Catherine Bach was born on March 1st 1954 in Warren, Ohio. She is descended from the Verdugo family, one of California’s earliest landed families. She grew up on a ranch in South Dakota, where she visited her grandparents in Faith, South Dakota, and graduated from Stevens High School (1970) in Rapid City, South Dakota.
She studied arts at UCLA where she supplemented her income by making clothes for friends and theatre groups.
Bach’s first screen appearance was in the Burt Lancaster murder mystery, The Midnight Man (1973) and she followed that upm the following year with the role of Melody in Thunderbolt and Lightfoot.
Other appearances on the big screen included Strange New World, Hustle, Murder in Peyton Place, Nicole, and White Water Rebels.
Then in 1979 came the role which would change her life forever: Daisy Duke. Bach initially heard about the audition for The Dukes of Hazzard through her husband David Shaw. Upon arrival she discovered the producers were looking for a “Dolly Parton-lookalike”; despite not looking like what they were searching for, she was hired on the spot.
One of the earliest costume ideas from the producers was that she wear a tight white turtleneck, go-go boots and a poodle skirt, but Bach asked if she could bring her own outfit, which was a homemade T-shirt, a pair of cut-off denim shorts and high heels. Bach had concerns about the appropriateness of the cut-off shorts at first, saying she could not wear them in a restaurant scene. When prompted by the producers to visit a restaurant across the street, Bach found the waitresses were wearing “little miniskirts that matched the tablecloths!”. So the cut-off shirts stayed and history was made!
In 1981 she appeared in the Dukes of Hazzard spinoff Enos, and also made guest appearances on The Love Boat and provided her own voice to The Dukes a cartoon series based on Dukes of Hazzard. She also starred in Cannonball Run II.
After the Dukes of Hazzard finished film appearances continued in Street Justice, Driving Force, Criminal Act, Masters of Menace, The Nutt House, and Range of Honor. She also starred in African Skies from 1992 -1994.
In 1997 the denim shorts were dragged back out for the television movie: The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! This was followed up in 2000 with The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood.
More film and TV followed including Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Monk, You Again, Chapman, Book of Fire, and The Breakup Girl. Then in 2012 Bach joined The Young and The Restless as Anita Lawson, a show she continues to star in.
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