
Shera Danese (born October 9, 1949) is an American actress who was married to Columbo star Peter Falk from 1977 until his death in 2011. She was his second wife following Alyce Mayo, to whom he was wed from 1960 to 1976. During their marriage, Danese made a total of six guest appearances on Columbo, moreso than any other actress. She first played a background role as Molly in Fade In to Murder (1976), followed by the slightly bigger role of Eve Plummer in Murder Under Glass (1977). When the series was revived in the 80s and 90s, Danese began to be cast in increasingly larger roles, starting with Vanessa Barsini in Murder, A Self Portrait (1989), then Trish Fairbanks in Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star (1991). She played murder victim Geraldine Ferguson in Undercover (1994) and made her final and most significant appearance in the 25th Anniversary Movie A Trace of Murder (1997), playing Cathleen Calvert, one half of a murderous duo opposite David Rasche.
She also performed the songs in Murder of a Rock Star, such as Closer, which plays over the end credits. Danese claimed at the time that she wanted to play the titular rock star, Marcy Edwards, but Falk refused to let her because the role involved love scenes with a handsome younger man! The part was ultimately filled by Cheryl Paris.