LOS ANGELES – The former manager of “Desperate Housewives” co-star Nicollette Sheridan sued the actress Thursday, accusing her of breaking an agreement to pay a percentage of her income.

Rob Lee claimed Sheridan hired him when her career “consisted primarily of occasional appearances on television.” The suit also said Lee persuaded Sheridan to audition for Desperate Housewives, and stopped her from abandoning a second audition. Thanks to the show’s success, “Sheridan’s entertainment career was reborn,” according to the suit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Sheridan initially paid Lee 10 percent of her gross income, but stopped paying after she fired him in November 2004, according to the complaint.

The suit seeks more than $500,000 in damages.

Neither Lee’s attorney nor Sheridan could be reached for comment after business hours Thursday.