Teri Lynn Hatcher was born December 8, 1964, in Sunnyvale, California. She was the only child of a nuclear physicist and a computer programmer. With her parents' occupations, one would think that Teri was bound for high school glory in the math club or chess team, but destiny would dictate otherwise.

After high school, Teri went on to study acting at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco while also pursuing a degree in mathematics and engineering at De Anza College in Cupertino, California.

Teri went to Hollywood with a friend and ended up winning her first paying gig on Aaron Spelling's Love Boat, as part of the Pacific Princess' resident entertainers, The Mermaids. Teri went on to do small roles and had her first big break as an egomaniac actress in the 1989 satire, The Big Picture. She went on to some comic supporting roles in films such as Tango & Cash with Sylvester Stallone, Soap Dish with Whoopi Goldberg, and Straight Talk with Dolly Parton.

In 1993, Teri starred in one of her biggest projects, as Lois Lane in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. The show made her a household name and brought her into living rooms around the globe. After a four-year run with Lois & Clark, Teri remained a force in Hollywood with high-profile roles in the 007 extravaganza Tomorrow Never Dies and 2 Days In The Valley, but she is still well-known for her hilarious role as Jerry's girlfriend on Seinfeld.

For years Teri has been known more or less, for her physical attributes. In fact, her alluring 'doe eyes' and flawless physique earned her the title of 'most downloaded woman on the internet'. However, Teri got tired of being dubbed as a 'bimbo', as she was once quoted: "Despite the fact that my fans think I look great, I have the opportunity to show the world that is not my only attribute."

And she did a fantastic job at that. She stayed out of the industry for a little while before nabbing a major role in the dark unconventional sitcom Desperate Housewives, which could have been a huge mistake. But the show took the world by storm and is considered to be one of the rare TV shows that have attained mega-popularity status in its first season. The show catapulted Hatcher to the A-list again and her character, divorced mother Susan Mayer has been consistently named as the favourite 'Desperate Housewife'. According to Hatcher, she finds many similarities with the character, as she too is a single mother.

Compiled by Cultural Correspondent