Susan Victoria Lucci (born December 23, 1946) is an American actress, television host, author and entrepreneur, best known for portraying Erica Kane on the ABC daytime drama ''

All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2013, via Hulu, Hulu Plus, and ...

'' during that show's entire network run from 1970 to 2011. The character is considered an

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The mos ...

, and Lucci was called "Daytime's Leading Lady" by ''

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'', with ''

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'' and the ''

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'' citing her as the highest-paid actor in daytime television. As early as 1991, her salary had been reported as over $1 million a year. During her run on ''All My Children'', she was nominated 21 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 nominee for the award attracted significant media attention. 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 Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

'', '' Hot in Cleveland'' and ''

Army Wives ''Army Wives'' is an American drama television series that followed the lives of four army wives, one army husband, and their families. The series premiered on Lifetime on June 3, 2007, and ran for seven seasons, ending on June 9, 2013. The s ...

''. She hosted ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...

'' in 1990. After the cancellation of ''All My Children'', she hosted the 2012-2014

true crime True crime is a nonfiction literary, podcast, and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people associated with and affected by criminal events. The crimes most commonly include murder; about 40 pe ...

series '' Deadly Affairs'' and starred (as Genevieve Delatour) in the 2013-2016 Lifetime series '' Devious Maids''. In 1996, ''TV Guide'' ranked Lucci number 37 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list. She was named one of VH1's 200 Top Icons of All Time and one of

Barbara Walters Barbara Jill Walters (born September 25, 1929) is an American broadcast journalist and television personality. Known for her interviewing ability and popularity with viewers, Walters appeared as a host of numerous television programs, including ...

's Ten Most Fascinating People.

Early life

Susan Lucci was born in Scarsdale, New York, to parents Jeanette and Victor Lucci. Her father is of Italian ancestry, and her mother is of Swedish descent. She lived in

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as en ...

, before moving with her family at age 2 to

Elmont, New York Elmont is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City. The population was 35,265 at the 2 ...

, and then at age 5 to another

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...

town,

Garden City, New York Garden City is a village located on Long Island in Nassau County New York. It is the Greater Garden City area's anchor community. The population was 23,272 at the 2020 census. The Incorporated Village of Garden City is primarily located within ...

. Lucci graduated from Garden City High School in 1964 and from

Marymount College, Tarrytown Marymount College, Tarrytown (also known as Marymount College of Fordham University) was a women's college in the United States which eventually became part of Fordham University. The Marymount campus was located in Tarrytown, New York. The las ...

in 1968, with a BA degree in

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

Career

''All My Children''

Lucci is best known for appearing as Erica Kane on the ABC

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio drama ...

''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 ''

'' 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. When ABC cancelled ''All My Children'' on April 14, 2011, after 41 years on the air, 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." Lucci publicly criticized

ABC Daytime ABC Daytime (sometimes shortened to ABC-D or ABCD) is a division responsible for the daytime programming block on the ABC Network and syndicated programming. The block has historically encompassed soap operas, game shows and talk shows. Histor ...

president

Brian Frons Brian Scott Frons (born June 15, 1956) is an American television executive and the former president of ABC Daytime. Education Frons earned a master’s degree from Syracuse University's S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in 1978. CB ...

over the cancellation of ''All My Children'' in the epilogue of her autobiography ''All My Life''.

Primetime television, stage, hosting and film

Lucci has appeared in a number of television series and television movies. In 1982, she appeared in a

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

in the comedy film ''

Young Doctors in Love ''Young Doctors in Love'' is a 1982 American comedy film directed by Garry Marshall. It spoofs a variety of medical shows (in particular, ''General Hospital'') and has many guest stars from ABC soap operas. The film stars Sean Young, Michael Mc ...

''. In 1986, she played the role of Darya Romanoff in the

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

– and

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

–winning TV movie '' Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna''. In 1990–1991, she began a series of guest spots on the nighttime soap opera ''

''. She hosted NBC's ''

'' in October of that year; in one skit, she appeared as Erica Kane competing on a

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, ...

. In 1995, Lucci appeared in the Lifetime television film '' Ebbie''. This film was an updated version of ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ''A Christmas ...

''. Lucci played a Scrooge-like department store owner visited by Marley and the three ghosts on

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

. In 2004, she appeared as a guest star in two episodes of the ABC comedy series ''

Hope & Faith ''Hope & Faith'' is an American television sitcom, starring Faith Ford and Kelly Ripa as Hope Shanowski and Faith Fairfield. Hope is a homemaker and mother of three and Faith is her sister, a soap opera star whose character is killed off, leadi ...

''. In 1999, she played the title role of Annie Oakley in the revival of

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russ ...

's musical '' Annie Get Your Gun''. Michael Logan of

said, ''"Susan Lucci didn't just take Great White Way by storm: she took it by tornado, hurricane and tsunami, too."'' Lucci made several appearances as herself, the arch rival of

Wendie Malick Wendie Malick (born December 13, 1950) is an American actress and former fashion model, known for her roles in various television comedies. She starred as Judith Tupper Stone in the HBO sitcom '' Dream On'', and as Nina Van Horn in the NBC si ...

's character, Victoria Chase, on the

TV Land TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division. Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and cl ...

sitcom '' Hot in Cleveland'' , including the February 1, 2012 episode entitled " Life with Lucci". She appeared in

Gloria Estefan Gloria Estefan (; born Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García; born 1 September 1957) is a Cuban-American singer, actress, and businesswoman. Estefan is a seven-time Grammy Award winner, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and has bee ...

's music video "

Hotel Nacional "Hotel Nacional" ("National Hotel") is a song by Cuban-American recording artist Gloria Estefan. It was released as the second single from her studio album '' Miss Little Havana'' (2011). Written by Estefan, the song portrays the need to dance, ...

" in February 2012. She guest starred in multi-episodes of the sixth season of Lifetime drama series ''

''.

Lucci hosted and narrated '' Deadly Affairs'', a prime-time series airing on ''Investigation Discovery'' as of 2012. On November 15, 2012 Lucci appeared on ''

The Colbert Report ''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show fo ...

'' 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 Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

series '' Devious Maids'' created by Marc Cherry. In 2017, Lucci played one of

Kristen Bell Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress. Beginning her acting career by starring in stage productions while attending the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, she made her Broadway stage debut as Becky That ...

and

Dax Shepard Dax Randall Shepard (born January 2, 1975) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker and podcast host. Since 2018, he has hosted ''Armchair Expert'', a podcast that interviews celebrities, journalists, and academics about their lives. Shepard ha ...

's grandparents (with

Henry Winkler Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE (born October 30, 1945), is an American actor, comedian, author, executive producer, and director. After rising to fame as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on the American television series '' Happy Days'', Winkler has ...

) in Sia's music video, "

Santa's Coming for Us "Santa's Coming for Us" is a song written by Sia and Greg Kurstin and released on 30 October 2017 as the lead single from Sia's eighth studio album and first Christmas album, '' Everyday Is Christmas''. Background and release Sia wrote "San ...

". She also appeared in television ads for

Progressive Insurance The Progressive Corporation is an American insurance company, the third largest insurance carrier and the No. 1 commercial auto insurer in the United States. The company was co-founded in 1937 by Jack Green and Joseph M. Lewis, and is headquar ...

that were styled as a soap opera.

''Dancing with the Stars''

Lucci competed in Season 7 of ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the form ...

'' 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. She was voted off the show on November 5, 2008 rather than November 4 due to election night, finishing sixth in the competition. ;Performances:

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

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n-born chef and food-service manager Helmut Huber on September 13, 1969. They are the parents of two children: actress

Liza Huber Liza Victoria Huber (born February 22, 1975) is an American television actress, best known for her role as Gwen Hotchkiss on the daytime soap '' Passions''. She is the daughter of actress Susan Lucci. In 2008, she retired from acting to spend ...

and a son, Andreas Huber. The couple remained married for 52 years until Helmut's death on March 28, 2022; he was 84 years old. Lucci's autobiography, ''All My Life: A Memoir'', was published in 2011. She is a registered Republican and has hosted fundraising events for

Rudy Giuliani Rudolph William Louis Giuliani (, ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 107th Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney General from 1981 to 19 ...

. She is a supporter of

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, ...

and equality, her support spurred by an ''All My Children'' storyline in 2000 in which her character Erica's daughter,

Bianca Montgomery Bianca Montgomery is a fictional character from the American daytime drama ''All My Children''. Until Eden Riegel assumed the role, portraying the character from July 2000 to January 2010, the character was portrayed solely by child actresses: La ...

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

Filmography

Awards, honors and nominations

Other awards and honors include: * Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet ...

presented by Awards Council member

Henry Kravis Henry R. Kravis (born January 6, 1944) is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist.People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls until ...

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engin ...

* Women in Film Lucy Award, 1994 * New York Women in Film & Television Muse Award, 2004 * Outstanding Female Lead in a Daytime Drama,

Gracie Allen Awards The Gracie Awards are awards presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWM) in the United States, to celebrate and honor programming created for women, by women, and about women, as well as individuals who have made exemplary contr ...

, 2005 *

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

, 2005 *

NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame The NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame is a yearly honor from the National Association of Broadcasters. One inductee from radio and one from television are named at the yearly NAB conference. Radio For a list of award winners, see footnote * 1977: Ja ...

, 2006 *

Ride of Fame The Ride of Fame is a continuing series of mobile monuments in New York City honoring public figures for being exemplary “New Yorkers” and representing the city in a positive light over the course of their lives. Ride of Fame alumni have also ...

inductee, 2013 * Disney Legend, 2015

References

External links

Susan's Official Website
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lucci, Susan 1946 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from New York City American people of Italian descent American people of Swedish descent American stage actresses American television actresses American soap opera actresses Daytime Emmy Award winners Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series winners LGBT rights activists from the United States Marymount College, Tarrytown alumni New York (state) Republicans Participants in American reality television series People from Garden City, New York People from Scarsdale, New York Garden City High School (New York) alumni