Heather Locklear

All-American Girl

Before graduating from California's Newbury Park High School in 1979, Locklear takes frequent trips to the mountains around Lake Arrowhead with her family. Her father Bill, an administrator at UCLA, and mother Diane, who works for Disney, take Locklear, her brother and two sisters water-skiing during the summer and to play in the snow during the winter.

May 13

Working Overtime

Unsure about her future on Dynasty, Locklear accepts the role of Officer Stacy Sheridan on primetime ABC cop drama T.J. Hooker, starring William Shatner. She ends up appearing on both shows simultaneously until Hooker ends in 1986. Although unconventional, the double employment is easy to pull off because both dramas are executive produced by Aaron Spelling and air on ABC.

May 12

Green Queen

Locklear lands her first leading movie role in the mutant comedy The Return of the Swamp Thing, playing Abby Arcane, the love interest of the creature from the deep muck. "Since my character owns a plant shop, it's only natural she should enjoy making love to a plant," Locklear jokes to PEOPLE. And how did the experience compare with her love life with Lee? "One's a plant and one's an animal."

May 09

Beautiful Lady

Locklear is named as one of PEOPLE's 50 Most Beautiful People in the World, an honor she'll repeat in 2001 – not that she agrees. "When I look in the mirror I see the girl I was growing up," she tells the magazine, "with braces, crooked teeth, a baby face and a skinny body."

December 17

You Give Love a Good Name

Ten months after they started dating, Locklear weds Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora at the American Cathedral in Paris. It's their second exchange of vows in 48 hours. They legally tied the knot in a civil ceremony in New Jersey two days earlier. After a champagne reception with two dozen guests at the nearby Ritz Carlton, the pair crosses two oceans for their honeymoon in Hawaii. "Heather didn't plan on this," her mother Diane tells PEOPLE. "You don't plan on falling in love or finding the right person, but if you don't take it while it's here, you could lose it and never find it again."