Katey Sagal Biography
Born: January 19, 1954
Date of Birth: January 19, 1954
Catherine Louise “Katey” Sagal was born in Los Angeles, California to Boris Sagal, a Ukrainian-born director, and Sara Zwilling, a singer. She was born into the show business lifestyle, with her younger twin sisters, Jean and Liz Sagal, and her brother Joe all actors. Katey's stepbrother Gregg Champion is a film producer, and her godfather is the sitcom producer Norman Lear. The only sibling not associated with show business is her brother David Sagal, who is an attorney.
While her father was Jewish, Katey describe herself as “culturally” Jewish, but with no “formal religious experience.” Katey was raised primarily in Los Angeles, where she attended Pacific Palisades High School. Afterwards, she graduated from the California Institute of the Arts before beginning her acting career in Hollywood. Although she liked to sing, and even taught herself the piano as a teenager, her father encouraged her to pursue acting over music. Unfortunately, Katey’s mother passed away from heart disease in 1975, and her father died in 1981 due to an accident on the set of the television movie World War III.
Katey managed to land a few television movie roles in the early '70s, before focusing on a music career. She worked mostly as a back-up singer, touring with musicians such as Olivia Newton-John and Bette Midler. She got married to musician Freddie Beckmeier in 1978, but they divorced in 1981. In the '80s, she returned to acting and landed a role as Jo Tucker on the short-lived sitcom Mary, before starring as Peg Bundy in the popular series Married… With Children.
Debuting in 1987, the series revolved around the dysfunctional Bundy family. Her character Peg was brash and lazy, the complete opposite of the average housewife on television during that time. The show broke new (raunchy) ground, featuring an obnoxious, sexist husband (Ed O’Neill) and two bickering teenagers, played by David Faustino and Christina Applegate.
During the filming of the show, Katey had to deal with the stillbirth of her daughter with country music drummer boyfriend Jack White in 1991. Katey and Jack, who were married from 1993 to 2000, have two children together, namely Sarah and Jackson.
After the series ended in 1997, she branched out into voice acting, voicing Leela, one of the lead characters from the animated sci-fi show Futurama. The series lasted for 72 episodes since its 1999 debut, and spawned four movies.
Katey successfully returned to sitcoms in 2002, starring as Cate Hennessy in 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. She played a nurse and mother of three who was married to Paul, played by John Ritter. John unexpectedly died in 2003, and the network decided to continue the series by incorporating his death into his on-screen character.
After 8 Simple Rules, she made television guest appearances on shows such as Lost and Boston Legal. Katey married writer-producer Kurt Sutter in 2004, and welcomed daughter Esmé Louise in 2007 with the help of a surrogate.
Then in 2008, Katey received a leading role as Gemma Teller Morrow on the hit show Sons of Anarchy, for which she won a Golden Globe in 2011.
On September 9, 2014, Katey received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a ceremony that was attended by most of her Married... with Children cast mates.
More recently, Katey played a role in the 2015 movie Pitch Perfect 2, and starred in the 2016 biographical boxing film Bleed for This.
Filmography:
Bleed for This (2016)Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)
There’s Always Woodstock (2014)
Jack and the Beanstalk (2010)
House Broken (2009)
Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder (2009)
Futurama: Bender’s Game (2008)
Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Bucks (2008)
Futurama: Bender’s Big Score (2007)
I’m Reed Fish (2006)
Recess: School’s Out (2001)
Dropping Out (2000)
Smart House (1999)
The Good Mother (1988)
Maid to Order (1987)