Merrilee McCommas portrays Patricia, the enthusiastic secretary in FAMILY LAW, the one-hour drama from Columbia TriStar Television, airing Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

McCommas, who hails from Texas, originally had aspirations to become a painter, but a local theatrical production of "Dracula: The Melodrama" gave her the acting bug. After graduating from the University of Texas, McCommas won an acting contest and the first prize of a trip to New York. It was there that she was accepted to the Circle in the Square Theatre School.

After getting an agent and manager, work started coming her way with roles in such series as "Murphy Brown" and "To Have and To Hold." The part she plays on "Family Law" was originally written for an Asian actress with a nervous disposition, but it was Merrilee's bright outlook and her strong personality that caught the attention of the producers.

When she's not working, Merrilee still pursues her painting and hopes to show at a gallery in the near future.

Kathleen Quinlan | Christopher McDonald | Dixie Carter | Julie Warner | Tony Danza