It's simple: Susan Lucci is the most famous face on daytime television.

She's spent 35 years as Erica Kane on All My Children. Recently, VH-1 named Lucci one of their "200 Top Icons of all Time," as her work and her contribution to the entertainment community and beyond have become known to those that don't even watch soap operas.

In May 1999, this veteran actress FINALLY won the Emmy Award for Best Actress. It was a historic moment after 19 losses in a row. It was also a stepping stone onto the stage:

Later that year, she made her Broadway debut as Annie Oakley in the revival of Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun. Said Michael Logan of TV Guide: "Susan Lucci didn't just take Great White by storm: she took it by tornado, hurricane and tsunami, too."