Susan Lucci
Lucci in 2009
Born	Susan Victoria Lucci (1946-12-23)December 23, 1946 (age 79) Scarsdale, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Marymount College, Tarrytown (BA)
Occupations	Actress television personality
Years active	1969–present
Spouse	Helmut Huber ​ ​ (m. 1969; died 2022)​
Children	2, includingLiza Huber
Website	susanlucci.com

Susan Victoria Lucci (born December 23, 1946)^[1] is an American actress. She is best known for portrayingErica Kane on theABC daytime dramaAll My Children during that show's entire network run from 1970 to 2011. The character is considered an icon,^[2][3][4][5] and she was called "Daytime's Leading Lady" byTV Guide, withThe New York Times and theLos 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 onAll My Children, Lucci was nominated 21 times for theDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She won only once, in1999, after the 19th nomination; her status as a perpetual nominee for the award had attracted significant media attention since the late 1980s.^[6]

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 seriesDallas,Hot in Cleveland andArmy Wives. Lucci hostedSaturday Night Live in 1990. After the cancellation ofAll My Children, she hosted the 2012–2014true crime seriesDeadly Affairs and starred (asGenevieve Delatour) in the 2013–2016Lifetime seriesDevious Maids.^[8][9][10]

In 1996,TV Guide ranked her number 37 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list.^[11] She was named one ofVH1's 200 Top Icons of All Time and one ofBarbara Walters's Ten Most Fascinating People.^[12]

Susan Lucci was born inScarsdale, New York, to parents Jeanette (1917–2021) and Victor Lucci (1919–2002).^[1] Her father was of Italian ancestry, and her mother was of Swedish descent.^[13][14] She lived inYonkers, New York, before moving with her family at age 2 toElmont, New York, and then at age 5 to anotherLong Island town,Garden City, New York.^[15] Lucci graduated fromGarden City High School in 1964 and fromMarymount College, Tarrytown in 1968, with aBA degree indrama.^[16]

Susan Lucci began her television career with bit parts on the daytime soap operasLove Is a Many Splendored Thing andThe Doctors. She also appeared in an uncredited role in the 1969 filmGoodbye, Columbus and had a minor role in the 1969 comedy-dramaMe, Natalie.

Lucci is best known for appearing asErica Kane on theABCsoap operaAll My Children, from January 16, 1970, to September 23, 2011. Erica is considered to be the most popular character in American soap opera history.^[17]TV Guide calls her "unequivocally the most famous soap opera character in the history of daytime TV,"^[6] and included her in their 2013 list of The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time.^[18]

Lucci was nominated for theOutstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Emmy for her work onAll 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'sSaturday 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 nominations, she finally won in 1999; Lucci received a standing ovation upon receiving the award, which was presented byShemar Moore.^[19][20]

When ABC cancelledAll My Children on April 14, 2011, after 41 years on the air,^[21] 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 withAll My Children. I'm looking forward to all kinds of new and exciting opportunities."^[21] Lucci publicly criticizedABC Daytime presidentBrian Frons over the cancellation ofAll My Children in the epilogue of her autobiographyAll My Life.^[22]

Lucci has appeared in a number of television series and television movies. In 1982, she appeared in acameo appearance in the comedy filmYoung Doctors in Love. During the 1980s, she made guest-starring appearances in prime time series, such asThe Love Boat,Fantasy Island andThe Fall Guy. In 1984 she played her first leading role in the supernatural horror filmInvitation to Hell directed byWes Craven.^[23]

In 1986, Lucci played the role ofDarya Romanoff in theGolden Globe– andEmmy Award–winning made-for-television movieAnastasia: The Mystery of Anna. The same year she played the lead role as Antoinette Giancana,Salavatore 'Sam' Giancana's daughter's in the crime made-for-television movie,Mafia Princess. The following year she starred in another horror film,Haunted by Her Past.^[24] She later starred in the crime dramasLady Mobster (1988) andThe Bride in Black (1990). In 1990–1991, she began a series of guest spots on the nighttime soap operaDallas.^[25] She hostedNBC'sSaturday Night Live in October of that year; in one skit, she appeared as Erica Kane competing on agame show.^[26] In 1991 she starred in the thrillerThe Woman Who Sinned.^[27] She later starred inDouble Edge (1992),Between Love and Hate (1993),French Silk (1994) andSeduced and Betrayed (1995).

In 1995, Lucci playedElizabeth 'Ebbie' Scrooge in theLifetime Fantasy television film,Ebbie. This film was an updated version ofA Christmas Carol. Lucci played aScrooge-like department store owner visited by Marley and the three ghosts onChristmas.Television critic Lynne Heffley fromLos Angeles Times gave it a positive review writing: "Soap queen Susan Lucci of “All My Children” is fun to watch as a severely tailored, unsmiling boss, spreading misery wherever she goes on Christmas Eve, whether firing a security guard or deciding the store's traditional window display has got to go."^[28] In 1998 she returned to thrillers withBlood on Her Hands.

In 1999, she played the title role ofAnnie Oakley in the revival ofIrving Berlin's musicalAnnie Get Your Gun.Michael Logan ofTV Guide said,"Susan Lucci didn't just takeGreat White Way by storm: she took it by tornado, hurricane and tsunami, too."^[29] In 2004, she guest starred in two episodes of the ABC comedy seriesHope & Faith oppositeKelly Ripa. In 2005 she guest-starred onThat's So Raven.

Lucci competed in season 7 ofDancing with the Stars with dance partnerTony Dovolani. She said thatDancing 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 timeDancing taped in Los Angeles whileAll My Children taped in New York). Lucci later changed her mind, in part, because of the experience of fellowAll My Children starCameron Mathison, who finished fifth inseason 5.^[30] She was voted off the show on November 5, 2008, rather than November 4 due to election night, finishing sixth in the competition.

From 2010 to 2014, Lucci made several appearances as herself, the arch rival ofWendie Malick's character, Victoria Chase, on theTV Land sitcomHot in Cleveland , including the February 1, 2012 episode entitled "Life with Lucci".^[31] She appeared inGloria Estefan's music video "Hotel Nacional" in February 2012.^[32] She guest starred in multi-episodes of the sixth season ofLifetime drama series,Army Wives in 2012.^[33][34] Lucci also hosted and narratedDeadly Affairs, a prime-time series airing onInvestigation Discovery from 2012 to 2014.^[35] On November 15, 2012, Lucci appeared onThe Colbert Report in a segment reflecting the soap-opera-like nature of thePetraeus scandal.

In 2013, Lucci began starring asGeneviève Delatour in the Lifetimecomedy-drama series,Devious Maids created byMarc Cherry.^[36][37][38] Her comedic performance was well received by television critics.^[39][40] The series ended in 2016 after four seasons. In 2015 she appeared in the comedy-drama film,Joy directed byDavid O. Russell.^[41]

In 2017, Lucci played one ofKristen Bell andDax Shepard's grandparents (withHenry Winkler) inSia's music video, "Santa's Coming for Us".^[42] Also in 2017 she guest-starred in an episode of Hulu comedy series,Difficult People. She also appeared in television ads forProgressive Insurance that were styled as a soap opera.

In 2023, Lucci received Lifetime Achievement Award at the50th Daytime Emmy Awards.^[43] In 2024, after seven years acting hiatus, Lucci returned to screen in the black comedy film,Outcome starring oppositeKeanu Reeves,Jonah Hill andCameron Diaz.^[44]

Lucci marriedAustrian-born chef and food-service manager Helmut Huber on September 13, 1969.^[45] They are the parents of two children: actressLiza Huber and a son, Andreas Huber.^[1] The couple were married 52 years until Helmut's death on March 28, 2022; he was 84 years old.^[46]

Lucci's autobiography,All My Life: A Memoir, was published in 2011.^[47] She is a registeredRepublican and has hosted fundraising events forRudy Giuliani.^[48] She is a supporter ofLGBT rights and equality, her support spurred by anAll My Children storyline in 2000 in which her character Erica's daughter,Bianca Montgomery, came out as a lesbian.^[48]

In late 2018, Lucci had an emergency procedure to place twoarterial stents in her heart after blocked arteries were discovered due to chest pain. Lucci postponed making her experience public until shortly before the American Heart Association's annualGo Red for Women fashion event in February 2019.^[49]

Lucci also has her own line of hair care products, perfumes, lingerie, and skin care, called The Susan Lucci Collection.^[50]

Other awards and honors include:

• Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council memberHenry Kravis, 1991^[83]
• Favorite Female Performer in a Daytime Serial,People's Choice Awards,1992^[84]
• Women in FilmLucy Award, 1994^[85]
• New York Women in Film & Television Muse Award, 2004^[86]
• Outstanding Female Lead in a Daytime Drama,Gracie Allen Awards, 2005^[87]
• Hollywood Walk of Fame, 2005^[88]
• NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame, 2006
• Ride of Fame inductee, 2013^[89]
• Disney Legend, 2015
• in 2002 Susan Lucci appears Atlantic City October 25 with Regis philbin

• Siegel, Barbara, andScott 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.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toSusan Lucci.

• Susan's Official Website
• Susan Lucci atIMDb
• Susan Lucci at theTCM Movie Database
• Susan Lucci atThe Interviews: An Oral History of Television

• 1946 births
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• 20th-century American actresses
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