Soap Opera History

Teri Hatcher Facts: Celebrities Who Started on Soaps

Published by

Shado Saeyang

5 years ago

Teri Hatcher is best known for her award-winning work on the hit ABC show, Desperate Housewives, and she gained a cult following for playing half of the title in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. She has also appeared on many shows over the years including Seinfeld, Supergirl, and The Love Boat. She also started on a soap.

Along with her television career, Hatcher has also been in movies such as Tomorrow Never Dies, Spy Kids, and Coraline. From where she was born and raised to suffering injuries on set, here are five fast facts about the actress.

Who Is Teri Hatcher?

Hatcher was born on December 8 in Palo Alto, California, but she was raised in Sunnyvale, California. She began taking ballet lessons as a child and grew up loving dance. She attended De Anza College and studied mathematics and engineering. She then studied acting at the American Conservatory Theater. She was also an NFL cheerleader with the San Francisco 49ers.

Soap Beginnings
While her first TV show appearance was on The Love Boat, Hatcher landed the role of Angelica Stimac (eventually Clegg) on the CBS soap, Capitol. She played a 17-year-old staffer to Trey Clegg, who had big dreams of one day living in the White House.

A Special First
Hatcher played the role of Susan Mayer on the ABC television show, Desperate Housewives, for the show’s entire run. She was the first person to win the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series for a show that hadn’t completed its first season. She also won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy.

Injured On Set

Though Desperate Housewives was a light and funny hour-long drama, Hatcher actually got injured a number of times while on set. She injured her right eye when a lightbulb exploded, and she was forced to wear an eye patch because her cornea was scratched. In another scene, Hatcher broke two of her ribs after stumbling into a wedding cake.

Getting Personal With Teri Hatcher
Hatcher married Marcus Leithold on June 4, 1988, but the couple quickly divorced the following year. She married actor Jon Teeney on May 27, 1994, and they welcomed a daughter, Emerson Rose, on November 10, 1997. However, the pair divorced in March 2003.