Heather Deen Locklear (born September 25, 1961) is an American actress. She is primarily known for her television work, her most notable roles being, "Sammy Jo Carrington," on the 1980s soap opera, Dynasty, "Officer Stacy Sheridan," in the 1980s cop drama, T.J. Hooker, "Amanda Woodward," on the 1990s soap opera Melrose Place, and, "Caitlin Moore," on the sitcom, Spin City.

Biography

Early life

Locklear was born in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Diane (née Tinsley), a production executive for Disney, and William Robert Locklear, an administrator at UCLA. She went to Newbury Park High School. She is the youngest of four children and a cousin of Donald Trump's second wife, Marla Maples. She is of Scottish and distant paternal Lumbee ancestry.

Career

While attending the University of California, Los Angeles, Locklear began modeling and working in commercials for the school store. She was a member of the Chi Omega sorority at the University of California. In 1979, Locklear landed her first roles appearing in Tales of the Unexpected, and an episode of CHiPs a year later. She landed a few more bit parts in shows, including Eight Is Enough, before Aaron Spelling cast her in the role of Sammy Jo Dean during the second season of his TV series Dynasty. It would be the beginning of a highly successful long-term collaboration with Spelling who, the following year, cast her in the cop show T.J. Hooker with William Shatner. Until the mid 1980s, Locklear would appear as a series regular on T.J. Hooker while making semi-regular appearances on Dynasty. She later became a full-time cast member on Dynasty until its cancellation in 1989.

In the 1990s, after the failed sitcom Going Places and the three-hour mini-series Dynasty: The Reunion, Locklear went on to play another of her best known roles, that of scheming vixen Amanda Woodward on the primetime soap opera Melrose Place. She was originally brought in as a guest star in an attempt to boost the ratings, and her billing in the credits reflected this. Despite eventually becoming a regular cast member in 1993, she continued to be listed as a "Special Guest Star" throughout the entire run of the series until its cancellation in 1999. Locklear also won First Americans in the Arts: Best Actress in a TV series for her role on Melrose Place. In 2006, her character on the show made Wizard's list of the 100 Greatest Villains of All Time ranked at #49. After the show ended, she was immediately cast on the TV sitcom, Spin City, opposite Michael J. Fox. Locklear starred in the short-lived drama LAX in 2004.

Throughout her career, Locklear has starred or guest-starred in no less than seven different television series produced by Aaron Spelling, these being Dynasty, T.J. Hooker, Matt Houston, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, Hotel, and Melrose Place.

Personal life

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Locklear with Richie Sambora in 1994

Locklear has dated Tom Cruise, Ryan Ruddy, Mark Harmon, and Scott Baio and was married to Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee from May 1986 to August 1993. After their divorce, she married Richie Sambora on December 17, 1994 in Paris. On October 4, 1997 she gave birth to their daughter, Ava Elizabeth. Locklear's representative announced on February 2, 2006 that divorce papers had been filed to dissolve the couple's marriage. In further papers filed by Sambora, it was revealed that the couple has been separated since December 26, 2005, and that Sambora will be seeking joint custody of Ava. After filing for divorce, Sambora became romantically involved with Denise Richards, his neighbor when he was living with Locklear. In April 2007, Locklear and fellow Melrose Place alum Jack Wagner confirmed their new romance at a charity golf event.

Anxiety and depression

In March 2008, Locklear was involved in a controversy when a "9-1-1" call was made by a caller claiming to be her doctor who said that she was trying to commit suicide.[5][6] The authorities arrived at Locklear's home shortly afterwards. Locklear's publicist has since downplayed the incident stating that Locklear had never requested any medical assistance and the Ventura County Sheriff's Department later stated that no further action was taken once they arrived at Locklear's Westlake Village home as she appeared to be fine. They did, however, state that they still believed the call to be genuine. On June 24, 2008 she checked into a medical facility in Arizona for psychological issues including anxiety and depression, and requested an in-depth evaluation of her medication in order to receive proper diagnosis and treatment.Her agent announced that she was suffering from anxiety and depression.

On July 23, 2008 Locklear returned back home, after 4 weeks of treatment for anxiety and depression.

Arrest

Locklear was arrested and released in Santa Barbara, California, on September 27, 2008, for suspicion of driving under the influence of a controlled substance.[10][11] Locklear, 47, was pulled over by a California Highway Patrol officer after Jill Ishkanian, a member of the paparazzi, reported seeing the actress leaving a parking lot and "driving erratically." She was formally charged on November 17, 2008 with one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence in connection to her September arrest. A blood test detected no alcohol or illegal narcotics, but Santa Barbara County Deputy District Attorney Lee Carter stated that they believe the prescription medications she consumed "could have impaired her ability to safely drive a motor vehicle."

On January 2, 2009, Locklear pleaded guilty to one charge of reckless driving, a misdemeanor; in return, the district attorney dismissed DUI charges. Locklear will serve three years' informal probation, was fined $700 and must complete a 12-hour DMV road and safety class.

Filmography

* Firestarter (1984)
* The Return of Swamp Thing (1989) as Abby Arcane
* The Big Slice (1991)
* Wayne's World 2 (1993) as Herself
* The First Wives Club (1996) (uncredited)
* Double Tap (1997) as Katherine
* Money Talks (1997) as Grace Cipriani
* Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) as Dusty Tails
* Uptown Girls (2003)
* The Perfect Man (2005) as Jean Hamilton
* Sydney White (2007) as Flirty Girl
* Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009) as Heather Truscott

Television work

* Tales of the Unexpected (1979)
* CHiPs (1980)
* 240-Robert (1981)
* Eight Is Enough (1981)
* The Return of the Beverly Hillbillies (1981)
* Twirl (1981)
* Dynasty (1981-1989)
* Matt Houston (1982)
* Fantasy Island (1982)
* T.J. Hooker (1982-1986)
* Hotel (1983)
* The Love Boat (1983)
* City Killer (1984)
* Rock 'n' Roll Mom (1988)
* Jury Duty: The Comedy (1990)
* Rich Men, Single Women (1990)
* Going Places (1990-1991)
* Her Wicked Ways (1991)
* Dynasty: The Reunion (1991)
* Illusions (1992)
* Batman: The Animated Series (voice only) (1992)
* Highway Heartbreaker (1992)
* Melrose Place (cast member from 1993-1999)
* Body Language (1992)
* Fade to Black (1993)
* Texas Justice (film) (1995)
* Shattered Mind (1996)
* Spin City (cast member from 1999-2002)
* Ally McBeal (2002)
* Scrubs (2002)
* Once Around the Park (2003)
* Two and a Half Men (2004)
* LAX (2004-2005)
* Boston Legal (2005)
* Rules of Engagement (2007)
* Hannah Montana (2007)
* Nora Roberts' Angels Fall (2007)
* See Jayne Run (2008)
* Flirting with 40 (2008)
* Flying by (2009)

Producer

* Melrose Place (1999) (as co-producer)
* LAX (2004-2005).