Susan Lucci accepts a “Lifetime Achievement Award” onstage during the 50th Daytime Emmy Awards at The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, Los Angeles on December 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.Photo:Kevin Winter/Getty
Kevin Winter/Getty
Susan Luccireceived the recognition she deserved for her decades-long career when the actress was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 50thAnnual Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday.
Taking the stage, Lucci, 76, thanked everyone in the room and stated, “How lucky am I to dream my dreams of becoming an actress and grow up and have my dreams come true? There were obstacles and there were roadblocks — they were wannabe obstacles and roadblocks — but tonight’s a night to celebrate.”
Susan Lucci attends the 50th Daytime Emmy Awards at The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, Los Angeles on December 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.Frazer Harrison/Getty
Frazer Harrison/Getty
“I thank them for the example they set for me … for telling me I could shoot for the moon and the stars, and to never be afraid,” she said, before thanking her teachers for “giving me the tools to be the kind of actress I wanted to be,” andAll My Childrencreator Agnes Nixon.
“She was a trailblazer, visionary storyteller who gave me the part of the lifetime, the fabulously flawed Erica Kane,” Lucci said, calling her character the “naughty girl in town… she had spirit.”
“I am eternally grateful to the fans for loving Erica Kane, even when she wasn’t so lovable,” she continued. “Thanks to them, I got to continue to play her again and again.”
Lucci also thanked her fellowAll My Childrencastmates, calling them the “most accomplished and talented actors in NY.”
“I am so proud to be part of this community, this community of storytellers, in such a collaborative genre,” she said. “We get to do what we love to do, we get to entertain and tell stories, and in that, we illuminate our human condition … and on our best days, even make a little magic.”
In a final note, Lucci thanked her son Andreas and her late husbandHelmut Huber, whodiedin March 2022 at age 84.
“The icing on the cake tonight is that my son Andreas is with me. It means so much to me to have you here with me,” she said. “I feel your dad’s presence here with us tonight too. I thank my husband Helmet Huber because he has everything to do with me standing up here tonight and receiving this incredible award.”
Susan Lucci (center) with son Andreas Huber (left) and husband Helmut Huber in 2013.Desiree Navarro/WireImage
Lucci got her big break in the role of Erica Kane onAll My Childrenin 1970 and played the role for 41 yearsuntil the show ended in 2011. She had many memorable moments on the show and ultimately earned 21 nominations at the Daytime Emmy Awards for her iconic role.
BeyondAll My Children,the actress found time to explore other projects, starring in the 1999 Broadway production ofAnnie Get Your Gunand had solo performances in theaters and cabarets across the country.
On television, Lucci landed recurring roles on shows likeHot in Cleveland, Dallas, Army WivesandDevious Maids.In 2008, she competed on season 7 ofDancing with the Starswith partnerTony Dovolani, finishing sixth.
Susan Lucci on ‘All My Children’ in 2010.Carol Kaelson/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
Carol Kaelson/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
On the personal front, Lucci shares Andreas and daughter Liza with Huber. The two wed in 1969.
‘All My Children’ alum Susan Lucci with Charles Frank in 1971.ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
Lucci’s award comes months after sherecoveredfrom her second heart surgery in four years.
“I’m doing really well. I always keep an eye on myself, what’s going on,” Lucci told PEOPLE in March, adding, “It is so far so good.”
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The 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards are airing live on CBS and Paramount+.
source: people.com
