Katey Sagal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Katey Sagal
Sagal in 2025
Born	(1954-01-19) January 19, 1954 (age 71) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	California Institute of the Arts
Occupation	Actress singer
Years active	1971–present
Known for	Married... with Children Futurama 8 Simple Rules Sons of Anarchy Shameless The Conners
Spouse(s)	Freddy Beckmeier ​ ​ (m. 1977; div. 1981)​ Jack White ​ ​ (m. 1993; div. 2000)​ Kurt Sutter ​ (m. 2004)​
Children	Three, including Jackson White
Parent(s)	Boris Sagal Sara Zwilling
Relatives	Jean Sagal (sister) Liz Sagal (sister) Joey Sagal (brother) Marge Champion (stepmother)

Katey Sagal (born January 19, 1954) is an American actress and singer. She is famous for her roles as Peggy Bundy on Married... with Children (1987–1997) and Leela on Futurama (1999–2003, 2008–2013, 2023–present). She also played Cate Hennessy on 8 Simple Rules (2002–2005) and Gemma Teller Morrow on Sons of Anarchy (2008–2014). For her role in Sons of Anarchy, she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama in 2011. More recently, she has been seen as Louise Goldufski-Conner on The Conners (2018–2025).

Early Life and Family

Katey Sagal was born on January 19, 1954, in Los Angeles. She grew up in a family deeply involved in show business, with five children. Her mother, Sara Zwilling, was a singer and producer who passed away in 1975. Katey's father, Boris Sagal, was a television director who came from Ukraine. He died in an accident in 1981 while working on a TV show.

Katey has three siblings who are also actors: her younger twin sisters, Jean Sagal and Liz Sagal, and her brother Joey Sagal. Her other brother, David, is a lawyer. The Sagal children grew up in Brentwood, Los Angeles.

A famous TV producer and writer, Norman Lear, was Katey's godfather. He even introduced her parents to each other. Katey has described herself as "culturally Jewish," meaning she connects with the culture but does not formally practice the religion.

Katey graduated from Palisades Charter High School. After high school, she studied at the California Institute of the Arts until 1972.

Musical Journey

Katey Sagal started her career as a singer and songwriter. In 1973, she sang backup for famous artists like Bob Dylan, Etta James, and Tanya Tucker. She was part of a music group called The Group with No Name and sang on their album Moon over Brooklyn in 1976.

She also provided backup vocals for albums by Gene Simmons (1978) and Molly Hatchet (1981). In 1985, she sang on Olivia Newton-John's song "Soul Kiss."

Katey was a backup singer for Bette Midler's group, the Harlettes, from 1978 and again from 1982 to 1983. She sang the song "It's the Time for Love" for the movie Silent Rage (1982). She also sang the theme song "Loose Cannons" for the 1990 film of the same name.

On April 19, 1994, Katey released her first solo album, Well.... Her second album, Room, came out on June 1, 2004.

She also contributed to the soundtrack for Sons of Anarchy in the early 2010s. She worked with the show's band, The Forest Rangers, on several songs for the soundtrack albums. Her album Covered (2013) was also a collaboration with The Forest Rangers. In 2019, she performed the song "Mayans MC: Black is Black" for the show Mayans M.C. with The Forest Rangers.

Acting Career Highlights

Early Roles and Married... with Children

Sagal at the 1989 Emmy Awards

One of Katey's first acting jobs was a small role as a secretary in the TV show Columbo in 1973, which her father directed. She also appeared briefly in a music video for Debbie Harry in 1986.

Her first big role was as a newspaper writer in the TV series Mary (1985–86). This led to her most famous role as Peggy Bundy on the comedy show Married... with Children (1987–1997). She played the funny, sometimes lazy, wife of a shoe salesman. The show was very popular and ran for 11 years. Katey reportedly brought her own red wig to her audition, and it became part of Peggy Bundy's iconic look.

Continuing Success in Television

After Married... with Children ended, Katey appeared in several TV movies. She also lent her voice to Spinelli's mother in the cartoon Recess. In 1998, she was chosen by Matt Groening to be the voice of Leela, a purple-haired spaceship captain, in the animated science-fiction comedy Futurama. The show gained a huge fan base and was brought back for more seasons after its initial run. Katey continued to voice Leela in the movies and new seasons.

She also played Edna Hyde, Steven Hyde's mother, in three episodes of That '70s Show. In 2002, Katey was cast as the wife of John Ritter in the sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. After John Ritter's passing, the show continued for a while before ending in 2005.

From 2005 to 2010, Katey made four appearances on the popular show Lost as Helen Norwood.

Sons of Anarchy and Hollywood Recognition

Sagal in 2011

From 2008 to 2014, Katey starred as Gemma Teller Morrow in the TV drama Sons of Anarchy. The show's creator, Kurt Sutter, is her husband, whom she married in 2004. In 2009, she reunited with David Faustino, who played her son Bud Bundy in Married... with Children, for an episode of his show Star-ving.

In 2013, Katey had a guest role on Glee as Nancy Abrams, Artie Abrams' mother. She also appeared in the movie Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) as the mother of Hailee Steinfeld's character. In 2016, she played the mother of boxer Vinny Pazienza in the drama film Bleed for This.

On September 9, 2014, Katey Sagal received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her former castmates from Married... with Children – Ed O'Neill, Christina Applegate, and David Faustino – were there to celebrate with her.

Recent Roles

Sagal's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

In 2016, Katey appeared on The Big Bang Theory as Susan, the mother of Penny (Kaley Cuoco). This was a fun reunion, as Katey and Kaley had played mother and daughter before on 8 Simple Rules. Katey was also a regular on the CBS sitcom Superior Donuts from 2017 to 2018.

She had a recurring role as Louise Goldufski, a love interest for Dan Conner, in The Conners starting in 2018. She also made a guest appearance in the Netflix series Dead to Me as Judy Hale's (Linda Cardellini) mother. Her Married... with Children co-star, Christina Applegate, also stars in Dead to Me. In 2018, she had a cameo in Mayans M.C., reprising her role as Gemma Teller Morrow.

In 2021, Katey Sagal played the main character, Annie "Rebel" Bello, in the ABC drama series Rebel. In 2022, Hulu announced that Futurama would return for an 11th season in 2023, with Katey returning as the voice of Leela. In 2023, Katey performed live in the musical The Gospel According to Heather.

Personal Life

Katey Sagal has been married three times. She was married to musician Freddie Beckmeier from 1978 to 1981, and to drummer and actor Jack White from 1993 to 2000. She married writer-producer Kurt Sutter on October 2, 2004. They have a daughter named Esmé Louise, who was born in 2007 through a surrogate.

While working on Married... with Children in 1991, Katey became pregnant. Sadly, she experienced a difficult loss during her pregnancy. The show's writers decided not to include this sad event in the storyline. Katey and Jack White later had two children: a daughter, Sarah Grace, born in 1994, and a son, Jackson James White, born in 1996. The show's writers chose not to write these later pregnancies into the series, instead explaining Katey's absences by having her character travel.

The song "(You) Can't Hurry the Harvest" from Katey's 1994 album Well... was inspired by her personal experience.

In 2016, Katey Sagal was featured in an episode of the TV show Who Do You Think You Are?, where she explored her family history.

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Music Albums

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Katey Sagal para niños