15 Big Stars You Never Knew Set Sail On ‘The Love Boat’

10. Vanessa Williams

Vanessa Williams guest starred on The Love Boat in 1984 when she made an appearance as herself…Miss America. She was the first African American woman to win the title, although she had to resign due to a nude photo scandal. She went on to have an incredibly successful career in the entertainment industry that has gotten her nominations for Emmy, Tony and Grammy Awards. Her big TV roles have included shows like Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives and The Good Wife.

11. Heather Locklear

Heather Locklear played a swinger in her appearance on The Love Boat in 1983, wowing in a tiny string bikini. The Love Boat was just one of Aaron Spelling’s shows that Heather would work on, and in fact she starred in eight different productions of his throughout the course of her career, including Dynasty and T.J. Hooker. Heather went on to star on Melrose Place, where she was nominated for four consecutive Golden Globes for Best Actress. She later got two more Golden Globe noms for her role on Spin City.

12. Suzanne Somers

Suzanne Somers hopped aboard The Love Boat in 1977 (playing a swinging singleton), which is also the same year that she booked a starring role on Three’s Company. After a rather abrupt departure from that show, Suzanne found TV series success again with Step By Step in 1991. These days she’s also a businesswoman and an author, and is particularly candid about her views on bioidentical hormone replacement therapy for aging.