Teri Hatcher

Teri Hatcher

Teri Lynn Hatcher (born December 8, 1964) became famous in the early 1990s, when the character she was playing on the hit sitcom “Seinfeld” infamously reported, “They’re real, and they’re spectacular,” referring to her breasts. Following the declaration, she gained attention for her role as Lois Lane in the television series "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" co-starring with Dean Cain, there was a slight stall in her career until she finally got back into the limelight as Susan Mayer, a charming accident prone divorce in the melodrama “Desperate Houswives.”

Early Life and Career

Born in Palo Alto, California, to parents Owen, an electrical engineer, and Esther Hatcher a computer scientist, Hatcher was an only child. She attended Mango Junior High (now Sunnyvale Middle School), Fremont High School in Sunnyvale and De Anza College in Cupertino. While at Fremont High School, she was captain of the “Featherettes,” a dance team which had the look of regular cheerleaders, with the exception of the large head dresses they would wear. She was voted "Most Likely to Become a Solid Gold Dancer" by her graduating class in 1982.

Hatcher began her performing career as a young girl taking ballet lessons at the San Juan Girls' Ballet Studio in downtown Los Altos, California. She later studied acting at the American Conservatory Theater. One of her early jobs (in 1984) was as a cheerleader with the San Francisco 49ers. During this time she also appeared as one of the mermaids on the show "The Love Boat" in its final season.

Career

Her intrinsic role that began her road to fame was the character of Lois Lane in the television series "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" (1993-1997). There was a photo of her wrapped in nothing but a red Superman cape famously became the most downloaded image on America Online.

During this time she was also cast in the movie Soapdish, with Kevin Kline and Sally Field. Hatcher has also appeared in such feature films as Spy Kids (2001), the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, Dead in the Water (1991), 2 Days in the Valley (1996), and Heaven's Prisoners (1996). Hatcher has also made a guest appearance in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and had a recurring role on "MacGyver" as Penny Parker, a naïve, high-strung, young woman who always seemed to get into trouble.

She also had a guest appearance in an episode of "Seinfeld," in which her character, Sidra, broke up with Jerry because she found out Jerry was trying to have Elaine surreptitiously determine whether Sidra had breast implants. In one of the more memorable lines in the show, she declared, "Oh, and by the way: they're real, and they're spectacular."

Hatcher has also appeared in a series of popular Radio Shack television commercials alongside NFL Hall of Famer Howie Long. The pair remain close friends, and together have bought farm land on the outside of Los Angeles, with the intent of eventually raising endangered species. Hatcher said her plan to do so came about after reading an article featuring the world's top 25 endangered species.

She hosted Saturday Night Live in 1996.

In 1997, Hatcher was voted "Sexiest Woman in the World" by the readers of FHM.
After her reign on the Superman series, Hatcher’s career stalled until she found her niche on the hit melodrama, “Desperate Housewives.”

"Desperate Housewives"

Hatcher beat out four other actresses for the lead role on ABC's "Desperate Housewives," on which she stars as single mother Susan Mayer. Her role garnered her the Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Golden Globe Award in January 2005. In 2005, Hatcher also won the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) award in the same category. In July 2005, she was nominated for an Emmy Award as Best Actress in a Comedy Series for the same role, along with co-stars Marcia Cross and Felicity Huffman, who won the award.

She won two Awards at the British Glamour magazine's Women of the Year Awards in London, England on June 7, 2005, was named US Television Actress of the Year for her role as single mother Susan Mayer in "Desperate Housewives" (2004), and also got the Editor's Special Award for her talent to combine motherhood and a career while looking glamorous at the same time.

As of April 2006, Hatcher is one of the highest paid television actresses in the country. She reportedly earns $380,000 per episode of "Desperate Housewives."

Other Media

In May 2006, she released her first book, Burnt Toast: And Other Philosophies of Life. In conjunction with the book, she has also launched a line of apparel and merchandise.

Furthermore she is prominently featured in an international campaign for Repeat Cashmere.
Clairol has signed her to a multi-year contract to be the Nice 'n Easy haircolor spokesperson, she will promote the Brand across marketing vehicles, including television and print advertising, public relations, interactive, in-store and direct-to-consumer initiatives.

She was named #7 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" and #10 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006."

Personal life

In 1988, Hatcher married Marcus Leithold, but they were divorced the following year. In 1994, she married actor Jon Tenney; they had a daughter, Emerson Rose, in November 1997, and divorced in March 2003.

In January 2006, it was reported that Hatcher was romantically involved with actor George Clooney, but Hatcher said the two went out on only one date. In March 2006, she was photographed kissing American Idol host Ryan Seacrest, but told Access Hollywood that she was "not attached" and said "Well, I guess what's caught on film is caught on film, and it would be hard for me to stand here and say that it wasn't, you know, me."

In March 2006, Hatcher revealed to Vanity Fair that she was sexually abused from the age of five by Richard Hayes Stone, an uncle by marriage who was later divorced by Hatcher's aunt. Her parents, she said, were unaware of the abuse at the time. In 2002, she assisted Santa Clara County prosecutors in indicting Stone for a more recent molestation that led his female victim to commit suicide at the age of 14. Stone pleaded guilty to four counts of molestation and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. In an interview appearing in Vanity Fair, Hatcher said she told the prosecutors about her own abuse because she was haunted by thoughts of the 14-year-old girl who shot herself, and feared Stone might escape conviction.

She has had her share of injuries on the set of “Desperate Housewives” as well. Not only did she break two rips when she was supposed to fall through a wedding cake in one episode, but she also suffered an injury to her right eye when a light bulb exploded on the set on April 25, 2006. Her cornea was scratched and she had to wear an eye patch, but she returned to the set after only a few days.

She has been quoted saying that she has "the most ticklish feet ever."

Many have said that Hatcher has gotten plastic surgery or used botox, to which she responded: “I don’t use botox or Restylane and I’ve never had any surgery, no matter what you’ve read. That’s the one downside to fame – on any one day you can find loads of hideously mean things said about you online. [My friend] keeps threatening to put these computer child locks on my computer so I can’t torture myself. It hurts, you know?”

Hatcher was seen in February 2007 having lunch with George Bush Sr. in Beverly Hills.