American actress and singer/songwriter Katey Sagal was born on January 19, 1954 into a show business family. Her father was director Boris Sagal, who was known for his work on television dramas like The Twilight Zone. Her mother was a producer, and her siblings (twins Jean and Liz, and Joe Sagal) are actors as well. They grew up in Brentwood, Los Angeles, with Katey being educated at the California Institute of the Arts.
Katey Sagal made her acting debut in the 1970s, appearing in numerous television films. She had a small role in the Columbo film, Candidate for Crime, which was directed by her father. At that time, she became a backing vocalist for a variety of singers, such as Bob Dylan, Bette Midler and Tanya Tucker. In 1977, she rose to fame when asked by Heavy Metal icon Gene Simmons asked her to sing background vocals on Kiss’ “Calling Dr. Love.” She went on tour in 1979, but returned to television in 1985 to play Jo Tucker in the series Mary. It starred Mary Tyler Moore, and became the vehicle for Sagal to land the role of Peg Bundy on the American sitcom Married…with Children. Her career was focused on the show during its ten-year run, but she continued to get roles in other television productions. She was seen on Mr. Headmistress and Chance of a Lifetime, and became known for lending her voice in three episodes of Disney’s animated series Recess. In 1999, she was cast as Edna Hyde in That ‘70s Show and later got a part in the Disney Channel movie Smart House. In 1999, Matt Groening cast her in the sci-fi cartoon Futurama, where she voices Turanga Leela. The show was canceled after four seasons, but was revived in 2006. In 2002, Katey Sagal was cast as the wife of John Ritter in the sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. Upon Ritter’s death, she had to take on the difficult task of carrying most of the show. It was, however, canceled during its third season. Sagal next appeared on Lost, as well as on CBS’ Ghost Whisperer. In addition, she had a recurring role on Boston Legal and became the host of The Search for the Funniest Mom in America 2. Sagal was also seen on The Winner, Eli Stone and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation before she landed the role of Gemma Teller Morrow on the FX television series Sons of Anarchy.