About Heather Locklear
Heather Deen Locklear (born September 25, 1961) is an American actress. She is primarily known for her television work, her most notable roles being "Sammy Jo Carrington" on the 1980s soap opera Dynasty, "Officer Stacy Sheridan" on the 1980s cop drama T.J. Hooker, "Amanda Woodward" on the 1990s soap opera Melrose Place, and "Caitlin Moore" on the sitcom Spin City.
Locklear was born in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Diane (née Tinsley), a production executive for Disney, and William Robert Locklear, an administrator at UCLA. She went to Newbury Park High School. She is the youngest of four children. She is of Scottish and distant paternal Lumbee ancestry.
While attending the University of California, Los Angeles, Locklear began modeling and working in commercials for the school store. In 1979, Locklear landed her first roles appearing in Tales of the Unexpected, and an episode of CHiPs a year later. She landed a few more bit parts in shows, including Eight Is Enough, before Aaron Spelling cast her in the role of Sammy Jo Dean during the second season of his TV series Dynasty. It would be the beginning of a highly successful long-term collaboration with Spelling who, the following year, cast her in the cop show T.J. Hooker with William Shatner. Until the mid 1980s, Locklear would appear as a series regular on T.J. Hooker while making semi-regular appearances on Dynasty. She later became a full-time cast member on Dynasty until its cancellation in 1989.
In the 1990s, after the failed sitcom Going Places and the three-hour mini-series Dynasty: The Reunion, Locklear went on to play another of her best known roles, that of scheming vixen Amanda Woodward on the FOX network's primetime soap opera Melrose Place. The show, which was a spin-off from the hit series Beverly Hills 90210, was struggling in the ratings during its first season. The producers initially brought in Locklear for a limited episode run, but then felt that she could blaze a trail across the show and boost ratings, much in the way that Joan Collins had for Dynasty in the early 1980s. Although she became a regular cast member from the second season onwards, Locklear was billed as a "Special Guest Star" until the end of the series in 1999. Locklear also won a First Americans in the Arts award for Best Actress in a TV series for her role on Melrose Place. After the show ended, she was immediately cast on the TV sitcom Spin City (opposite Michael J. Fox and later Charlie Sheen) until 2002. Locklear later starred in the short-lived drama LAX in 2004. With official news that the CW is reviving Melrose Place for its 2009-2010 season, Locklear has opted not to return as her character Amanda Woodward, for now at least.
Throughout her career, Locklear has starred or guest-starred in no less than seven different television series produced by Aaron Spelling, these being Dynasty, T.J. Hooker, Matt Houston, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, Hotel, and Melrose Place. She played in a Lifetime Movie Channel movie Flirting With Forty, and she starred as a divorced woman named Jackie who goes to Hawaii for a vacation but she falls in love with a 22 year old and he falls for her.
Locklear has dated Tom Cruise, Mark Harmon, Scott Baio, Patrick Muldoon, and was married to Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee from May 1986 to August 1993. After their divorce, she married Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora on December 17, 1994 in Paris. On October 4, 1997 she gave birth to their daughter, Ava Elizabeth. Locklear's representative announced on February 2, 2006 that divorce papers had been filed to dissolve the couple's marriage. In further papers filed by Sambora, it was revealed that the couple has been separated since December 26, 2005, and that Sambora will be seeking joint custody of Ava. After filing for divorce, Sambora became romantically involved with Denise Richards, his neighbor when he was living with Locklear. In April 2007, Locklear and fellow Melrose Place alum Jack Wagner confirmed their new romance at a charity golf event.
Locklear is a registered Republican. In 1998, she contributed $1,000 to Republican Randy Hoffman's campaign for the California House of Representatives.
In March 2008, Locklear was involved in a controversy when a "9-1-1" call was made by a caller claiming to be her doctor who said that she was trying to commit suicide. The authorities arrived at Locklear's home shortly afterwards. Locklear's publicist has since downplayed the incident stating that Locklear had never requested any medical assistance and the Ventura County Sheriff's Department later stated that no further action was taken once they arrived at Locklear's Westlake Village home as she appeared to be fine. They did, however, state that they still believed the call to be genuine. On June 24, 2008 she checked into a rehab facility in Arizona for alleged psychological issues including anxiety and depression, and requested an in-depth evaluation of her medication in order to receive proper diagnosis and treatment. Her agent announced that she was suffering from anxiety and depression. Other new agencies reported that she was suffering from alcohol and drug dependancy and has been spotted leaving both AA and NA meetings since the time she was in rehab.
On July 23, 2008 Locklear returned back home, after 4 weeks of treatment for anxiety and depression.
Locklear was arrested and released in Santa Barbara, California, on September 27, 2008, under suspicion of driving under the influence of a controlled substance. Locklear, 47, was pulled over by a California Highway Patrol officer after Jill Ishkanian, a member of the paparazzi, reported seeing the actress leaving a parking lot and "driving erratically." She was formally charged on November 17, 2008 with one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence in connection to her September arrest. A blood test detected no alcohol or illegal narcotics, but Santa Barbara County Deputy District Attorney Lee Carter stated that they believe the prescription medications she consumed "could have impaired her ability to safely drive a motor vehicle."
On January 2, 2009, Locklear pleaded guilty to one charge of reckless driving, a misdemeanor, and in return the district attorney dismissed the DUI charges. Locklear will serve three years' informal probation, was fined $700 and must complete a 12-hour DMV road and safety class.
As of December 2023, she has amassed 309,000 followers on Instagram.
