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Catherine Bach

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Catherine Bach
Bach at the Chiller Theatre Expo in 2013
Born
Catherine Bachman

(1954-03-01) March 1, 1954 (age 70)[1]
Warren, Ohio, U.S.[1]
Alma materUniversity of California, Los Angeles
OccupationActress
Years active1973–present
Known forDaisy Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard
Spouses
  • David Shaw
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1976; div. 1981)​
  • Peter Lopez
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1990; died 2010)​
Children2

Catherine Bach (born Catherine Bachman; March 1, 1954)[1] is an American actress. She is known for playing Daisy Duke in the television series The Dukes of Hazzard and Margo Dutton in African Skies.[2] In 2012, she joined the cast of the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless as Anita Lawson.[3]

Early life

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Bach was born in Warren, Ohio,[1] the daughter of Norma Jean Kucera (née Verdugo), an acupuncturist, and Bernard P. Bachman, a rancher.[4] Her mother was a daughter of Antonio L. Verdugo, of Bisbee, Arizona, a baker born in Mexico,[5] while her father was of German ancestry. She was raised in Warren, Ohio.[6][7] Her mother, born into the Verdugo family,[8] claimed to be descended from one of oldest Californio families.[9]

She spent some of her childhood on a ranch in South Dakota,[10] and she visited her grandparents in Faith, South Dakota. In 1970, Bach graduated from Stevens High School in Rapid City, South Dakota. She briefly majored in drama at UCLA, where she supplemented her income by making clothes for friends and theater groups.[10]

Career

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Bach's professional debut was as one of the children in a production of The Sound of Music.[11] Bach's first screen appearance was in the Burt Lancaster murder mystery, The Midnight Man, shot in upstate South Carolina in 1973, in which she played murder victim Natalie Claiburn. Her next role was Melody in the 1974 film Thunderbolt and Lightfoot.

Bach heard about the audition for The Dukes of Hazzard through her husband.[12] When she arrived there, she found the producers were looking for a Dolly Parton-lookalike; despite not looking like what they were searching for, she was hired on the spot.[13] One of the earliest costume ideas from the producers was that she wear a tight white turtleneck, go-go boots and a poodle skirt, but Bach asked if she could bring her own outfit, which was a homemade T-shirt, a pair of cut-off denim shorts and high heels.[14] Bach had concerns about the appropriateness of the cut-off shorts at first, saying she could not wear them in a restaurant scene. When prompted by the producers to visit a restaurant across the street, Bach found the waitresses were wearing "little miniskirts that matched the tablecloths!"[12] This style of cut-off denim shorts is now popularly known as "Daisy Dukes" in reference to Bach's character of that name from the show. She starred on The Dukes of Hazzard opposite Tom Wopat, John Schneider and James Best.

At the suggestion of the show's producers, Bach posed as Daisy Duke for a poster, which sold 5 million copies.[15] The poster once caused a stir when Nancy Reagan took a liking to it after Bach visited the White House with one as a gift for one of her former schoolteachers then working there.[16]

While she was starring on The Dukes of Hazzard, her legs were insured for $1,000,000.[17] In 1985, she served as the model for the figurehead for the schooner Californian.[9]

After the series ended, Bach had roles in a number of low-profile films. From 1992 to 1994, she starred in the Canadian family drama series, African Skies.[18] In 2006, she guest-starred on Monk, and in 2010 had a small cameo in the comedy film You Again. In 2012, Bach joined the cast of CBS daytime soap opera, The Young and the Restless in the recurring role of Anita Lawson.[3]

In 2002, Bach launched a line of diamond jewelry at Debenhams.[10]

Personal life

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Bach married David Shaw (stepson of Angela Lansbury)[11] in 1976; the couple divorced in 1981. Bach married entertainment lawyer Peter Lopez in August 1990. They had two daughters. On April 30, 2010, 60-year-old Lopez was found shot dead in an apparent suicide.[19]

Bach is Catholic.[20]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1974 The Midnight Man Natalie Clayborne
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot Melody
1975 Hustle Peggy Summers
1978 Crazed Sue
1984 Cannonball Run II Marcie Thatcher
1987 Street Justice Tamarra
1989 Criminal Act Pam Weiss
Driving Force Harry
1990 Masters of Menace Kitty Wheeler
1992 The Nutt House Benefit Reporter
Rage and Honor Captain Murdock
2004 Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real Biologist
2010 You Again Daisy
2013 Chapman Mother
2015 The Breakup Girl Ellen
Book of Fire Bibiana

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1975 Matt Helm Alice Episode: "Matt Helm"
Strange New World Lara Television film
1977 Murder in Peyton Place Linda Television film
1977–1978 Police Woman Episodes: "Screams" and "A Shadow on the Sea"
1979–1985 The Dukes of Hazzard Daisy Duke Series regular, 145 episodes
1980-1983 The Love Boat Pamela Hodgekins / Pat Bigelow Episodes: "No Girls for Doc/Marriage of Convenience/The Caller/The Witness" and "Going to the Dogs/Putting on the Dog/Women's Best Friend/Whose Dog Is It Anyway"
1981 Enos Daisy Duke Episode: "One Daisy Per Summer"
1983 White Water Rebels Trisha Parker Television film
The Dukes Daisy Duke Voice, 20 episodes
1992–1994 African Skies Margo Dutton Series regular, 52 episodes
1995 Space Ghost Coast to Coast Herself Episode: "Urges"
1997 The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! Daisy Duke Television film
2000 The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood Daisy Duke Television film
2006 Monk Sara Jo Episode: "Mr. Monk Meets His Dad"
2012-2019 The Young and the Restless Anita Lawson Recurring role
2014 Almost Royal Herself Episode: "Nashville"
2015 Hawaii Five-0 Amy Harlan Episode: "Luapo'i"
2016 My Best Friend Pearl Television film

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Close Up: Catherine Bach". Ocala Star-Banner. September 2, 1988. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  2. ^ "Dukes Fest". Melbourne: The Age. August 1, 2004. Retrieved November 15, 2007.
  3. ^ a b "Catherine Bach joins Y&R;! [sic]". Archived from the original on January 15, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
  4. ^ Walstad, David (April 25, 1997). "Bach: TV easy next to rigors of motherhood". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
  5. ^ 1940 United States census, Bisbee City, Arizona, Ward 2, Sheet 4A
  6. ^ Walstad, David (December 12, 1992). "Catherine Bach Goes to S. Africa for Some Non-'Hazzard'ous Duty". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 29, 2009.
  7. ^ Goodwin, Betty (May 26, 1984). "Bad Luck?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 29, 2009.
  8. ^ "Bach models for schooner". The Sumter Daily Item. Associated Press. August 25, 1983. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  9. ^ a b ""Dukes'" Catherine Bach Model for Tall Ship". Ocala Star-Banner. January 7, 1985. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  10. ^ a b c Julia Robson (April 4, 2002). "Daisy Duke's sparkling return". Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved May 1, 2010.[dead link‍]
  11. ^ a b Lane, Lydia (March 9, 1979). "Discipline Keys Life". Reading Eagle. Retrieved May 1, 2010 – via Google News.
  12. ^ a b "Catherine Bach defends the Dukes". The Beaver County Times. October 11, 1981. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  13. ^ "Catherine Bach Waits On A Special Dinner". The Sumter Daily Item. July 18, 1980. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  14. ^ Craig Shelburne (February 25, 2005). "The Original Dukes of Hazzard Stars Reminisce". CMT. Archived from the original on February 5, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  15. ^ Dan Kane (January 22, 2009). "Daisy Duke today: 10 things you probably didn't know about Catherine Bach". The Repository. Archived from the original on July 26, 2010. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
  16. ^ "Catherine Bach's Daisy poster causing quite a White House stir". Lakeland Ledger. October 12, 1981. Retrieved July 11, 2010.[permanent dead link‍]
  17. ^ Rizzo, Monica (March 19, 2012). "Catherine Bach: Daisy Duke bounces back". People.com. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
  18. ^ "With Daisy Duke Just A Memory, Catherine Bach Enjoys Africa". Chicago Tribune. July 31, 1993. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  19. ^ "Actress Catherine Bach's husband, entertainment attorney Peter Lopez dies in apparent suicide". Fox News. Associated Press. November 20, 2014 – via foxnews.com.
  20. ^ Nolasco, Stephanie (July 24, 2019). "'Dukes of Hazzard' star Catherine Bach says she relied on faith after her husband's death". Fox News. Retrieved December 18, 2019 – via foxnews.com.
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