Whatever Happened to ‘One Life to Live’ Star Catherine Hickland?
What To Know
- Catherine Hickland, best known for her decade-long role as Lindsay Rappaport on One Life to Live, has had a diverse career spanning acting, singing, and Broadway performances.
- Beyond acting, she launched Cat Cosmetics, authored books, and became a respected beauty columnist and businesswoman in the cosmetics industry.
- Since 2008, Hickland has reinvented herself as a professional hypnotist and entertainer.
Catherine Hickland turns 70 on February 11, and longtime soap fans still remember her scheming, complicated character, Lindsay Rappaport, on One Life to Live. For more than a decade, Hickland became one of the most recognizable faces in Llanview. But her career stretches far beyond a single soap opera role — and even includes becoming a hypnotist later in life.
How did Catherine Hickland begin her career?
Hickland was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1956 and acting was not her first career goal. After graduating from Fort Lauderdale High School, she briefly attended Florida Atlantic University before leaving to work as a flight attendant for National Airlines. A television commercial for the airline sparked her interest in performing, and she soon headed to Los Angeles to study acting.
Her television career began in 1978 with guest appearances on shows like Vega$ and Eight Is Enough. By 1980, she had landed her first major daytime role as Dr. Courtney Marshall on the soap Texas. More soap operas followed, including parts on Capitol, Loving and The City. Viewers also spotted her on popular prime-time series such as CHiPs, Airwolf, Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
While engaged to actor David Hasselhoff, she appeared on his hit series Knight Rider as Stephanie “Stevie” Mason, the love interest of Hasselhoff’s character Michael Knight. Off-screen, the couple married in 1984, though they divorced five years later.
Gene Trindl/TV Guide/NBC/Everett Collection
In 1995, Hickland reached a major career milestone when she stepped onto a Broadway stage to play Fantine in Les Misérables. That same year, she performed with the National Symphony of Lyon in France and later released a music CD titled Sincerely Broadway, showing off her love for classic show tunes. Then came the role that defined her career. In 1998, Hickland joined the cast of One Life to Live as attorney Lindsay Rappaport. She remained with the show until 2008 and returned for appearances in 2009 and again in 2012 as the long-running series came to an end.
Jeff Neira/ABC/Everett Collection
In 2001, she launched Cat Cosmetics, her own line of makeup and beauty products. The company grew steadily, and Hickland became a respected businesswoman in the cosmetics industry.
Writing became another creative outlet. She also wrote a beauty column for Soap Opera Digest, sharing professional tips with readers. In 2008, she published her first book, The 30 Day Heartbreak Cure, a practical guide to getting over a breakup. Six years later, she co-wrote a second book, Cat & Fern’s Excellent God Adventure, a collection of daily inspirational reflections.
Where is Catherine Hickland today?
Perhaps the most unexpected chapter of all began in 2008 when Hickland trained to become a professional hypnotist and she continues to work with clients to help change their lives for the better. She now performs a show that is a mix of mind reading and comedy. Hickland has experienced her share of changes in her personal life as well. After brief early marriages, she wed All My Children actor Michael E. Knight in 1992. The couple divorced in 2006. In 2012, she married producer Todd Fisher, the brother of actress Carrie Fisher. The two now divide their time between homes in Las Vegas and California.
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June 2017
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