Face of the Day

WHICH woman holds the distinction of being the woman whosephotographs were most frequently downloaded from the internet in the1990s? Elle "The Body" McPherson? Julia Roberts? Nope. It was TeriHatcher, the latest Lois Lane. For the brunette with the mischievoussmile and petite but curvaceous figure really was a big hit.

But it wasn't always the case. The actress was born on December8, 1964, in Sunnyvale in California. The only daughter of aphysicist father and computer-programmer mother, she was, by her ownadmission, an unattractive nerd at high school. After graduation sheattended community college to study maths and engineering, and bynow she was beginning to blossom.

At the age of 20 she became a cheerleader for the San Francisco49ers, and by now her life was starting to change. The realtransition, however, happened by chance, when she agreed to givemoral support to a friend who was attending a casting call for AaronSpelling's The Love Boat and, against all odds, won a spot in atroupe of dancing mermaids. The show was a flop and her debut cameto an end . . . but the acting bug had bitten.

Later that year she made her TV acting debut as Penny Parker inMacGyver, a recurring role that sparked an affair with its star,Richard Dean Anderson. After three years the relationship ended,leaving Hatcher emotionally scarred. She said: "I got completelyburned. He was cheating on me all over. It was pretty damaging." Infact, her love life had been problematic prior to this, with hermarriage to personal trainer Markus Leithhold foundering after 10months.

Other aspects of her life were blessed with luck, and she guest-starred on episodes of Quantum Leap, Tales from the Crypt, and LALaw. It was an appearance on Seinfeld that gave her maximumexposure, though. Her ample bosom inspired the famous "Are theyreal?" episode and Hatcher - and her breasts - caught the public'seye. She said: "It's almost offensive how much that episode did formy career."

In 1989 she made her feature-film debut in the Hollywood satireThe Big Picture. Her career as a supporting actress continued tobring roles like as Sylvester Stallone's sister in Tango and Cash(1989). Her big break came in 1993 when she won the role as LoisLane in the TV series Lois and Clark: The New Adventures ofSuperman. In the meantime she met and married actor Jon Tenney andtheir daughter, Emerson Rose, was born in 1997. But yet againromance - this time on-screen - proved disastrous. In early 1997Lois and Superman got hitched and ratings plummeted, leading tocancellation.

Since then, Hatcher has appeared in David Schwimmer's SinceYou've Been Gone and was cast in the Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies.

For some people, though, Teri Hatcher will always be Lois Lane.For others, she will be the woman with the big breasts on Seinfeld.The actress believes she will be remembered for much more. "Despitemy breasts, in Lois and Clark I had the opportunity to show theworld they're not my only attribute."

l Teri Hatcher co-stars in The New Adventures of Superman. (BBC2,6.00pm)