Susan Lucci


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Susan Lucci

Susan Lucci at the United States Army Birthday Ball, June 20, 2005.
Born Susan Victoria Lucci
December 23, 1946 (1946-12-23) (age 61)
Scarsdale, New York, U.S.
Official website

Susan Victoria Lucci (born December 23, 1946) is a Daytime Emmy Award-winning American actress. Lucci has been called "Daytime's Leading Lady" by TV Guide, with New York Times and Los Angeles Times citing her as the highest-paid actor in daytime television. Her salary is reportedly over $1 million a year.[1][2]

Contents

Early life

Susan Lucci was born to Jeanette and Victor Lucci on December 23, 1946. She attended Garden City High School in Garden City, New York, graduating in 1964. She then attended Marymount College at Fordham University, and graduated from Marymount in 1968.

Career

Daytime television

Lucci best known for playing the larger-than-life diva Erica Kane on the ABC television soap opera All My Children, on which she has appeared since the show's inception on January 5, 1970. She and Ray MacDonnell, who plays her former father-in-law, Dr. Joe Martin, are the show's only original stars left on the show today. Lucci's long tenure on the show has made her an iconic presence on daytime; she is closely identified with both the role of Erica and with daytime television itself.

Lucci was nominated for the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Emmy for her work on All My Children almost every year since 1978. When Lucci didn't win the award after several consecutive nominations, her image in the media began to be lampooned, as she became notoriously synonymous with never winning an Emmy. NBC's Saturday Night Live exploited this by asking her to host an episode (unusual for a daytime serial actor), where her monologue parodied the cast, crew, and even stagehands carrying Emmys of their own in her presence. In addition, she appeared in a 1989 television commercial for the sugar substitute "Sweet One", intended to portray her as the opposite of her villainess character, yet throwing one of Erica Kane's characteristic tantrums, shouting "11 years without an Emmy! What does a person have to do around here to get an Emmy?"

After 18 failed nominations, it came as a shock to both her and the viewing audience when she finally won in 1999.[3][4] When presenter Shemar Moore announced Lucci's name, the audience erupted in a standing ovation, lasting several minutes. As the sobbing actress took to the stage, cameras caught All My Children co-stars Kelly Ripa and Marcy Walker weeping openly, along with long-time supporter, actress and television host Rosie O'Donnell. Actor Ingo Rademacher was seen bowing in the aisles and talk show host Oprah Winfrey rushing the stage cheering from the wings. Lucci's win and subsequent teary-eyed speech made headline news on television and in print for several weeks thereafter.

Primetime television and film

Lucci has appeared in a number of television shows and television films. In 1990, she began a series of guest spots on the popular nighttime soap opera Dallas. She hosted NBC's Saturday Night Live in October of that year; in one skit, she appeared as Erica Kane competing on a game show.[5]

In 1995, Lucci appeared in the Lifetime television film Ebbie. This film was an updated version of the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. Lucci played a Scrooge-like department store owner visited by Marley and the three ghosts on Christmas. Critics praised her performance, and the film has become a holiday favorite.

Dancing with the Stars

Lucci competed in Season 7 of Dancing with the Stars with dance partner Tony Dovolani. Lucci said that Dancing had asked her to appear before, but she had turned it down in part because of the travel it would require (Dancing tapes in Los Angeles, while All My Children tapes in New York). She changed her mind, though, in part because of the experience of fellow All My Children star Cameron Mathison, who finished fifth in season 5.[6] She was voted off the show on November 5, 2008, finishing sixth in the competition.

Performances
Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1A Cha-Cha-Cha/ "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" 5 5 5 Safe
1B Quickstep/ "Bei Mir Bist Du Schon" 7 7 8 Safe
2 Rumba/ "Waiting on the World to Change" 7 7 7 Safe
3 Jive/ "Why Do Fools Fall In Love?" 7 7 7 Safe
4 Tango/ "La Bohemia" 8 8 8 Safe
5 Hustle/ "Upside Down" 7 7 8 Bottom 2
6 Mambo/ "Si Señor!..." 8 8 7 Bottom 2
7 Paso Doble/ "The Ride" 8 8 8 Eliminated
7 Cha Cha/ "Mercy" 6 7 7 Eliminated


Info-mercials

In 2008, Lucci appeared as a spokesperson for Malibu Pilates exercise equipment in an infomercial. Lucci's All My Children co-star Cameron Mathison was also featured. Lucci is also a spokeswoman for "Youthful Essence," a home microdermabrasion system. Recent infomercials have featured her past and present All My Children costars Eva LaRue, Walt Willey, Eden Riegel, Alicia Minshew and Rebecca Budig, as well as Emily Proctor of CSI: Miami. In addition, Lucci has a line of clothing and jewelry that is featured on the Home Shopping Network.

Other credits and achievements

Lucci starred in the Broadway revival of Annie Get Your Gun in 1999 to 2000, taking over from Bernadette Peters.

In 1991, she launched the Susan Lucci Collection of hair care products. Her career as a businesswoman continues, with many lucrative skin care, fashion, jewelry and makeup lines selling on HSN.

For much of the 1980s and into the 1990s, Lucci did many commercials for the local Ford dealers in the New York City area.

In early 2005, Lucci earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Personal life

Lucci's father, Victor, was a first-generation American. Phyllis Diller, contrary to various internet rumors, is not her mother.[7] Lucci has been married since September 13, 1969 to Austrian businessman Helmut Huber. They are the parents of soap opera actress Liza Huber (who played Gwen Hotchkiss on the daytime serial Passions until that series' cancellation by NBC in September 2007) and Andreas Huber (who did not follow his mother and sister into an acting career). She became a grandmother when her daughter, Liza, gave birth on December 23, 2006 — Lucci's 60th birthday. The baby was named Royce Alexander.[8] Liza gave birth to Lucci's second grandchild, Brendan, on August 16, 2008.

Awards

Won

  • Made in NY Awards: (2005) MINY[9]

Nominated

Daytime Emmy Awards

Nominations: (1978, 1981-1993, 1995-1999, 2001-2002) Daytime Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for All My Children. Lucci holds the record for repeat nominations in one category, having been nominated a total of 21 times for this award but only won once.

Other awards

-Shared with Walt Willey

-Shared with Walt Willey

-Shared with Larkin Malloy

TV/Guest roles

  • All My Children (Erica Kane: 1970-Present)
  • That's So Raven (Ms. Romano: 2005)
  • Hope and Faith (Jacqueline Karr: 2004)
  • Blood on Her Hands (Isabelle Collins: 1998)
  • Seduced and Betrayed (Victoria Landers: 1995)
  • Ebbie (Elizabeth 'Ebbie' Scrooge: 1995)
  • French Silk (Claire Laurent: 1994)
  • Between Love and Hate (Vivian Conrad: 1993)
  • Double Edge (Maggie Dutton/Carmen Moore: 1992)
  • The Woman Who Sinned (Victoria Robeson: 1991)
  • Dallas (Hillary Taylor/Faux Sheila Foley: 1990-1991)
  • The Bride in Black (Rose D'Amore-Malloy: 1990)
  • Lady Mobster (Laurel Castle: 1988)
  • Haunted by Her Past (aka Secret Passions) (Karen Beckett: 1987)
  • Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (Darya Romanoff: 1986)
  • Mafia Princess (Antoinette Giancana: 1986)
  • The Fall Guy (Veronica Remy: 1984)
  • Invitation to Hell (Jessica Jones: 1984)
  • Fantasy Island (Gina Edwards: 1983)
  • The Love Boat (Paula: 1982)

References

  1. ^ HARRISON, NANCY (1991-06-23). "Susan Lucci, 11 Times a Nominee, 8 Times a Bride, Up for Emmy Again", New York Times. Retrieved on 27 October 2007. 
  2. ^ O'Neil, Tom (2007-03-07). "Daytime divas duke it out", Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 16 November 2007. 
  3. ^ de Moraes, Lisa (2006-07-06). "For the Primetime Emmys, a Series of Changes", Washington Post. Retrieved on 26 October 2008. 
  4. ^ O'Neil, Tom (2006-07-06). "'Lost' and 'Housewives' committed Emmy suicide", Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 10 July 2006. 
  5. ^ "Game Breakers transcript featuring Erica Kane". snltranscripts.jt.org. Retrieved on 2007-07-10.
  6. ^ Dancing with the Stars Season 7 Cast Includes Olympic Gold-Medalist" TV Guide. August 25, 2008. Retrieved on August 25, 2008.
  7. ^ Susan Lucci: Claim disproven
  8. ^ Her daughter Liza recently gave birth to Lucci's second grandchild.TV Guide news
  9. ^ marketwire.com

Further reading

  • Siegel, Barbara, and Scott Siegel. 1986. Susan Lucci. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0312779631.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
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Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

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