Jessica Walter was born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 31, 1941. She appeared on Broadway before turning to a career in television and film. Her award-winning performances highlight an already impressive résumé of film and television work. In 2005 she received an Emmy® nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role on Arrested Development (2003-2006), as well as named atop Entertainment Weekly's 2005 "Must" list. She also won Supporting Actress Emmy® for series Amy Prentiss (1974-1975); and Emmy® nominations for Trapper John, M.D (1979-1986) and The Streets of San Francisco (1973-1976). Her role in Play Misty for Me (1971) earned her a Golden Globe® nomination.

Walter's television credits include more than one hundred roles including series The Immortal (1969), Three's a Crowd (1984-1985), Murder, She Wrote (1985-1994), Coach (1994), and Jack & Jill (2000-2001). Her miniseries and made for television movies include Women in Chains (1972), Home for the Holidays (1972), Hurricane (1974), Arthur Hailey's Wheels (1978), She's Dressed to Kill (1979), Scruples (1981), Thursday's Child (1983), Saving Grace (2007)The Wedding Bells (2007), and Rules of Engagement (2007).

Walter's feature film debut was in Lilith (1964) opposite Warren Beatty. Additional film credits include The Group (1966), The Flamingo Kid (1984), Ghost in the Machine (1993), The Temptress (1994), The Slums of Beverly Hills (1998), Dummy (2002), and Unaccompanied Minors (2006).

Walter lives in New York with her husband, actor Ron Leibman.