Katherine LaNasa has enjoyed the kind of career that would leave even the best of us with a touch of the green-eyed monster. Since abandoning ballet for acting, she’s enjoyed roles in some of the biggest TV shows of the last two decades, including ER, Judging Amy, Grey’s Anatomy, Two and a Half Men, Deception, and Dynasty. With her current role as Gloria Grandbilt in Katy Keene set to introduce her talents to a whole new audience, there’s never been a better time to find out more.
1. She made her acting debut on Catchfire
In 1990, LaNasa made her film debut on Catchfire. The role may have been small, but it gave the actress that all-important foot in the door. Over the following years, LaNasa enjoyed supporting roles in the likes of Seinfeld, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Touched by an Angel, and The Practice, landing her first lead role in 2001 with the character of Bess Bernstein-Flynn Keats in the NBC comedy series Three Sisters.
2. She trained as a ballet dancer
Before LaNasa was an actress, she was a ballet dancer- and a darn fine one at that. After starting lessons at the age of 12, she was accepted at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina at 14, subsequently earning an apprenticeship with Milwaukee Ballet. After cementing her reputation with Salt Lake City’s Ballet West and the Karole Armitage Ballet, she moved into choreography, with one of her first major projects being John Carrafa’s 1989 film Rooftops.
3. She doesn’t think she’s good enough for politics
In the 21st century, “goodness” doesn’t seem to be part of the criteria when it comes to electing our leaders. In LaNasa’s world, however, it’s still paramount, and the fundamental reason why she won’t be following the likes of Reagan, Schwarzenegger et all in swapping Hollywood for politics. “Who would want all that media scrutiny?” she questioned when asked if she’d ever consider a career in office. “I don’t. I don’t think I’m a good enough human being.”
4. She loves reality TV
Reality shows may be the poor cousin of quality TV, but if we’re being honest, most of us would have to admit to them as a guilty pleasure. LaNasa is no exception, loving nothing more than zoning out in front of the TV in her free time. “I realize the reason why I like it is because of the voyeuristic aspect. I’m an actress and like to see what humans are doing,” she’s justified her pastime with. “Even when they realize it’s taped and are conscious of how they act; that’s another layer of it.”
5. She’s a vegetarian
LaNasa is a committed vegetarian… so committed in fact, that according to The Celeb Closet, she’s embraced vegetables to the point that she ranks spinach as her favorite food.
6. She loves a nerd
When it comes to men, LaNasa has a type… a slightly unusual type, but one that her current husband, Grant Shaw, conforms too very well. Despite having once been married to one of the coolest actors of all-time (Dennis Hooper, in case you missed the memo), LaNasa is a sucker for a nerd. “First of all, I love nerds,” she told Nerd Reactor. “Second of all, I love nerds. Third of all, when I was single, my friends would ask me, “What are you looking for?” I would say, “A sexy nerd.” And you know, it’s exactly what I got. My (husband), Grant Show, he’s just a sexy nerd. He likes to go fly-fishing. He has tape around his fly-fishing glasses and clear bifocals that have red tape around them. I was like, ‘Oh my, I’m in love with this guy’.”
7. Her Net Worth
With recurring roles on NYPD Blue, Miss Match, The Guardian, Judging Amy, Love Monkey, Justice, 12 Miles of Bad Road, Big Love, The Defenders, Two and a Half Men, Deception, and Longmire under her belt, along with parts in films such as Kiss & Tell, Schizopolis, Alfie, The Lucky Ones, Valentine’s Day, The Campaign, and The Frozen Ground, it’s hardly surprising that LaNasa has amassed a healthy fortune by this point. According to the latest reports from Celebrity Net Worth, the actress is worth the very respectable net worth of $5 Million
8. She’s been married three times
LaNasa has been married a total of three times. Her first time up the aisle was with Easy Rider hit maker Dennis Hopper. At the time, LaNasa was just 22 years old. Hopper was 53, and had already been married three times. The couple divorced in 1992, two years after the birth of their first and only child, Henry Lee Hopper. Her 2nd marriage was to comedian French Stewart, while her third (and current) was to fellow Dynasty star, Grant Shaw. In March 2012, the couple welcomed their first child (and LaNasa’s second), Eloise McCue.
9. She reconciled with Dennis Hooper before he died
At the age of 22, LaNasa married Dennis Hopper, an actor over 30 years her senior. The marriage ended in acrimony after only 3 years, but by the time of the legendary actor’s death, they’d rekindled their friendship (if not their romance). “I was very close to him when he was sick, and was with him when he died,” she explained to Hollywood Chicago. “I spent a lot of time with him as it was happening, and it was very transformative for me. Sometimes life gives you difficult opportunities, but those instances are the way you find out who you are, and what you’re made of…and I was very afraid of his illness but being there was a healthy presence. It gave me a lot of closure, and it really helped my son. Dennis gave me something as well, he was more of a father figure to me. I think I always wanted to stay close to him. Being with him when he passed was a gift for me.”
10. She’s made a fortune in property
In 2016, LaNasa and her husband bought a tear-down for a song. Over the next four years, they transformed the drab 1940s shack into a luxury abode, complete with automated skylights, indoor-outdoor living spaces, and state-of-the-art furnishings. This year, they sold the custom architectural estate for the grand total of $2.4 million.
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