Hunter Tylo After several bit parts, American actress Hunter Tylo was made famous by her recurring role on The Bold and the Beautiful. She also gained notoriety when she sued a television tycoon, and won nearly $5 million.
Deborah Jo Hunter, known popularly as Hunter Tylo, was born July 3, 1962 in Fort Worth, Texas. Raised in Springtown, Texas, her parents were Jo Anne Hunter and Morris Jabez Hunter. Known for her exotic and unique appearance, Tylo is nearly one-half Cherokee Indian. Tylo attended Springtown High, and in the same year as her graduation, she gave birth to her first child, Chris Morehart. She married the father, Tom Morehart, later that year. They remained married until October 12, 1984, when they divorced. Rounding out her education, Tylo also attended New York’s Fordham University. Before entering the world of film and television, Tylo had a successful run as a model. When that career came to an end in the 80s, Tylo made the switch to acting. Her onscreen debut came in 1984 with a small role in the horror flick The Initiation with Vera Miles, Daphne Zuniga, and James Read. In 1985, she used her good looks and emerging talent to land a role on the soap opera All My Children. She appeared as Robin McCall until 1987. Onset, she not only increased her visibility among soap fans, but she also met her future husband, Michael Tylo.
The two married in mid-1987, and they had three children together, Mickey Tylo in 1988, Izabella Tylo in 1996, and Katya Tylo in 1998. Continuing with her career in soaps, Tylo is also recognized as Marina Toscano on Days of Our Lives from 1989 to 1990. But it was 1992 that would prove her biggest year. Landing the role of Dr. Taylor Haynes on The Bold and the Beautiful, Tylo became a cast regular opposite Katherine Kelly Lang, Ronn Moss, Susan Flannery, Josh McCook, Jack Wagner, Winsor Harmon, Adrienne Frantz, and many others. She continued her role until 2002. After a brief return in 2004, Tylo’s character was brought back indefinitely in 2005. Outside of soap operas, Tylo starred in the min-series The Maharaja’s Daughter in 1994. Her costars included Bruce Boxleitner, Tony Lo Bianco and Burt Young. She also made appearances on hit television series such as Baywatch with David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson, Diagnosis Murder with Dick Van Dyke, and She Spies with Natasha Henstridge. Her film career consisted of A Place Called Home in 2004 with Ann Margret and the critical flop Down and Derby with Greg Germann and Lauren Holly. She is currently in pre-production for the film Highway 101. On the legal front, Tylo was fired from Melrose Place in 1996 when Aaron Spelling learned she was pregnant. Having left The Bold and the Beautiful to pursue this opportunity, Tylo was left out of work. She sued Spelling for discrimination and won just under $5 million.
Experiencing a lot of strife in her personal life, Tylo’s daughter, Katya, was diagnosed with retinoblastoma in 1998, a kind of cancer that affects the eyes. Katya had one eye removed and chemotherapy administered to the other. When new tumors were detected in her remaining eye, Tylo was devastated. Then, to the astonishment of everyone, the tumors disappeared. Katya is currently cancer-free. But tragedy struck the family on October 18, 2007 when her son Michael drowned in the family pool at the age of nineteen. The cause of death was determined as accidental drowning caused by a seizure disorder. After a rocky relationship, Tylo and her husband Michael have since filed for divorce. | 
