Katey Sagal | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Sagal in 2025 | |
| Born | (1954-01-19)January 19, 1954 (age 72) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | California Institute of the Arts |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1971–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3, includingJackson White |
| Parent | Boris Sagal |
| Relatives |
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| Signature | |
 | |
Katey Sagal (born January 19, 1954) is an American actress, songwriter and singer. She is known for playingPeg Bundy onMarried... with Children (1987–1997) for which she was thrice nominated for theGolden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy,Turanga Leela onFuturama (1999–2003, 2008–2013, 2023–present), Cate Hennessy on8 Simple Rules (2002–2005),Gemma Teller Morrow on theFX seriesSons of Anarchy (2008–2014), for which she won theGolden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama in 2011 and was nominated for theTCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama in 2010 and theCritics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series in 2011 and 2012, and Louise Goldufski-Conner onThe Conners (2018–2025).
Sagal was born on January 19, 1954, inLos Angeles to a show business family with five children.[1] Her mother, Sara Zwilling, was a singer (stage name Sara Macon),[citation needed] producer, and television writer who died of heart disease in 1975, and Sagal's father,Boris Sagal, worked as a television director.[2] Her father was a Russian-Jewish immigrant.[3][4][better source needed] Her mother hadAmish ancestors.[5] In 1977, Sagal's father married dancer/actressMarge Champion, a few years before his accidental death on the set of the miniseriesWorld War III in 1981.[1][6][7] Three of Sagal's four siblings are actors: her younger twin sisters,Jean andLiz Sagal and brotherJoey Sagal; her other brother David Sagal is an attorney married to actress McNally Sagal.[8] Sagal and her siblings grew up inBrentwood.[1]
Her godfather was sitcom producer and writerNorman Lear.[9] In 2016, both Sagal and Lear acknowledged that she was not only his goddaughter, but that he also introduced her parents to each other.[10][citation needed] Sagal has described herself as "culturally Jewish" but with no "formal religious experience."[6][7]
Sagal graduated fromPalisades High School.[11] After graduation, she attended theCalifornia Institute of the Arts until 1972.[12][13]
Sagal began her career in show business as a singer and songwriter. In 1973, she worked as abacking vocalist for various singers, includingBob Dylan,Etta James, andTanya Tucker. In 1976, while a member ofThe Group with No Name, she contributed to the albumMoon over Brooklyn (on which she was credited as "Katie Sagal"). She performed backing vocals on theself-titled Gene Simmons solo album (1978), theMolly Hatchet albumTake No Prisoners (1981), and onOlivia Newton-John's 1985 single "Soul Kiss."
She was a member of the music group theHarlettes,Bette Midler's backup singers, in 1978, and again from 1982 to 1983.[14]
She performed the song "It's the Time for Love" that appears in the filmSilent Rage (1982) featuringChuck Norris. During the filming of 1983'sValley Girl, Sagal was scheduled to sing at The Central. Her name can be seen in the schedule of upcoming acts, posted inside the door. Sagal also provided the vocals for "Loose Cannons," the theme song for the1990 film of the same name featuringGene Hackman andDan Aykroyd.
On April 19, 1994, Sagal released her first solo album,Well.... On June 1, 2004, she released her second album,Room.[15]
She has also contributed to theSons of Anarchy soundtrack in the early 2010s,[16] working with its house bandThe Forest Rangers (Davey Faragher/bass,John Philipe Shenale (Phil Shenale)/keyboards, Billy Harvey/guitar-vocals,Michael Urbano/drums,Bob Thiele Jr./vocals-guitar) with songs that became part of its soundtrack albums (Songs of Anarchy: Music from Sons of Anarchy Seasons 1–4,Sons of Anarchy: Songs of Anarchy Vol. 2,Sons of Anarchy: Songs of Anarchy Vol. 3, andSons of Anarchy: Songs of Anarchy Vol. 4) and singles.[17][18][19]
She worked with the band for her albumCovered (2013).[20][21][22] For their live performances The Forest Rangers have occasionally used the name The Reluctant Apostles.[23][24][25][26]
The 2019 single "Mayans MC: Black is Black" fromMayans M.C. was performed by Sagal and The Forest Rangers.[27]
One of Sagal's early roles was as a receptionist in theColumbo installment "Candidate for Crime" (1973), which was directed by her father Boris. She also briefly appeared in the 1986 music video forDebbie Harry's song "French Kissin (in the USA)". Sagal's first major role was as a newspaper columnist in the seriesMary (1985–86) starringMary Tyler Moore.[28] This led to her being cast[citation needed] asPeggy Bundy on the sitcomMarried... with Children (1987–1997); she portrayed the lower-class, sex-starved, lazy and free-spending wife of shoe salesmanAl Bundy.[29] The series ran for 11 years.[30] Reportedly Sagal brought her own redbouffant wig to audition for the role, and, with the producers' approval, the look transitioned into the show.[31] However, Sagal later explained that she had initially styled her own hair, then, once the show took off, the producers began to invest in a wig.[32]
After the end ofMarried... with Children, several more television films followed; Sagal also guest starred on the children's cartoonRecess as the voice of Spinelli's mother. In 1998,Matt Groening chose her to provide the character voice of the purple-haired mutant spaceship captain,Leela, in his science-fiction animated comedyFuturama. The show developed acult following, but was canceled after four seasons. However, syndication onAdult Swim[33] andComedy Central[34] increased the show's popularity and led Comedy Central to commission a season ofFuturamadirect-to-DVD films, which the network later retransmitted as a 16-episode fifth season.[35] She reprised her role as Leela in the films, and in the sixth season that began airing June 24, 2010. The series ended its run on Comedy Central in 2013.[36] Taking a break from animation, she went on to star in the critically acclaimed movieSmart House.
Sagal guest-starred as Edna Hyde,Steven Hyde's mother, in three episodes ofThat '70s Show. She starred in the short-livedNBC sitcomTucker in 2000.[37]
Sagal was cast as the wife ofJohn Ritter in the sitcom8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter in 2002. Ritter had completed only three episodes of the second season before his death,[38] and the show was canceled in 2005 after its third season.[39]
In 2005 and 2006, Sagal made four appearances onLost as Helen Norwood.[40] In 2007, she had a role in the season finale ofThe Winner as Glen Abbot's former teacher, with whom Glen has his first sexual experience.[41]
From 2008 to 2014, Sagal starred asGemma Teller Morrow on the TV showSons of Anarchy, whose creator, Kurt Sutter, she had married in 2004, four years before the series premiered. In January 2009, Sagal reunited withDavid Faustino (who had played her son Bud Bundy inMarried... with Children) for an episode of Faustino's showStar-ving.[42] In 2010, she appeared twice more onLost. In 2009, she starred in the filmHouse Broken withDanny DeVito. In 2010, she returned to the stage inRandy Newman's musicalHarps & Angels.[43]
In 2013, Sagal had a cameo onGlee as Nancy Abrams,Artie Abrams' mother.[44] She co-starred inPitch Perfect 2, released in 2015, as the mother ofHailee Steinfeld's character.[45][46][47] Next she appeared in the biography drama filmBleed for This, as the mother ofVinny Pazienza.[48]
On September 9, 2014, Sagal received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame; theMarried... with Children cast –Ed O'Neill,Christina Applegate, andDavid Faustino – were present to celebrate the actor's recognition.[49]
On September 20, 2016, Sagal appeared onThe Big Bang Theory as Susan, the mother ofPenny (Kaley Cuoco). Sagal and Cuoco had played mother and daughter before, on8 Simple Rules. Sagal was also a series regular on the CBS sitcomSuperior Donuts from 2017 to 2018. She also appeared onShameless as Frank's latest, crazy lover. She appeared in a recurring role asDan Conner's love interest, Louise Goldufski, inThe Conners afterRoseanne Barr was fired by ABC over controversial tweets onTwitter aboutValerie Jarrett. She had a cameo appearance in the Netflix seriesDead to Me in season 2, episodes 9 and 10, as Judy Hale's (Linda Cardellini) estranged, emotionally abusive mother Eleanor Hale who was incarcerated. Sagal's co-star onMarried...with Children, Christina Applegate, also stars inDead to Me. In 2018 she had a cameo appearance in the crime drama seriesMayans M.C. asGemma Teller Morrow reprising her role from theSons of Anarchy series.[50]
In 2021, Sagal played the lead role of Annie "Rebel" Bello in theABC drama seriesRebel, which was written byKrista Vernoff.[51] Due to low ratings, ABC cancelledRebel after airing five episodes.[52]
On February 9, 2022,Hulu announced that they would be revivingFuturama for a 20-episode 11th season run set to premiere in 2023 with Sagal returning as the voice of Leela.[53]
In 2023, Sagal appeared liveoff-broadway inThe Gospel According to Heather, which was written byPaul Gordon, directed by Rachel Klein and produced byAmas Musical Theatre andJim Kierstead.[54][55]
Sagal was married to musician Freddie Beckmeier from 1978 to 1981, and to drummer[56] and actor Jack White from 1993 to 2000.[57][56] She married writer-producerKurt Sutter in a private ceremony on October 2, 2004, at their home in the Los Angeles neighborhood ofLos Feliz. They have a daughter, Esmé Louise, born in 2007 through asurrogate.[58]
In 1991, while working onMarried... with Children, Sagal discovered that she was pregnant. This was unexpected and the pregnancy was written into the storyline of the show. In October 1991, however, she had to have an emergencycaesarean section in her seventh month of pregnancy, ending in the stillbirth of a daughter. The showrunners did not want to subject a grieving Sagal to further stress by interacting with an infant during filming, so the pregnancy on the show (as well as the pregnancy of co-starAmanda Bearse's character) was then treated as a "dream sequence," which was mentioned only briefly at the end of the episode "Al Bundy, Shoe Dick." Sagal and White eventually had two children—a daughter, Sarah Grace, in 1994, and a son,Jackson James White, in 1996. The writers ofMarried... with Children purposely did not write Sagal's two later pregnancies into the show due to the stillbirth, opting instead to write off her absences in a subplot in which Peg is traveling the world to reunite her parents. In scenes where Peg was shown, Sagal had her midsection obscured, such as when she was sitting in a taxi or at acraps table inLas Vegas and was often seen or heard talking to family members over the phone.[59]
The loss of her stillborn daughter Ruby[60] was the inspiration to write the lyrics for "(You) Can't Hurry the Harvest". Sagal recorded this song on her debut album,Well..., which was released in April 1994.[61]
In June 2016, theHuman Rights Campaign released a video in tribute to the victims of thePulse nightclub shooting; in the video, Sagal and others told the stories of the people killed there.[62][63]
She was the subject of an episode of the televisiongenealogy seriesWho Do You Think You Are? in 2016.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Maid to Order | Louise | |
| 1988 | The Good Mother | Ursula | |
| 1999 | Smart House | PAT | |
| 2000 | Dropping Out | Wendy | |
| 2001 | Recess: School's Out | Mrs. Flo Spinelli | Voice |
| 2002 | Following Tildy | Connie St. John | Short film |
| 2006 | I'm Reed Fish | Maureen | |
| 2007 | Futurama: Bender's Big Score | Turanga Leela | Voice; Direct to video |
| 2008 | Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs | ||
| Futurama: Bender's Game | Turanga Leela/Leegola | ||
| 2009 | Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder | Turanga Leela | |
| House Broken | Mary Cathkart | ||
| Jack and the Beanstalk | Mrs. Thatcher | ||
| 2014 | There's Always Woodstock | Lee Ann | |
| 2015 | Pitch Perfect 2 | Katherine Junk | |
| 2016 | Bleed for This | Louise Pazienza | |
| 2022 | Torn Hearts | Harper Dutch | |
| 2025 | Trust | Loretta | [64] |
| 2026 | Carousel | TBA |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | The Failing of Raymond | Girl patient | Credited as Catherine Louise Sagal |
| 1972 | The Bold Ones: The New Doctors | Young nurse | Credited as Katie Sagal |
| 1973 | Columbo | Secretary | Episode: "Candidate for Crime" (credited as Katie Sagal) |
| 1974 | Larry | Cashier | TV film |
| 1975 | The Dream Makers | Unemployment manager | |
| 1985–1986 | Mary | Jo Tucker | 13 episodes |
| 1987–1997 | Married... with Children | Peggy Bundy | Main role |
| 1990 | Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme | Mary Quite Contrary | TV movie |
| Tales from the Crypt | Ms. Kilbasser | Episode: "For Cryin' Out Loud" | |
| The Earth Day Special | Peggy Bundy | ||
| 1991 | She Says She's Innocent (Violation of Trust) | Susan Essex | TV movie |
| 1995 | Trail of Tears | Annie Cook | |
| Nachtshow | Episode: "February 10th, 1995" | ||
| Duckman | Ivana Duckman | Voice, episode: "The Germ Turns" | |
| 1996 | Space Cases | Ma | Voice, episode: "Mother Knows Best" |
| 1997–2001 | Recess | Flo Spinelli | Voice, 3 episodes |
| 1998 | Rugrats | Additional voices | 1 episode[which?] |
| Chance of a Lifetime | Irene Dunbar | TV movie | |
| Mr. Headmistress | Harriet Magnum | ||
| 1999 | No Higher Love | Ellen Young | |
| Smart House | Pat | ||
| That '70s Show | Edna Hyde | 3 episodes | |
| 1999–present | Futurama | Turanga Leela | Voice, main role |
| 2000 | Tucker | Claire Wennick | 13 episodes |
| 2001 | The Geena Davis Show | Ashley | Episode: "Girls' Night Out" |
| 2002 | Imagine That | Barb Thompson | 2 episodes |
| 2002–2005 | 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter | Cate S. Hennessy | 76 episodes |
| 2004 | When Angels Come to Town | Jo | TV movie |
| 2004–2006 | Higglytown Heroes | Monica the Police Officer | 3 episodes |
| 2005 | Three Wise Guys | Shirley Crown | TV movie |
| Campus Confidential | Naomi Jacobs | ||
| Ghost Whisperer | Francie Lewis | Episode: "Undead Comic" | |
| 2005–2007 | The Shield | Nancy Gilroy | 2 episodes |
| 2005–2010 | Lost | Helen Norwood | 4 episodes |
| 2006 | Boston Legal | Barbara Little | 5 episodes |
| The Search for the Funniest Mom in America | Host | Reality show | |
| 2007 | The Winner | Lydia Berko | Episode: "Hot for Teacher" |
| 2008 | Eli Stone | Marci Klein | 2 episodes |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Annabelle Bundt/Natasha Steele | Episode: "Two and a Half Deaths" | |
| 2008–2014 | Sons of Anarchy | Gemma Teller Morrow | 92 episodes |
| 2010 | Chadam | Sandy | Web series |
| 2013 | Glee | Nancy Abrams | Episode: "Wonder-ful" |
| 2014 | The Simpsons | Turanga Leela | Voice, episode: "Simpsorama" |
| 2014–2015 | Regular Show | Mordecai's Mom, Aunt Maxine | Voice, 2 episodes[65] |
| A to Z | Narrator | Voice, 13 episodes | |
| 2015 | The Bastard Executioner | Annora of the Alders | 10 episodes |
| 2016 | The Big Bang Theory | Susan | Episode: "The Conjugal Conjecture" |
| This Is Us | Lanie Schultz | Episode: "The Big Three" | |
| 2016–2017 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Karen Peralta | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Dirty Dancing | Vivian Pressman | TV movie |
| 2017–2018 | Superior Donuts | Randy DeLuca | Main role |
| 2018 | Spirit Riding Free | Butch LePray | Voice[65] |
| Mayans M.C. | Gemma Teller-Morrow | Episode: "Perro/Oc" | |
| 2018–2019 | Shameless | Dr. Ingrid Jones | 7 episodes |
| 2018–2025 | The Conners | Louise Goldufski-Conner | Recurring role |
| 2019 | Grand Hotel | Teresa Williams | 3 episodes |
| 2020–2022 | Dead to Me | Eleanor Hale | |
| 2021 | Rebel | Annie "Rebel" Bello | Main role |
| 2022 | Tell Me Lies | Nora (Stephen's mom) | 2 episodes |
| 2025 | One Piece | Dr. Kureha | Season 2; Filming |
| 2025 | The Abandons | Giselle | guest appearance in Episode 2[66] |
| Year | Title | Chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | The Group with No Name -Moon Over Brooklyn[67]
| — |
| 1978 | Gene Simmons -Gene Simmons
| Billboard 200 Albums – 22 |
| 1994 | Well...
| Billboard Top Heatseekers – 33[69] |
| 2004 | Room
| — |
| 2009 | Sons of Anarchy: Shelter – EP
| Top Independent Albums — 33[70] Top Soundtracks — 23 |
| 2013 | Covered[71]
| — |
| Year | Award | Category | Film or series | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | American Comedy Awards | Funniest Female Performer in a TV Series | Married... with Children | Nominated |
| 1991 | Golden Globe Award | Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy | ||
| 1992 | ||||
| 1993 | ||||
| American Comedy Awards | Funniest Female Performer in a TV Series | |||
| 1994 | Golden Globe Award | Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy | ||
| 2005 | Prism Awards | Performance in a Comedy Series | 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter | Won |
| 2009 | TV Land Awards | Innovation Award (Shared with:Christina Applegate,David Faustino,Ted McGinley,Ed O'Neill) | Married... with Children | |
| 2010 | Television Critics Association Awards | Individual Achievement in Drama | Sons of Anarchy | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | Best Actress – Television Series Drama | |||
| 2011 | Golden Globe Award[72] | Won | ||
| Prism Awards[73] | Nominated | |||
| Satellite Awards | ||||
| Critics' Choice Television Award | Best Actress in a Drama Series | |||
| 2012 | ||||
| 2013 | Prism Awards | Female Performance in a Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline | Won | |
| 2014 | Hollywood Walk of Fame | Star on the Walk of Fame | N/a |
Created by:Kurt Sutter | |
| Sons of Anarchy | |
| Mayans M.C. | |
| Characters | |
| Music | |
