Deborah Gaye Van Valkenburgh is a multifaceted artist, born in Schenectady, New York, and currently based in Los Angeles. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting & Drawing from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York.
As a teenager in Upstate New York, Van Valkenburgh honed her performing skills in local coffee houses with the folk band Spur Of The Moment. During her college years, she sang in a popular duo known as "The Myrtle Avenue Watermelon".
Van Valkenburgh made her professional debut on Broadway in the revival of the musical "Hair". Her early career also included a memorable performance as "Mercy" in Walter Hill's cult classic film The Warriors (1979). For five years, she played the role of "Jackie Rush" on the hit TV sitcom Too Close for Comfort (1980),alongside Ted Knight and Nancy Dussault.
With a diverse range of stage credits across the country, Van Valkenburgh has performed at notable venues such as TOSOS, Geva Theatre Center, Manhattan Theatre Club, San Diego REP, The Old Globe Theatre, South Coast REP, The Blank Theatre Company, The Matrix, The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, LATC, Arizona Theatre Company, and Portland Center Stage.
Her notable productions include Amy and David Sedaris's The Book Of Liz, Steve Martin's Picasso At The Lapin Agile, Ruby's Bucket O'Blood (world premiere),The Beauty Queen Of Leenane, Dancing At Lughnasa, Burn This, The Goat, Company, Tamara, The Heidi Chronicles, Pump Boys & Dinettes, and Livin' Dolls.
In addition to her stage work, Van Valkenburgh has also pursued her musical talents as a featured vocalist for Peter Tork: A Likely and Story acoustic band DB House, performing at legendary clubs like The Roxy, At My Place, and Coconut Teaszer. She has also completed work on Shirlyn Wong's short film Love's Routine (2013),starring Willem Dafoe.
