Katey Sagal

Katey Sagal, born January 19, 1954 in Los Angeles, California, emerged from a deeply rooted show‑business family; her father Boris Sagal was a television director of Russian‑Jewish descent and her mother Sara Zwilling a singer‑producer with Amish ancestry. After graduating from Palisades High School she attended the California Institute of the Arts, where she began honing both her acting and musical talents, later working as a backing vocalist for legends like Bob Dylan, Etta James and Tanya Tucker. Sagal’s early on‑screen work included a brief appearance in a 1973 Columbo episode directed by her father, but her breakthrough arrived in 1987 when she was cast as the iconic Peggy Bundy on the groundbreaking sitcom Married… with Children, a role she inhabited for eleven seasons and which cemented her status as a pop‑culture staple. *** Following the end of that series she diversified her career, lending her distinctive voice to the future‑forward captain Leela on Futurama (1999‑2013, 2023‑present) and delivering a memorable performance as Gemma Teller Morrow on Sons of Anarchy (2008‑2014), a role that earned her a Golden Globe in 2011. In parallel, she pursued a music career, releasing solo albums such as Well… (1994) and Room (2004), and collaborating with the Forest Rangers for the Sons of Anarchy soundtracks. *** Beyond television, Sagal appeared in films like Pitch Perfect 2 and Bleed for This, and maintained a steady presence on stage, showcasing her range in productions from Harps & Angels to off‑Broadway’s The Gospel According to Heather. Her personal life has been marked by resilience, surviving a stillbirth in 1991, navigating three marriages—first to musician Freddy Beckmeier, then to drummer Jack White, and finally to writer‑producer Kurt Sutter—and raising three children, including daughter Esmé Louise born via surrogate in 2007. Sagal continues to be a versatile talent, reviving beloved roles and embracing new projects that reflect her enduring appeal in the entertainment industry.