“Erica Kane wasn’t always so lovable, but I will always be thankful to the fans for their unwavering love.” “I got to keep playing her because of them,” the renowned actress remarked in her award speech.
At the 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday, Susan Lucci was given the honor she deserved for her extensive career spanning several decades: the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Shemar Moore, who handed Lucci her first Daytime Emmy in 1999 for outstanding lead actress in a drama series, presented the award. This victory came after 19 nominations total since 1978.
The 53-year-old Moore enumerated Moore’s accomplishments, which include playing Erica Kane on the ABC daytime serial All My Children for almost 40 years. “She’s been in TV series as well as film and stage… she’s been ranked as one of the 50 greatest television stars of all time and I couldn’t agree more,” Moore added.
Along with referring to Lucci as a “true living TV legend,” Moore also made light of the fact that the previous time he gave the actress her prize, “I flipped over the card and I didn’t think she was gonna win… and I said, ‘The streak is over!'”
Following Moore’s introduction, a video package featuring Lucci’s film and television credits rolled, accompanied by heartfelt words from her loved ones, such as her son Andreas, friends Andy Cohen and Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos from All My Children, and Carol Burnett.
Lucci, 76, thanked everyone in the auditorium as she took the stage and said, “How fortunate am I to have grown up with the realization of my ambition of being an actress? There were blockages and difficulties, as well as wannabe roadblocks and problems, but it is a celebration night.”
The Speech of Susan Lucci:
Recalling Moore’s earlier Emmy announcement, Lucci remarked, “I begin there again tonight, starting with my parents for their love.” Moore had “begun by thanking God for the many blessings” at that time.
She began by thanking her professors for “giving me the tools to be the kind of actress I wanted to be,” as well as Agnes Nixon, the creator of All My Children. “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 concluded.
“She was a trailblazer, visionary storyteller who gave me the part of the lifetime, the fabulously flawed Erica Kane,” Lucci added, describing her character as 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 said. “Thanks to them, I got to continue to play her again and again.”
In addition, Lucci praised her castmates from All My Children, referring to them as 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 stated. “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.”
Finally, Lucci expressed her gratitude to her late husband Helmut Huber, who passed away in March 2022 at the age of 84, and her son Andreas.
“Having my son Andreas with me tonight is the cherry on top. Having you here with me means so much,” she remarked. “I sense your dad being here with us this evening as well. I express my gratitude to my spouse Helmet Huber, since he is the reason I am able to stand here tonight and accept this amazing honor.”
In 1970, Lucci made her television debut as Erica Kane on All My Children. She stayed in that role for 41 years, until the show’s cancellation in 2011. She had a lot of memorable moments on the show, and because of her famous role, she eventually received 21 nominations for the Lifetime Emmy Awards.
The actress found time to work on other projects outside of All My Children. She starred in the Broadway version of Annie Get Your Gun in 1999 and gave solo performances in cabarets and theaters around the nation.
Lucci was cast in recurring roles on television series such as Devious Maids, Army Wives, Dallas, Hot in Cleveland, and Dallas. She and her partner Tony Dovolani competed on season 7 of Dancing with the Stars in 2008, coming in sixth.
Autobiography:
After publishing her autobiography, All My Life, in 2011, the actress became a New York Times bestselling author as well. Throughout her life, the actress has supported a number of charitable causes, such as United Cerebral Palsy of NYC, the National AFib Campaign, March of Dimes, the New York Cancer Project, the American Stroke Association, and the American Heart Association, where she is currently the National Ambassador for the Go Red for Women Movement.
Personal Life:
On a personal level, Huber and Lucci are parents to Andreas and Liza. They got married in 1969.
Months after recuperating from her second heart surgery in four years, Lucci received her prize.
“I’m progressing remarkably. In March, Lucci told PEOPLE, “I always keep an eye on myself and what’s going on. So far, so good.”
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