Catherine Mary Hicks was born in New York City and raised in Scottsdale, Arizona. She attended Gerard Catholic High School in Phoenix, Arizona, where she was a cheerleader, and graduated in 1969. Hicks then went on to attend Saint Mary's College-Notre Dame University, where she studied English literature.
After moving to South Bend, Indiana, she began her acting career at Cornell University, where she won a two-year scholarship to the Actor's Conservatory. At the conservatory, she received training in all aspects of the theatre. Leaving Cornell, she went to New York and, within a week, had landed a part on the ABC daytime drama, "Ryan's Hope" in 1975.
She became a notable actress of the 1980s, appearing in film and television. After appearing on "Ryan's Hope" from 1976-78, she won a coveted role, starring with Jack Lemmon, in the Broadway stage production of "Tribute" for eight months. Catherine left Broadway to Hollywood, where, after several television guest appearances, she graduated to a leading role in the television movie "Marilyn: The Untold Story" in 1980, playing Marilyn Monroe, which brought her international attention and an Emmy nomination.
She appeared in several high-profile films through the early 1980s, in leading and supporting roles, while also appearing on television. Films included "Death Valley" in 1981, "Garbo Talks" in 1984, "The Razor's Edge" in 1984, and "Peggy Sue Got Married" in 1986. She played "Dr. Gillian Taylor", opposite lead actor William Shatner, in "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" in 1986, a cult sequel to the popular Star Trek films.
In the late 1980s, she played the lead role of "Karen Barclay" in "Child's Play" in 1988, a film that remains highly regarded in the horror genre. It was on the set of this film that Catherine met her future husband, Kevin Yagher, with whom she had a daughter in 1992. Despite her obvious talent, big movie roles never seemed to find their way to her in the early 1990s. In spite of this, she worked consistently, appearing in "Liebestraum" in 1991, "Dillinger and Capone" in 1995, the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie "Redwood Curtain" in 1995, and a small role in the semi-high-profile movie "Turbulence" in 1997.
In 1996, she landed the lead role in the Warner Bros. television series "7th Heaven", playing "Annie Jackson-Camden". From that point on, her career revolved around the television series and her family, occasionally appearing in films. Her last to-date film was the television movie "For All Time" in 2000, opposite Mark Harmon. "7th Heaven" was canceled in 2007, after a successful eleven-year run, but it is likely that this attractive and talented actress will remain in films and television for a long time to come.
