Lori Loughlin

Lori Anne Loughlin (/ˈlɒklɪn/; born July 28, 1964)[1] is an American actress, model, and producer. She is known for her role as Rebecca Donaldson-Katsopolis on the ABC sitcom Full House (1988–1995) and its Netflix sequel Fuller House (2016–2019).[2] Loughlin is also known for her roles of Jody Travis in The Edge of Night (1980–1983), Debbie Wilson in The CW series 90210 (2008–2012), Jennifer Shannon in the Garage Sale Mystery television film series (2013–2018), and Abigail Stanton in When Calls the Heart (2014–2019). Loughlin was a co-creator, producer, and star of the two seasons of The WB series Summerland (2004–2005).[3]

Lori Loughlin
Loughlin in 2014
Born	Lori Anne Loughlin (1964-07-28) July 28, 1964 Queens, New York City, New York, US
Occupation	Actress model producer
Years active	1979–present
Spouse(s)	Michael R. Burns ​ ( m. 1989; div. 1996) Mossimo Giannulli ( m. 1997)
Children	2; including Olivia Jade

On March 12, 2019, Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli were arrested in connection with an alleged nationwide college entrance exam cheating scandal. They were charged with conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud; both were released on bail.[2] On May 22, 2020, Loughlin “pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud,” and her husband pleaded “guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and honest services wire and mail fraud."

Early life

Loughlin was born in Queens, New York City, and moved to Hauppauge, New York, on Long Island when she was one year old.[4] She has one younger brother, Roy,[5] and is of Irish descent;[6] their parents are Lorellee and Joseph Roy Loughlin,[7] a foreman for the New York Telephone Company.[8]

Loughlin attended Oaks School No. 3 Elementary School in Oceanside, New York, and graduated from Hauppauge High School.[8]

Career

Loughlin at a 1986 shoot for the TV movie Brotherhood of Justice

Loughlin became interested in acting as a young child;[3] she began her career at age 11 as a print model,[9] recalling:

My mom had a friend that was going into Manhattan to meet with an agency for modeling. She was taking her teenage daughters in and she asked my mom if I wanted to go along. My mom reluctantly let me go, but I don't think she ever thought anything would come of it. And I went in and they handed me a contract and said, "We'll take you."[3]

At 15, she was cast in the ABC soap opera The Edge of Night, playing the part of Jody Travis, an aspiring dancer,[9] appearing in the series from 1980 to 1983.[1] From 1983 to 1988, Loughlin appeared in more than a dozen of feature films and television guest spots.

From 1988 to 1995, Loughlin was cast in the ABC sitcom Full House as Rebecca Donaldson, Danny Tanner's (Bob Saget) co-host, and later, Jesse Katsopolis's (John Stamos) wife. She was initially set for a six-episode arc, but then became a regular after becoming a popular character on the series.[1] A few months after Full House ended, Loughlin co-starred with Tony Danza in the ABC sitcom Hudson Street (1995–96). The series was cancelled after one season.[10]

In 1993, she starred in the television adaptation of Sidney Sheldon's novel A Stranger in the Mirror, a roman à clef on Groucho Marx and Erin Fleming,[11] in which Loughlin plays Fleming's role. In 1997, she starred alongside Bruce Campbell in the film In the Line of Duty: Blaze of Glory. In 2000, Loughlin co-starred opposite Treat Williams in the Fred Olen Ray-directed thriller film Critical Mass. She also guest starred in Suddenly Susan, Spin City, Seinfeld, The Drew Carey Show, and as the superhero Black Canary in the Birds of Prey series in 2002.

From 2004 to 2005, Loughlin co-created, produced, and starred in The WB drama series Summerland. She played Ava, the aunt who raises three children after their parents die in a car accident. The series was canceled after two seasons due to low ratings on July 11, 2005. In 2007, Loughlin co-starred in the ABC sitcom In Case of Emergency with David Arquette. She appeared in the film Moondance Alexander (2007), co-starring with her former Summerland castmate Kay Panabaker. Loughlin also was in attendance at Comedy Central's The Roast of Bob Saget which was hosted by John Stamos and premiered on August 17, 2008. At her table were Full House co-stars Dave Coulier and Jodie Sweetin. In 2010, Loughlin starred in the television film Meet My Mom, which premiered on the Hallmark Channel on Mother's Day.[12] For the network, she most notably starred in the drama When Calls the Heart and the telefilm series Garage Sale Mystery before she was fired in 2019.[13] On April 10, 2019 it was reported that When Calls The Heart would be returning after a production hiatus without Loughlin's character.[14]

She co-starred in seasons one through three of the Beverly Hills, 90210 spin-off 90210 as Debbie Wilson from 2008 to 2011. She reprised her role in the season five premiere episode in 2012.[15]

Loughlin made a brief appearance as Rebecca Donaldson, alongside John Stamos as Jesse Katsopolis, on a July 2013 episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, following a reunion performance by Jesse and The Rippers.[16] She has since made several appearances as Rebecca on the Full House sequel series Fuller House, which premiered its first season on Netflix on February 26, 2016.[17]

Personal life

Loughlin is Catholic.[18] She married investment banker Michael R. Burns in 1989, and divorced 1996.[19] On Thanksgiving 1997, Loughlin eloped with fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, the creator of the Mossimo clothing line, whom she met in 1995.[9] They have two daughters, Isabella Rose and Olivia Jade,[1] and Loughlin is a stepmother to Gianni, Giannulli's son from a previous relationship.[20] Olivia has a YouTube channel of beauty tips and an Instagram account; both with over 1 million subscribers/followers.[21][22][23]

2019 college admissions bribery scandal

Main article: 2019 college admissions bribery scandal

Loughlin and her husband Giannulli were among 50 individuals charged by the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office for fraud- and bribery-related offenses on March 12, 2019, in a nationwide college entrance exam cheating scandal.[24][25] The indictment against the couple alleged that, disguised as a donation, they had paid $500,000 to the Key Worldwide Foundation so that the admissions committee of University of Southern California (USC) would believe their two daughters would join the women's rowing team although neither had trained in the sport of rowing nor had plans in doing so.[26][27]

On March 13, 2019, Loughlin and her husband surrendered to federal authorities in Los Angeles.[28] In their subsequent appearances at United States District Court in Los Angeles, they were released on bail of $1 million and were permitted to retain their passports and travel outside of the United States as long as they informed the court.[29][30] At her court appearance in Boston on April 3, she acknowledged her rights, charges, and maximum possible penalties; Loughlin waived a pretrial hearing, signed conditions of her release, and was free to leave.[31]

As a result, the Hallmark Channel cut ties with Loughlin on March 14, 2019; they will edit out her scenes from season six of When Calls the Heart. On March 16, Netflix dropped her from Fuller House,[32][33] and technology firm Hewlett-Packard announced it would remove Loughlin and her daughter Olivia Jade Giannulli from its advertising.[34] Loughlin's daughters were able to remain enrolled at USC,[32] but Olivia Jade Giannulli, a social media influencer on YouTube and Instagram, lost a partnership with cosmetics firm Sephora, as well as sponsorships for her beauty channel and Instagram posts.[34]

Loughlin and her husband were named as defendants in a private class-action lawsuit brought on by Stanford University graduates, who allege their education and degrees have been devalued due to their school's association with the case.[35]

Loughlin and Giannulli rejected a plea deal, including for the additional charge of money laundering, requiring both to spend two years in prison;[36] on April 15 she pleaded not guilty.[37]

On September 5, 2019, ET Online reported that characters in Lifetime's movie The College Admissions Scandal would be depicted by actresses Mia Kirshner and Penelope Ann Miller in roles inspired by Loughlin's and Felicity Huffman's involvement in the college admissions matter. Describing her role, Kirshner was quoted saying, "This story is about privilege and corruption and it's about people who don't follow the rules because they think they're above rules... My character (based on Loughlin but named "Bethany" in the film) is so corrupt, greedy, narcissistic, self-centered, and the dialogue is hilarious, so I'm glad that they're able to capture humor about this as well."[38]

On October 22, 2019, federal prosecutors said Loughlin is facing additional charges in the college admissions cheating scandal. US Attorney Andrew Lelling said, Loughlin is now being charged with conspiring "to commit federal program bribery by bribing employees of the University of Southern California (USC) to facilitate their children’s admission. In exchange for the bribes, employees of the university allegedly designated the defendants’ children as athletic recruits – with little or no regard for their athletic abilities – or as members of other favored admissions categories."[39]

On May 22, 2020, Loughlin pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, and her husband pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and honest services wire and mail fraud.[40] Loughlin is scheduled to be sentenced on August 21, 2020 after "The couple admitted paying $500,000 in bribes to convicted college fixer William 'Rick' Singer, who got their daughters, Olivia Jade Giannulli and Isabella Rose Giannulli, into the University of Southern California as bogus rowing recruits."[41]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1983	Amityville 3-D	Susan Baxter
1985	The New Kids	Abby McWilliams
	Secret Admirer	Toni Williams
1986	Rad	Christian Hollings
1987	Back to the Beach	Sandi
1988	The Night Before	Tara Mitchell
1997	Casper: A Spirited Beginning	Sheila Fistergraff	Video
2000	Critical Mass	Janine
2001	Suckers	Donna Deluca
2006	Farce of the Penguins	Melvin-Smacking Penguin (voice)	Video
2007	Moondance Alexander	Gelsey Alexander
2009	Old Dogs	Amanda
2013	Crawlspace	Susan Gates

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1980–1983	The Edge of Night	Jody Travis	Regular role: June 1980 to December 1983
1982	Matt Houston	Sue Landa	Episode: "Shark Bait"
1983	The Tom Swift and Linda Craig Mystery Hour	Linda Craig	Television film
1985	North Beach and Rawhide	Candy Cassidy	Television film (CBS)
1986	Brotherhood of Justice	Christie	Television film (ABC)
1986–1987	The Equalizer	Jenny Morrow	Episodes: "Prelude", "First Light"
1986, 1988	CBS Schoolbreak Special	Kelly / Sally	2 episodes
1987	A Place to Call Home	Jenny Gavin	Television film (CBS)
1988	CBS Summer Playhouse	Tammy	Episode: "Old Money"
	Great Performances	Kay Cork	2 episodes
1988–1995	Full House	Rebecca "Aunt Becky" Donaldson-Katsopolis	Recurring role (season 2), Regular role (season 3–8)
1992	Doing Time on Maple Drive	Allison	Television film (Fox)
1993	Empty Cradle	Jane Morgan	Television film (ABC)
	A Stranger in the Mirror	Jill Castle	Television film (ABC)
1994	One of Her Own	Toni Stroud	Television film (ABC)
1995	Abandoned and Deceived	Gerri Jensen	Television film (ABC)
1995–1996	Hudson Street	Melanie Clifford	Main role
1997	In the Line of Duty: Blaze of Glory	Jill Erickson	Television film (NBC)
	Tell Me No Secrets	Jess Koster	Television film (ABC)
	The Larry Sanders Show	Lori Loughlin	Episode: "The Prank"
	Suddenly Susan	Paula	Episode: "With Friends Like These"
	The Price of Heaven	Leslie	Television film
	Seinfeld	Patty	Episode: "The Serenity Now"
	Medusa's Child	Dr. Linda McCoy	Television film (ABC)
2001	Cursed	Natalie Keith	Episode: "...And Then They Tried to Make Some Rules"
	Spin City	Michelle	3 episodes
2002	Birds of Prey	Caroline Lance / Black Canary	Episode: "Sins of the Mother"
	The Drew Carey Show	Robin	2 episodes
	Eastwick	Sukie Ridgemont	Television film
2004	Justice League Unlimited	Dr. Tracy Simmons (voice)	Episode: "The Greatest Story Never Told"
2004–2005	Summerland	Ava Gregory	Lead role
2005	Missing	Dr. Joy Gribben	Episode: "Anything for Baby: Parts 1 & 2"
2006	Jake in Progress	Lindsay	Episode: "The Two Jakes"
	Ghost Whisperer	Christine Greene	Episode: "Demon Child"
2007	In Case of Emergency	Dr. Joanna Lupone	Regular role
2008–2012	90210	Deborah "Debbie" Wilson	Regular role
2010	Meet My Mom	Dana Marshall	Television film (Hallmark)
2013	A Mother's Rage	Rebecca Mayer	Television film
	Psych	Dr. Joan Diamond	Episode: "Nip and Suck It"
	Major Crimes	Rebecca Slater	Episode: "The Deep End"
	Addicts Anonymous	Mrs. Goldberg	Episode: "Choices"
2013–2018	Garage Sale Mystery	Jennifer Shannon	Television film series (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
2014	The Neighbors	Tina Giannulli	Episode: "High School Reunion"
2014–2019	When Calls the Heart	Abigail Stanton	Main role
2015	Northpole: Open for Christmas	Mackenzie Warren	Television film (Hallmark)
2016	Blue Bloods	Grace Edwards	Episode: "The Greater Good"
	Every Christmas Has a Story	Kate Harper	Television film (Hallmark)
2016–2019	Fuller House	Rebecca "Aunt Becky" Donaldson-Katsopolis	Recurring role
2018	Homegrown Christmas	Maddie Finley	Television film (Hallmark)

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Nominated work	Result
1982	Young Artist Awards	Best Young Actress in a Daytime Series[29]	The Edge of Night	Won
1987	Young Artist Awards	Michael Landon Award[29]	CBS Schoolbreak Special	Won
1989	Daytime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Performer in a Children's Special[29]	CBS Schoolbreak Special	Nominated
2006	PRISM Awards	Best Performance in a Drama Series Storyline[42]	Summerland	Won
2009	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Parental Unit[43]	90210	Nominated

References

1. "Lori Loughlin". TV Guide.com. Archived from the original on March 2, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
2. Axelrod, Tal (March 16, 2019). "Netflix's 'Fuller House' drops Lori Loughlin after college bribery scandal: report". The Hill. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
3. Sclafani, Tony (June 27, 2004). "Lori Loughlin's Designer Role". The Washington Post. p. Y07. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
4. Lovece, Frank (April 19, 2015). "Fast Chat: Lori Loughlin". Newsday. New York City / Long Island. p. 3 of Fanfare section. Archived from the original on May 20, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
5. "Lori Loughlin talks childhood summers on Long Island". Newsday. April 24, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
6. "Beauty Tips, Make Up Reviews, Interviews with Beauty Gurus, Product Giveaways and Delicious Food". Beauty and the Feast Blog. September 15, 2010. Archived from the original on September 22, 2010. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
7. Amodio, Joseph V. (January 10, 2014). "Lori Loughlin dishes on John Stamos, LI and her new series, 'When Calls the Heart'". Newsday. New York City / Long Island. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
8. Edelstein, Andy (December 13, 1981). "L.I. Teen-Ager Wins TV fans". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017.
9. "Lori Loughlin". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
10. Lowry, Brian (November 10, 1997). "For ABC, Tuesday Is Becoming Loneliest Night". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 25, 2008. Retrieved August 24, 2008.
11. "Sheldon's 'Stranger in Mirror' resembles Groucho Marx". The Milwaukee Journal. April 16, 1976.
12. "The 'Countdown To Mother's Day' is on as Hallmark Channel in Hd Invites Viewers to 'Meet My Mom' and Asks Them to Do the Same!" (Press release). The Hallmark Channel. March 11, 2010. Retrieved May 15, 2010 – via The Futon Critic.
13. Patten, Dominic (March 14, 2019). "Lori Loughlin Dropped By Hallmark Channel Due To Elite College Bribery Scandal". Deadline.
14. Melas, Chloe (April 10, 2019). "Lori Loughlin's former series returning without her in May". CNN. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
15. Bierly, Mandi (July 18, 2012). "Lori Loughlin to return for '90210' premiere". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 2, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
16. Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Episode 1063. July 19, 2013. NBC.
17. McVey, Ciara (February 19, 2019). "Lori Loughlin on Saying Goodbye to 'Fuller House' After Five Seasons". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
18. Loughlin, Lori. "Actress Lori Loughlin: Balancing Family, Faith, and Career". 700 Club (Interview). Interviewed by Scott. Christian Broadcasting Network.
19. "Lori Loughlin Biography (1964-)". FilmReference.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2015. ...born July 28, 1964, in Queens (some sources say Long Island), NY
20. "Mossimo Giannulli - Fashion Designer". Fashion Model Directory. Archived from the original on August 17, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
21. Alexander, Bryan (March 14, 2019). "What we know about Olivia Jade, Lori Loughlin's daughter caught up in admissions scandal". USA Today. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
22. Lou, Shane (February 17, 2018). "Lori Loughlin's daughter shares the downside of growing up with 2 famous parents". Today. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
23. Olivia Jade Archived June 9, 2015, at the Wayback Machine on YouTube.
24. Winter, Tom; Williams, Pete; Ainsley, Julia; Shichapiro, Rich (March 12, 2019). "TV actresses among 40 people charged in college exam cheating plot". NBC News. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
25. Medina, Jennifer; Benner, Katie (March 12, 2019). "Dozens Charged in College Admissions Bribery Scandal". The New York Times. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
26. Barrett, Devlin; Zapotosky, Matt (March 12, 2019). "FBI accuses wealthy parents, including celebrities, in college-entrance bribery scheme". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
27. "'Full House' star Lori Loughlin surrenders to FBI". The Independent. March 13, 2019.
28. "Lori Loughlin has surrendered to federal authorities in Los Angeles". CNN. March 13, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
29. Lemoncelli, Jenna (March 12, 2019). "Lori Loughlin: 5 Things You Should Know About 'Full House' Star". Hollywood Life. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
30. Brown, Ruth (March 13, 2019). "Lori Loughlin released on $1M bond after court appearance". PageSix.com. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
31. "Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman appear in court to face college admissions charges". CNN. April 4, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
32. Mangan, Dan (March 15, 2019). "'Full House' actress Lori Loughlin's kids remain enrolled in USC amid college bribe scandal; Phil Mickelson, Joe Montana say they did nothing wrong". CNBC. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
33. "Netflix's 'Fuller House' drops Lori Loughlin after college bribery scandal: report". The Hill. March 16, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
34. "Brands distance themselves from Lori Loughlin and daughter Olivia Jade". CNN.com. March 14, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
35. Nissen, Daniel (March 16, 2019). "College Admissions Scandal: Everything That's Happened So Far". Variety. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
36. "Lori Loughlin and Hubby Face 2 Years Minimum Prison Sentence .... If They Cop a Plea". TMZ. April 9, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
37. Jorgensen, Sarah; Levenson, Eric (April 15, 2019). "Lori Loughlin pleads not guilty in her first response to the college admissions scam". CNN.com. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
38. "Felicity Huffman & Lori Loughlin-Inspired 'College Admissions Scandal' Movie Gets First Trailer". Retrieved October 7, 2019.
39. Sweeney, Emily; Andersen, Travis (October 22, 2019). "Lori Loughlin, other defendants face additional charges in college scandal". The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
40. Ray Sanchez; Mark Morales; Sarah Jorgensen (May 22, 2020). "Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli plead guilty in college admissions scam". CNN. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
41. "Lori Laughlin to be Sentenced for Admissions Scandal in August". PageSix.com. May 27, 2020.
42. "Television/Prism Awards". Prism Awards 2014. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
43. "Teen Choice Awards 2009 nominees". Los Angeles Times. July 15, 2009. Archived from the original on February 21, 2017.

External links

• Lori Loughlin on IMDb 
• "Lori Loughlin". People. August 23, 2004. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2012.