Lynda Hirsch on Television

Sarah Michelle Gellar, who won a Daytime Emmy for her portrayal of Kendall on "All My Children," is pregnant. She and hubby Freddie Prinze Jr. are expecting their second child. The have a daughter, Charlotte.

As Erica's daughter on "AMC," Gellar won the award before Lucci won her Emmy. There were always rumors that Lucci (Erica) and Gellar did not get along. Whenever Gellar was asked about it, she would shrug her shoulders and often say, "It worked because we were not a loving mother and daughter on the show."

Kendall came to town to destroy Erica's life. Erica did not realize Kendall was the daughter she gave up for adoption. A product of rape, Kendall was hated by Erica. Kendall wormed her way into Erica's life by being the perfect assistant. When Erica, not the most trustful person, began to trust Kendall, Kendall became treacherous. Kendall planned to ruin Erica's career and then kill her. Eventually, Kendall and Erica became a loving mother and daughter. By that time, Gellar was headed off the show and was eventually replaced by Alicia Minshew.

After leaving "AMC," the actress got the starring role in the primetime hit "Buffy and the Vampire Slayer." It made her a huge star. Gellar admits she may have reached success at too young an age. "I was 24. When people would call me 'Buffy,' I would not always be gracious. Now I am pleased that my character had such a connection with viewers."

The 35-year-old actress now stars on "The Ringer."

Behind the scenes, the actress uses the last name of Prinze.

Gellar says it was an anniversary present to her husband several years ago. Prinze wants his family name to be handed down. His dad, Freddie Prinze Sr., died in 1977 at age 24. Prinze Sr., a stand-up comic, starred in the hit series "Chico and the Man."

Two weeks before his death, Prinze Sr. had signed a $6 million contract with NBC. The year before, his wife had filed for divorce. She felt his continuing use of drugs made it impossible to keep together the marriage.

The death was originally ruled a suicide. Years later, the case was reopened. It was then declared accidental. According to friends, Prinze Sr. liked to scare his friends by fooling around with firearms. A note was found by the body. It asked that no one blame themselves.

The actor has no recollections of his father. Raised by his mother, he spent much time with his paternal grandmother. Through his grandmother, he learned to speak Spanish and discovered a lot about his father.

Gellar was not Prinze's first soap-opera romance. He dated Kimberly McCullough ("General Hospital's" Robin) for several years. During that time, McCullough left "GH" to attend film school in New York. It was there that she became passionate about directing.

In fact, her desire to direct caused the folks at "GH" to "kill her off." Robin is alive, but will not be seen for a while. Robin's "death" was created so that she could take time out to direct. After breaking up with her, Prinze began dating his now wife. The duo met while working on the movie "I Saw What You Did Last Summer."

To find out more about Lynda Hirsch and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.

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