Susan Lucci

Susan Victoria Lucci (born December 23, 1946)[1] is an American actress, television host, author and entrepreneur, best known for portraying Erica Kane on the ABC daytime drama All My Children during that show's entire network run from 1970 to 2011. The character is considered an icon,[2][3][4][5] and Lucci was 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.[6][7] As early as 1991, her salary had been reported as over $1 million a year.[6][7] During her run on All My Children, she was nominated twenty-one times for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She won only once, in 1999, after the 19th nomination; beginning in the late 1980s her status as a perpetual also-ran for the award attracted significant media attention.[6]

Susan Lucci
Lucci in 2010
Born
Susan Victoria Lucci

(1946-12-23) December 23, 1946
Scarsdale, New York, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationActress, television host, author, entrepreneur
Years active1969–present
Spouse(s)
Helmut Huber
​
(m. 1969)​
Children2, including Liza Huber
AwardsDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress (1999)
Websitesusanlucci.com

Lucci has also acted in other TV series, as well as occasionally in film and on stage. She had multi-episode guest appearances on the series Dallas, Hot in Cleveland and Army Wives. She hosted Saturday Night Live in 1990. After the cancellation of All My Children, she hosted the 2012-2014 true crime series Deadly Affairs and starred (as Genevieve Delatour) in the 2013-2016 Lifetime series Devious Maids.[8][9][10]

In 1996, TV Guide ranked Lucci number 37 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list.[11] She was named one of VH1's 200 Top Icons of All-Time and one of Barbara Walters's Ten Most Fascinating People.[12]

Early life

Susan Lucci was born in Scarsdale, New York, to parents Jeanette and Victor Lucci,[1] a building contractor.[13] Her father is of Italian ancestry, and her mother is of Swedish descent.[14][15] She was raised in Yonkers, New York, before moving with her family at age 2 to Elmont, New York, and then at age 5 to another Long Island town, Garden City, New York.[16] Lucci graduated from Garden City High School in 1964 and from Marymount College, Tarrytown in 1968, with a BA degree in drama.[17]

Career

All My Children
Main article: All My Children
Susan Lucci featured in a Riunite commercial in 1977.

Lucci is best known for appearing as Erica Kane on the ABC 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 beginning in 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, "Eleven years without an Emmy! What does a person have to do around here to get an Emmy?" Her name eventually became part of the language, used as an avatar for artists who receive numerous award nominations without a win (e.g., "Peter O'Toole was the Susan Lucci of the Oscars.").

After 18 failed nominations, she finally won in 1999.[18][19]

When ABC cancelled All My Children on April 14, 2011, after 41 years on the air,[20] 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."[20] Lucci publicly criticized ABC Daytime president Brian Frons over the cancellation of All My Children in the epilogue of her autobiography All My Life.[21]

Primetime television, stage, hosting and film
Lucci at the 2010 Daytime Emmy Awards

Lucci has appeared in a number of television series 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.[22]

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 the title role of Annie Oakley 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."[23]

Lucci made several appearances as herself, the arch rival of Wendie Malick's character, Victoria Chase, on the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland , including the February 1, 2012 episode entitled Life with Lucci.[24]

She appeared in Gloria Estefan's music video "Hotel Nacional" in February 2012.[25] She guest starred in multi-episodes of the sixth season of Lifetime drama series Army Wives.[26][27]

Lucci in October 2013

Lucci hosted and narrated Deadly Affairs, a prime-time series airing on Investigation Discovery as of 2012.[28] On November 15, 2012 Lucci appeared on The Colbert Report in a segment reflecting the soap-opera-like nature of the Petraeus scandal.

Lucci had a starring role as Geneviève Delatour in the Lifetime comedy-drama series Devious Maids created by Marc Cherry.[29][30][31]

In 2017, Lucci played one of Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard's grandparents (with Henry Winkler) in SIA's music video, "Santa's Coming for Us".[32] She also appeared in television ads for Progressive Insurance that were styled as a soap opera.

Dancing with the Stars
Main article: Dancing with the Stars (U.S. season 7)

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.[33] 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 Schön" 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

Business ventures

Lucci also has her own line of hair care products, perfumes, lingerie and skin care, called The Susan Lucci Collection.

Personal life

Lucci married Austrian-born chef and food-service manager Helmut Huber on September 13, 1969.[34] They are the parents of two children: actress Liza Huber and a son, Andreas Huber.[1]

Lucci's autobiography, All My Life: A Memoir, was published in 2011.[35] She is a registered Republican and has hosted fundraising events for Rudy Giuliani.[36][37] She is a supporter of LGBT rights and equality, her support spurred by an All My Children storyline in 2000 in which her character Erica's daughter, Bianca Montgomery, came out as a lesbian.[36][37]

In the fall of 2018, Lucci suddenly experienced chest discomfort. Seeking medical help, she was surprised to find that she had two blocked cardiac arteries, as she lives a healthy lifestyle. That night, she had an emergency procedure to place two arterial stents in her heart. Lucci postponed making public her experience until shortly before the American Heart Association's annual Go Red for Women fashion event in February 2019.[38]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1969 Goodbye, Columbus Wedding Guest Uncredited
1969 Love Is a Many Splendored Thing Bit role Uncredited
1969 Me, Natalie Cheerleader
1970–2011 All My Children Erica Kane
Jane Campbell		 Lead role
1982 The Love Boat Paula Hastings Episode: "The Groupies/The Audition/Doc's Nephew"
1982 Young Doctors in Love Cameo
1983 Fantasy Island Gina Edwards Episode: "The Songwriter/Queen of the Soaps"
1984 Invitation to Hell Jessica Jones
1984 The Fall Guy Veronica Remy Episode: "Stranger Than Fiction"
1986 Mafia Princess Antoinette Giancana
1986 Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna Darya Romanoff
1987 Haunted by Her Past Karen Beckett
1988 Lady Mobster Laurel Castle [39]
1990 The Bride in Black Rose D'Amore-Malloy
1990 Saturday Night Live Herself – Host/Various Episode: "Susan Lucci/Hothouse Flowers"
1990–1991 Dallas Hillary Taylor/Faux Sheila Foley Special guest star, 6 episodes
1991 The Woman Who Sinned Victoria Robeson
1992 Double Edge Maggie Dutton/Carmen Moore
1993 Between Love and Hate Vivian Conrad
1994 French Silk Claire Laurent
1995 Ebbie Elizabeth 'Ebbie' Scrooge
1995 Seduced and Betrayed Victoria Landers
1998 Blood on Her Hands Isabelle Collins
2004 Hope & Faith Jacqueline Karr Episodes: "Daytime Emmys: Part 1" and "Daytime Emmys: Part 2"
2005 That's So Raven Miss Charlotte Romano Episode: "The Big Buzz"
2010–2014[40] Hot in Cleveland Susan Lucci Special guest star, 5 episodes[41]
2012 Army Wives Audrey Whitaker 3 episodes
2012–2014 Deadly Affairs Herself – Host Documentary series
2013–2016 Devious Maids Genevieve Delatour Series regular
2015 Joy Danica[42][43]
2017 Difficult People Shelley Waxman Episode: "Cindarestylox"
2018 Ralph Breaks the Internet (voice)

Awards, honors and nominations
Daytime Emmy Awards
Year Category Work Result Ref
1978
 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
All My Children
 Nominated
[44]
1981
 Nominated
[45]
1982
 Nominated
[46]
1983
 Nominated
[47]
1984
 Nominated
[48]
1985
 Nominated
[49]
1986
 Nominated
[50]
1987
 Nominated
[51]
1988
 Nominated
[52]
1989
 Nominated
[53]
1990
 Nominated
[54]
1991
 Nominated
[55]
1992
 Nominated
[56]
1993
 Nominated
[57]
1995
 Nominated
[58]
1996
 Nominated
[59]
1997
 Nominated
[60]
1998
 Nominated
[61]
1999
 Won
[62]
2001
 Nominated
[63]
2002
 Nominated
[64]
Soap Opera Digest Awards
Year Category Work Result Ref
1986
 Outstanding Contribution by an Actor/Actress to the Form of Continuing Drama who is currently on a Daytime Serial
All My Children
 Nominated
[65]
1988
 Editor's Choice – Daytime Won
[66]
1989
 Favorite Super Couple: Daytime (shared with Larkin Malloy) Nominated
[67]
1992
 Best Love Story: Daytime or Prime Time (shared with Walt Willey) Nominated
[68]
1993
 Outstanding Lead Actress Won
[69]
2003
 Soapnet Diamond Award Won
[70]
2005
 Favorite Couple (shared with Walt Willey) Nominated
[71]

Other awards and honors include:

Notes

    References
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    2. Tom Pendergast, Sara Pendergast (2000). St. James encyclopedia of popular culture, Volume 3. St. James Press. Original from the University of Michigan, Digitized December 22, 2006. pp. 584 pages. ISBN 978-1-55862-403-0. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
    3. Gale Group, Thomas Riggs (2008). Volume 59 of Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television Series. Cengage Learning. Original from the University of Michigan. Digitized May 20, 2008. 495 pages. ISBN 978-0-7876-7102-0.
    4. Glenn, Joshua (January 9, 2008). "The Keeping-My-Baby Meme". Boston Globe. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
    5. "The 50 Greatest TV Icons | TV Icons". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
    6. HARRISON, NANCY (June 23, 1991). "Susan Lucci, 11 Times a Nominee, 8 Times a Bride, Up for Emmy Again". The New York Times. Retrieved October 27, 2007.
    7. O'Neil, Tom (March 7, 2007). "Daytime divas duke it out". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 16, 2007.
    8. Rice, Lynette (March 9, 2012). "Susan Lucci stays at ABC in fall drama pilot". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
    9. Goldberg, Leslie (March 9, 2012). "Susan Lucci to Star in Marc Cherry's Soapy ABC Pilot". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
    10. Andreeva, Nellie (March 9, 2012). "Susan Lucci To Co-Star In Marc Cherry's ABC Pilot 'Devious Maids'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
    11. TV Guide Guide to TV. Barnes and Noble. 2004. p. 596. ISBN 0-7607-5634-1.
    12. All My Life: A Memoir, Amazon.com, About the Author. Retrieved March 11, 2012
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    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.
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