, Valerie wed guitarist Eddie Van Halen, and on March 16, 1991, the couple had a son named Wolfgang Van Halen. Bertinelli and Van Halen divorced in December 2007, following their 2001 separation. Valerie has stated that Eddie’s drug addiction and refusal to quit smoking despite being diagnosed with mouth cancer were important factors in the divorce.
On January 1, 2011, Bertinelli married financial planner Tom Vitale; she became the stepmother of his four children. Van Halen passed away in October 2020 after a lengthy battle with cancer, and Valerie and Wolfgang were present.
Bertinelli has been extremely open about her struggle with weight reduction, and after dropping 40 pounds on the Jenny Craig program, she appeared in advertisements for the company. In 2010, as a member of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Team, she completed the Boston Marathon at 5:14:37. In the 2014 episode of “Who Do You Think You Are?” on TLC, Valerie discovered that she is a descendant of King Edward I of England.
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Honors and Candidatures
Bertinelli has been nominated for three Golden Globes, winning Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series, Miniseries or Film Made for Television in 1981 and 1982 for “One Day at a Time.” The show was also nominated in 2018 and 2020. In 2005, Valerie was nominated for a TV Land Award for Favorite Singing Siblings for “One Day at a Time” (shared with Mackenzie Phillips), and in 2007, she was selected Lady You Love to Watch Fight for Her Life in a Movie of the Week.
In 1981, Bertinelli was nominated for the Young Artist Award for Best Young Comedienne for “One Day at a Time,” and in 2011, the ensemble of “Hot in Cleveland” was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. She was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012.
Valerie Bertinelli Husbands
Valerie Bertinelli enjoys the best version of her life as a single lady. The 62-year-old actress and Food Network celebrity filed for divorce from husband Tom Vitale on May 12, citing irreconcilable differences in records obtained by USA TODAY from the Los Angeles Superior Court in California.
Did Eddie Van Halen and Valerie Bertinelli Still Love Each Other?
Eddie Van Halen and Valerie Bertinelli in 1985. (CNN) Valerie Bertinelli and Eddie Van Halen’s love for one another never ceased. The actress, novelist, and Food Network celebrity stood by her ex-side, husband’s along with their son Wolfgang when he died of cancer in 2020 at age 65.