Catherine Bach
Encyclopedia
Catherine Bach 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
.
. 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 the murdered coed, Natalie Claiburn.
Her next role was Melody in the 1974 film Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
.
She heard about the audition for The Dukes of Hazzard through her husband. When she arrived there, she found the producers were looking for a Dolly Parton
-lookalike; despite not looking like what they were searching for, they hired her on the spot. 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. Bach had concerns about the appropriateness of the cut-off shorts at first, saying she couldn't 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!".
Bach posed for a poster as Daisy Duke at the suggestion of the show's producers, which sold 5 million copies. The poster once caused a stir when Bach visited the White House
to visit one of her former schoolteachers who was then working there.
In 1985, she served as the model for the figurehead for the schooner Californian
.
At one time her pantyhosed legs were insured for $
1,000,000.
In 2002, she launched a line of diamond jewellery at Debenhams
.
, and graduated from
Stevens High School (1970) in Rapid City, South Dakota
. She studied arts at UCLA
where she supplemented her income by making clothes for friends and theatre groups.
She married David Shaw (son of Angela Lansbury
) in 1976; the couple divorced in 1981. Bach married entertainment lawyer Peter Lopez in August 1990. They had two daughters, Sophia and Laura. On April 30, 2010, 60 year old Lopez was found shot dead - an apparent suicide
.
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
actress. She is known for playing Daisy Duke
Daisy Duke
Daisy Mae Duke is a fictional character, played by Catherine Bach, from the American television series The Dukes of Hazzard. She was the cousin of Bo and Luke, the main protagonists of the show, who were also cousins, and the three lived on a farm on the outskirts of Hazzard County with their Uncle...
in the television series The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985.The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, which was also created by Gy Waldron and had many identical or similar character names and concepts.- Overview :The Dukes of Hazzard...
and Margo Dutton in African Skies
African Skies
African Skies was a Canadian television series which aired from 1991-1994. It starred Catherine Bach.-Plot summary:An adventure series about two teenagers, one black and one white, living in post-Apartheid South Africa. Rory lives with his mother on a large range out in the countryside, while Jam...
.
Career
Bach's professional debut was as one of the children in a production of The Sound of MusicThe Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
. Bach's first screen appearance was in the Burt Lancaster
Burt Lancaster
Burton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster was an American film actor noted for his athletic physique and distinctive smile...
murder mystery, The Midnight Man
The Midnight Man (1974 film)
The Midnight Man is a 1974 detective film directed by Burt Lancaster, who also starred with Susan Clark.-General information:Burt Lancaster shared directing credit with Roland Kibbee, and shared writing credit with Kibbee and author David Anthony upon whose novel The Midnight Lady and the Morning...
, shot in Upstate South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
in 1973, in which she played the murdered coed, Natalie Claiburn.
Her next role was Melody in the 1974 film Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot is a 1974 American crime film written and directed by Michael Cimino and starring Clint Eastwood, Jeff Bridges, George Kennedy, and Geoffrey Lewis.-Plot:...
.
She heard about the audition for The Dukes of Hazzard through her husband. When she arrived there, she found the producers were looking for a Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
-lookalike; despite not looking like what they were searching for, they hired her on the spot. 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. Bach had concerns about the appropriateness of the cut-off shorts at first, saying she couldn't 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!".
Bach posed for a poster as Daisy Duke at the suggestion of the show's producers, which sold 5 million copies. The poster once caused a stir when Bach visited the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
to visit one of her former schoolteachers who was then working there.
In 1985, she served as the model for the figurehead for the schooner Californian
Californian (schooner)
Californian was built in 1984 as a replica of the revenue service cutter C.W. Lawrence, which operated off the Californian coast in the 1850s. On July 23, 2003, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Bill No...
.
At one time her pantyhosed legs were insured for $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1,000,000.
In 2002, she launched a line of diamond jewellery at Debenhams
Debenhams
Debenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
.
Personal life
Bach was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of Norma Kucera, an acupuncturist, and Bernard Bachman, a rancher. Her maternal grandparents were Mexican and her father was of German ancestry. She is descended from the Verdugo family, one of California's earliest landed families. She grew up on a ranch in South Dakota, where she visited her grandparents in Faith, South DakotaFaith, South Dakota
Faith is a city in Meade County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 421 at the 2010 census. Sue, the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton known, was discovered about 15 miles north and east of Faith in December 1990.-Geography:...
, and graduated from
Stevens High School (1970) in Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek on which the city is established, it is set against the eastern slope of the Black Hills mountain range. The population was 67,956 as of the 2010 Census. Rapid...
. She studied arts at UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
where she supplemented her income by making clothes for friends and theatre groups.
She married David Shaw (son of Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury
Angela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
) in 1976; the couple divorced in 1981. Bach married entertainment lawyer Peter Lopez in August 1990. They had two daughters, Sophia and Laura. On April 30, 2010, 60 year old Lopez was found shot dead - an apparent suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
.