Hunter Tylo
Encyclopedia
Hunter Tylo is an American
actress, Author
and former model
. She is best known for her role as Taylor Hayes on The Bold and the Beautiful
. She originated the role in 1990, and still continues to play it today.
, the daughter of Jo Anne and Morris Jabez Hunter. She is of Cherokee Native American descent on her mother's side. She has an older sister named Elizabeth and a younger brother named Cliff. Tylo has been credited as Deborah Morehart; Morehart was the last name of her first husband.
The Initiation with future Melrose Place actor Daphne Zuniga
.
Tylo subsequently became well known after playing regular roles in US daytime soap opera
s.
Her television debut was on All My Children
in 1985
. She met her future husband Michael Tylo
on the set playing his love interest. She left the show and married Tylo in 1987. She played Marina Toscano on Days of our Lives
from 1989
to 1990
.
Tylo played the role of Dr. Taylor Hayes Forrester as a series regular on The Bold and the Beautiful
from 1990
through 2002
. She returned to the show in 2004
for a two-episode appearance as a vision. In May 2005, she returned as a series regular.
She also acted in the American movie Down and Derby
in 2005.
prior to filming any episodes for the series, when she announced she was pregnant.
The character she was to play, Taylor McBride, was recast with Lisa Rinna
taking the role. Tylo quickly returned to The Bold and the Beautiful. Tylo sued Spelling on grounds of discrimination for being pregnant and won $4.8 million from a Los Angeles jury. Spelling argued that Tylo's pregnancy rendered her unable to play the character, who was supposed to be a sexy seductress. During the trial Tylo published pictures of herself while pregnant which showed that she retained a slim figure.
Prior to trial, during the discovery
phase of the litigation, Spelling's lawyers were partially successful in an interlocutory appeal that forced Tylo to answer questions in her deposition about her pregnancy (and her husband's ability to get her pregnant).
The case is widely recognized as an important one in establishing the right of actresses to continue to work while pregnant.
In 1987, she married Michael Tylo
, with whom she had daughters Izabella Gabrielle and Katya Ariel Tylo and son Michael Tylo, Jr. The marriage ended in 2005.
In 1998, her infant daughter Katya was diagnosed with a rare cancer of the eye called retinoblastoma
. Doctors removed the affected right eye and began chemotherapy
. Later in the year a tumor was detected in Katya's other eye; that tumor inexplicably disappeared. Katya recovered and wears a prosthetic right eye.
In 2001, she wrote her autobiography, "Making a Miracle."
On October 18, 2007, Tylo's 19-year old son, Michael Tylo, Jr., drowned in the family pool in Henderson, Nevada
. The Clark County
coroner concluded that "the cause of death was drowning due to seizure disorder," and the death was ruled accident
al.
In May 2008, Tylo filed a restraining order against boyfriend Corey Cofield, claiming that he had acted violently towards her and her children; she asked for the order to be withdrawn in October 2008, telling a judge that Cofield was attending therapy and was much better.
On November 28, 2009, Tylo and her boyfriend Gersson Archila married in a secret ceremony in Las Vegas, Nevada
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress, Author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and former model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
. She is best known for her role as Taylor Hayes on The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS Daytime. It premiered on March 23, 1987....
. She originated the role in 1990, and still continues to play it today.
Early life
Tylo was born Deborah Jo Hunter in Fort Worth, TexasFort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, the daughter of Jo Anne and Morris Jabez Hunter. She is of Cherokee Native American descent on her mother's side. She has an older sister named Elizabeth and a younger brother named Cliff. Tylo has been credited as Deborah Morehart; Morehart was the last name of her first husband.
Professional career
In 1984, credited as Deborah Morehart, Tylo appeared in the sorority slasher filmSlasher film
A slasher film is a type of horror film typically involving a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner, often with a cutting tool such as a knife or axe...
The Initiation with future Melrose Place actor Daphne Zuniga
Daphne Zuniga
Daphne Eurydice Zuniga is an American actress known for her roles as Jo Reynolds on the Fox primetime soap Melrose Place, as Victoria Davis on The CW teen drama One Tree Hill and as Princess Vespa in Spaceballs.-Early life:...
.
Tylo subsequently became well known after playing regular roles in US daytime soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
s.
Her television debut was on All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
in 1985
1985 in television
The year 1985 involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1985.For the American TV schedule, see: 1985-86 United States network television schedule.-Events:*January 1 – VH1 launches in the United States....
. She met her future husband Michael Tylo
Michael Tylo
-Career:Among his numerous soap opera roles, he is best known for his portrayal of Quinton Chamberlain on Guiding Light. He played the role from 1981 to 1985 and again from 1996 to 1997. He was half of the very popular supercouple Quint and Nola, with the role of Nola played by actress Lisa...
on the set playing his love interest. She left the show and married Tylo in 1987. She played Marina Toscano on Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
from 1989
1989 in television
For the American TV schedule, see: 1989–90 United States network television schedule.The year 1989 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1989.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
to 1990
1990 in television
For the American TV schedule, see: 1990-91 United States network television schedule.The year 1990 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1990.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
.
Tylo played the role of Dr. Taylor Hayes Forrester as a series regular on The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS Daytime. It premiered on March 23, 1987....
from 1990
1990 in television
For the American TV schedule, see: 1990-91 United States network television schedule.The year 1990 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1990.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
through 2002
2002 in television
The year 2002 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2002.For the American TV schedule, see: 2002–03 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:...
. She returned to the show in 2004
2004 in television
The year 2004 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2004.For the American TV schedule, see: 2004–05 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:...
for a two-episode appearance as a vision. In May 2005, she returned as a series regular.
She also acted in the American movie Down and Derby
Down and Derby
Down and Derby is a 2005 comedy film about a Cub Scouts' pinewood derby race. The cars in the race are meant to be built from kits by Cub Scouts with appropriate adult supervision, but in Down and Derby the fathers of four Scouts take over the project from their kids, and get carried away by their...
in 2005.
Melrose Place controversy
In 1996, Tylo was cast in Melrose Place and opted to leave The Bold and the Beautiful to take the role. However, she was fired by Melrose Place producer Aaron SpellingAaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling was an American film and television producer. As of 2009, Spelling's eponymous production company Spelling Television holds the record as the most prolific television writer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits...
prior to filming any episodes for the series, when she announced she was pregnant.
The character she was to play, Taylor McBride, was recast with Lisa Rinna
Lisa Rinna
Lisa Deanna Rinna is an American television host and actress. She is known for her roles as Billie Reed on Days of our Lives, Taylor McBride on Melrose Place, and most recently as the host of SoapNet's Soap Talk.-Acting:...
taking the role. Tylo quickly returned to The Bold and the Beautiful. Tylo sued Spelling on grounds of discrimination for being pregnant and won $4.8 million from a Los Angeles jury. Spelling argued that Tylo's pregnancy rendered her unable to play the character, who was supposed to be a sexy seductress. During the trial Tylo published pictures of herself while pregnant which showed that she retained a slim figure.
Prior to trial, during the discovery
Discovery (law)
In U.S.law, discovery is the pre-trial phase in a lawsuit in which each party, through the law of civil procedure, can obtain evidence from the opposing party by means of discovery devices including requests for answers to interrogatories, requests for production of documents, requests for...
phase of the litigation, Spelling's lawyers were partially successful in an interlocutory appeal that forced Tylo to answer questions in her deposition about her pregnancy (and her husband's ability to get her pregnant).
The case is widely recognized as an important one in establishing the right of actresses to continue to work while pregnant.
Personal life
Tylo's first marriage was to Tom Moreheart; they had a son, Christopher "Chris" Morehart.In 1987, she married Michael Tylo
Michael Tylo
-Career:Among his numerous soap opera roles, he is best known for his portrayal of Quinton Chamberlain on Guiding Light. He played the role from 1981 to 1985 and again from 1996 to 1997. He was half of the very popular supercouple Quint and Nola, with the role of Nola played by actress Lisa...
, with whom she had daughters Izabella Gabrielle and Katya Ariel Tylo and son Michael Tylo, Jr. The marriage ended in 2005.
In 1998, her infant daughter Katya was diagnosed with a rare cancer of the eye called retinoblastoma
Retinoblastoma
Retinoblastoma is a rapidly developing cancer that develops in the cells of retina, the light-detecting tissue of the eye. In the developed world, Rb has one of the best cure rates of all childhood cancers , with more than nine out of every ten sufferers surviving into...
. Doctors removed the affected right eye and began chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
. Later in the year a tumor was detected in Katya's other eye; that tumor inexplicably disappeared. Katya recovered and wears a prosthetic right eye.
In 2001, she wrote her autobiography, "Making a Miracle."
On October 18, 2007, Tylo's 19-year old son, Michael Tylo, Jr., drowned in the family pool in Henderson, Nevada
Henderson, Nevada
-Demographics:According to the 2000 census, there were 175,381 people, 66,331 households, and 47,095 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,200.8 people per square mile . There were 71,149 housing units at an average density of 892.8 per square mile...
. The Clark County
Clark County, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,375,765 people, 512,253 households, and 339,693 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 71.6% White , 9.1% Black, 5.7% Asian, 0.8% American Indian and 12.8% of other or mixed race. 22.0% were Hispanic of any race...
coroner concluded that "the cause of death was drowning due to seizure disorder," and the death was ruled accident
Accident
An accident or mishap is an unforeseen and unplanned event or circumstance, often with lack of intention or necessity. It implies a generally negative outcome which may have been avoided or prevented had circumstances leading up to the accident been recognized, and acted upon, prior to its...
al.
In May 2008, Tylo filed a restraining order against boyfriend Corey Cofield, claiming that he had acted violently towards her and her children; she asked for the order to be withdrawn in October 2008, telling a judge that Cofield was attending therapy and was much better.
On November 28, 2009, Tylo and her boyfriend Gersson Archila married in a secret ceremony in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
.