Heather Deen Locklear (born September 25, 1961) is an American actress best known for her television roles as Sammy Jo Carrington on Dynasty, Officer Stacy Sheridan on T.J. Hooker, Amanda Woodward on Melrose Place, and Caitlin Moore on Spin City.
Locklear was born in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, the daughter of William Robert Locklear and Diane (née Tinsley). She was raised in Thousand Oaks, California and graduated from Newbury Park High School. Locklear is the youngest of four children. She is also of part Lumbee (Native American) descent.
Heather attended the University of California, Los Angeles, and pledged Chi Omega and Delta Delta Delta, but was never initiated into either sorority. While at UCLA, Locklear began modeling and working in commercials for the school store. She made her earliest screen appearances in the early 1980s with small roles in episodes of CHiPs, 240-Robert, and Eight Is Enough, before beginning a long-term collaboration with Aaron Spelling. Spelling cast her in the role of Sammy Jo Dean during the second season of his TV series Dynasty, and the following year he cast her in the cop show T.J. Hooker with William Shatner. Until the mid 1980s, Locklear appeared as a series regular on T.J. Hooker, while making semi-regular appearances on Dynasty. She was a full-time cast member on Dynasty from 1985 until its cancellation in 1989. In 1991, the cast of Dynasty (including Locklear) reconvened for the four-hour mini-series Dynasty: The Reunion.
Following Dynasty, Locklear had a starring role in the movie The Return of Swamp Thing (for which she won the satirical Razzie Award for Worst Actress,) and also starred in the short-lived sitcom Going Places.
In 1993, she played her best known role, that of scheming vixen Amanda Woodward on Aaron Spelling's drama series Melrose Place, which was a spin-off of Beverly Hills, 90210. Spelling originally signed Locklear for a limited four-episode run, the first of which aired on January 27, 1993. Locklear became a full-time cast member (though she continued to be billed as "Special Guest Star" in the opening credits) until its cancellation in 1999.
Throughout her career, Locklear has appeared in eight television productions made by Aaron Spelling, these being Dynasty, T.J. Hooker, Matt Houston, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, Hotel, Melrose Place, and the made-for-TV movie Rich Men, Single Women.
Locklear was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine on May 19, 1994 as Melrose Place reached the height of its popularity. She was named one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People twice, first in 1994, and again in 2001 She was also the subject of a Lifetime Intimate Portrait special, and of an E! True Hollywood Story special.
After Melrose Place ended in 1999, Locklear was cast in the TV sitcom Spin City (initially opposite Michael J. Fox and later opposite Charlie Sheen). The series ended in 2002, but Locklear earned two Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Actress in a Television Series - Comedy.
In 2002, Locklear had a brief recurring role on the sitcom Scrubs. In 2003, she starred in a pilot for her own comedy series, Once Around the Park, but this was unsuccessful. The same year, Locklear appeared in the theatrical film Uptown Girls.
In 2004, Locklear made a guest appearance on the sitcom Two and a Half Men, which starred her former Spin City co-star Charlie Sheen. She then starred in the short-lived television drama series LAX set in the airport of the same name. She was also executive producer on the series, but it was cancelled after 11 episodes.
In 2005, Locklear appeared in the theatrical film The Perfect Man with Hilary Duff. The same year, she had a brief recurring role on the series Boston Legal, which starred her former T.J. Hooker co-star William Shatner. She was also featured in a Biography Channel special.
