Susan Lucci

Susan Victoria Lucci (born December 23, 1946) is an American actress, television host, author, singer, and entrepreneur, best known for portraying Erica Kane on the ABC daytime drama All My Children from 1970 to 2011. The character is considered an icon,^[1][2][3][4] and Lucci has been called "Daytime's Leading Lady" by TV Guide, with The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times citing her as the highest-paid actor in daytime television.^[5][6] As early as 1991, her salary had been reported as over $1 million a year.^[5][6]

In 1996, TV Guide ranked Lucci number 37 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list.^[7] In 2005, she received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2006. She was named one of VH1's 200 Top Icons of All-Time and one of Barbara Walters's Ten Most Fascinating People.^[8] She has also played roles in made-for-TV movies, hosted many shows and guest starred on television comedy series, including Saturday Night Live and Hot in Cleveland. She also has her own line of hair care products, perfumes, lingerie and skin care, called The Susan Lucci Collection. As of 2012, Lucci hosted Deadly Affairs, and starred as Genevieve Delatour in the Lifetime television series Devious Maids.^[9][10][11]

In 2015, Lucci was inducted as a Disney Legend.

Early life

Susan Lucci was born in Scarsdale, New York, to parents Jeanette (Granquist) and Victor Lucci, a building contractor.^[12] Her father is of Italian ancestry, and her mother is of Swedish, French, and German descent.^[13][14] She attended Garden City High School in Garden City, New York, graduating in 1964. She then attended Marymount College and graduated with a BA degree in drama in 1968.^[15]

Career

All My Children

Susan Lucci featured in a Riunite commercial in 1977.

Lucci is best known for appearing as Erica Kane on the ABC television soap opera All My Children, from January 16, 1970 to September 23, 2011.

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 did not 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; during her monologue, the show's cast, crew, and even stagehands nonchalantly carried (and utilized; for example, as hammers and doorjambs) 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, she finally won in 1999.^[16][17] When presenter Shemar Moore announced Lucci's name, stating "the streak is over," the audience erupted in a standing ovation, lasting several minutes. As Lucci 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.

When ABC cancelled All My Children on April 14, 2011, after 41 years on the air,^[18] Lucci said in an interview: "It's been a fantastic journey. I've loved playing Erica Kane and working with Agnes Nixon and all the incredible people involved with All My Children. I'm looking forward to all kinds of new and exciting opportunities."^[18] Lucci publicly criticized ABC Daytime president Brian Frons over the cancellation of All My Children in the epilogue of her autobiography All My Life.^[19]

Primetime television, stage, hosting and film

Lucci at the 2010 Daytime Emmy Awards

Lucci has appeared in a number of television shows and television movies. In 1982, she appeared in a cameo appearance in the comedy film Young Doctors in Love. In 1986, she played the role of Darya Romanoff in the Golden Globe– and Emmy Award–winning TV movie Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna. In 1990–1991, she began a series of guest spots on the 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.^[20]

In 1995, Lucci appeared in the Lifetime television film Ebbie. This film was an updated version of A Christmas Carol. Lucci played a Scrooge-like department store owner visited by Marley and the three ghosts on Christmas. In 2004, she appeared as a guest star in two episodes of the ABC comedy series Hope & Faith.

In 1999, she played in the revival of Irving Berlin's musical Annie Get Your Gun. Michael Logan of TV Guide said, "Susan Lucci didn't just take Great White Way by storm: she took it by tornado, hurricane and tsunami, too."^[21]

Since the summer of 2010, Lucci has appeared as herself, the arch rival of Wendie Malick's character, Victoria Chase, in the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland five times, including the February 1, 2012 episode entitled Life with Lucci.^[22]

She appeared in Gloria Estefan's music video "Hotel Nacional" in February 2012.^[23] She guest starred in multi-episodes of the sixth season of Lifetime drama series Army Wives.^[24][25]

Lucci hosted and narrated Deadly Affairs, a prime-time series airing on Investigation Discovery as of 2012.^[26] On November 15, 2012 Lucci appeared on The Colbert Report in a segment reflecting the soap-opera-like nature of the Petraeus scandal.

In 2013, Lucci began starring as Geneviève Delatour in the Lifetime comedy-drama series Devious Maids created by Marc Cherry.^[27][28][29]

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 have required of her (at the time Dancing taped in Los Angeles while All My Children taped in New York). Lucci later changed her mind, in part, because of the experience of fellow All My Children star Cameron Mathison, who finished fifth in season 5.^[30] She was voted off the show on November 5, 2008, finishing sixth in the competition.

Performances:

Personal life

Lucci in October 2013

Lucci's father, Victor, was a first-generation American.^[31]

Family

Lucci has been married since September 13, 1969 to Austrian businessman Helmut Huber. They are the parents of soap opera actress Liza Huber (born February 22, 1975) and Andreas Huber, an aspiring professional golfer. She became a grandmother when her daughter, Liza, gave birth on December 23, 2006 – Lucci's 60th birthday. The baby was named Royce Alexander.^[32] Liza gave birth to Lucci's second grandchild, Brendan, on August 16, 2008; her third grandchild, Hayden Victoria on March 23, 2011; and her fourth grandchild, Mason Alexander on February 6, 2013.

Autobiography

Lucci's autobiography All My Life: A Memoir", was acquired by Lisa Sharkey, Director of Creative Development at HarperCollins.^[33] On July 28, 2010 HarperCollins announced that the book would be published in April 2011; it was released on March 29 of that year.

Filmography

Awards, honors and nominations

Notes

References

Further reading

• Siegel, Barbara, and Scott Siegel. 1986. Susan Lucci. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-77963-1.
• Lucci, Susan. 2011. All My Life: A Memoir. ISBN 0-06-206184-4.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Susan Lucci.

• Susan's Official Website
• Susan Lucci on Twitter
  
• Susan Lucci at the Internet Movie Database
• Susan Lucci at the TCM Movie Database
  
• Susan Lucci at AllMovie
• Susan Lucci at TV.com
• Susan Lucci interview video at the Archive of American Television