Susan Lucci is a soap opera icon! The 76-year-old star is the best-known daytime soap actress, and she received the Lifetime Achievement Honor at the 2023 Daytime Emmys on December 15. Susan played the deliciously cunning Erika Kane on All My Children during its entire run from 1970 to 2011.
During her acceptance speech at the Daytime Emmys, Susan talked about her late husband. She addressed her son, Andreas Huber, in the audience and told him she could “feel your dad’s presence here tonight with us, too.” Through tears, she added, “I thank my husband Helmut Huber because he has everything to do with my standing up here tonight and receiving this incredible award.”
Born in Scarsdale, New York, Susan graduated from Marymount College with a degree in drama. After auditioning for numerous television roles, she quickly landed the part of Erika on the famed ABC soap. She was nominated 21 times for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She finally won once, in 1999. Her other credits include multi-episode guest appearances on Dallas, Army Wives, and Hot In Cleveland, where she played a version of herself. From 2013 to 2016, she starred as Genevieve Delatour in Lifetime’s Devious Maids.
Throughout her successful career, Susan had one man by her side, calling Helmut Huber her husband for over 50 years. While the adorable couple definitely beat the Hollywood odds with their lasting marriage, fans want to know all about their special bond. Find out all there is to know about the man who forever captured Susan’s heart and their legendary romance.
Who Is Helmut Huber?
Born in Austria on October 10, 1937, Helmut moved to the United States where he became a chef and food manager at the Garden City Hotel on Long Island, New York.
At the age of 84, Helmut died in March 2022. Hollywood Life confirmed his passing from a family representative. “A family man, he was a loyal friend, and loved them deeply,” the rep’s official statement read. “With a roaring sense of humor, larger-than-life personality, and a practical problem-solver, he lived his life to the fullest.”
How Did Susan Lucci and Helmut Huber Meet?
As luck would have it, Susan got a job at the hotel fresh out of college and the Helmut was immediately taken with the stunning aspiring actress. “The first time I saw Susie, it hit me,” he told PEOPLE during a 1999 interview. “Still today, she walks in a room, and I just light up.”
Being Susan’s boss and a bit older, Helmut didn’t try to make a move at the time, however, per the outlet. Susan would go on to get engaged to another man. But once again, luck — or some would say fate — played a hand in their story as she ended up having her engagement party at the Garden City Hotel, where Susan’s parents invited Helmut to join in the festivities. It was here that Helmut decided Susan and her fiancé were not meant to be. “Helmut leaned over to my mother and said, ‘This thing between Susie and this boy is never going to last,’” Susan told PEOPLE. “I heard about that much later. And my mother agreed with him, but she didn’t tell me that.”
When Did Helmut Huber and Susan Lucci Start Dating?
Helmut was correct: Susan broke off the engagement months later. The pair began dating and, after three months, they wed on September 13, 1969. Around this time, Susan got the part on All My Children. Soon they started a family by welcoming daughter Liza in February 1975. Their son Andreas was born two years later in August. In 1982, Helmut said “goodbye” to his career in the restaurant business to help manage Susan’s career, and they have been going strong ever since!