Best known for playing Penny on “The Big Bang Theory,” actress Kaley Cuoco has a string of iconic television roles to her credit. From her breakout role playing John Ritter’s daughter to her turn as everyone’s favorite neighbor, here’s 15 things you might not know about Kaley Cuoco as her latest film, “Role Play,” premieres. Check out our slideshow to see photos of Kaley, learn more about her past and other interesting facts about the actress.
15 things you might not know about Kaley Cuoco
1. She’s almost 40
Kaley Christine Cuoco was born November 30, 1985 in Camarillo, California. She’ll turn 39 in 2024
FILE – Kaley Cuoco arrives at the 80th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Jan. 10, 2023, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Cuoco, star of “The Flight Attendant” and “The Big Bang Theory,” posted to Instagram on Saturday, April 1, 2023, that she and fellow actor Tom Pelphrey now have a daughter named Matilda Carmine Richie Pelphrey.
2. She’s a new mom
Cuoco gave birth to her first child, Matilda Carmine Richie Pelphrey, in 2023
Kaley Cuoco with Tom Pelphrey, Karl Cook and Ryan Sweeting (AP)AP
3. Her leading men
Kaley’s been married twice, to tennis pro Ryan Sweeting and equestrian rider Karl Cook. She’s currently dating actor Tom Pelphrey
4. Early roles
Not counting commercials, her first TV role was in the 1992 television film ‘Quicksand: No Escape” which starred Donald Sutherland
5. Look-a-likes?
One of Cuoco’s earliest TV show appearances was an episode of ‘My So-Called Life’ where she played a younger version of Claire Danes character, Angela
A collage of “Brady Bunch” actress Maureen McCormick and Kaley Cuoco.
6. Marcia, Marcia Marcia
Kaley portrayed Maureen McCormick in a 2000 TV movie based on Barry Williams book, “Growing Up Brady”
7. Her breakout role
Kaley’s big break came in 2002 when she was cast to star as the teen daughter of John Ritter and Katey Sagal in the show “8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter”
8. Other notable TV roles
During this time Cuoco had a run on the show “Charmed” where she played a new witch and several cartoons where she voiced main characters like “Bratz” and “Monster Allergy”
Johnny Galecki, from left, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch, cast members of the TV series “The Big Bang Theory,” pose at a hand and footprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Wednesday, May 1, 2019 at in Los Angeles.
9. Her superstar role
Kaley’s biggest role came when she was chosen to join the cast of ‘The Big Bang Theory” as Penny, replacing the character Katie who was played by Amanda Walsh in the pilot
10. She was in almost every episode
Cuoco only missed two episodes of the show, both due to a horse-riding injury.
11. ‘Big Bang,’ big earnings
After making approximately $50k per episode in early seasons, Kaley was making $1M per in the final season according to ET.
Collage of Kaley Cuoco and William Shatner who appeared in multiple Priceline commercials together. (AP)AP
12. Commercial roles
In addition to appearing in Barbie commercials as a kid, Kaley also had a series of popular Priceline commercials starting in 2012 where she played William Shatner’s daughter.
Kaley Cuoco attends the ceremony honoring her with a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2014, in Los Angeles.
13. The star gets a star
She was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2014
Kaley Cuoco arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of “The Flight Attendant,” Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at Pacific Design Center.
14. More recent roles
After ‘Big Bang Theory’ ended, Cuoco had several roles including starring in the series ‘The Flight Attendant’ and movie roles in films including ‘Meet Cute.’ She is also the voice of Harley Quinn on the animated Max series
15. What’s next for Kaley?
Cuoco currently stars with David Oyelowo in the Prime movie ‘Role Play’ which just premiered Friday, Jan. 12.
