10 Fun Facts About Marilu Henner

1. Henner was born and raised in Chicago. Her last name was originally Pudlowski, but her father had to change it for business reasons. Henner is a name borrowed from a little-known baseball player.

2. In 1971, Henner played the original Marty in the pre-Broadway Kingston Mines' production of Grease. She was asked to reprise the role once the show moved to Broadway. But instead, she chose to play Marty in the national touring company alongside John Travolta, who played Doody. Henner has appeared in other Broadway shows as well, including Over Here! (also with Travolta) Pal Joey, Chicago, Social Security and The Tale of the Allergists Wife.

3. In 1991, she appeared opposite Steve Martin in the rom-com LA Story. Henner, who played Trudi, received a nomination for an American Comedy Award as the Funniest Supporting Female in a Motion Picture.

4. She appeared in the music video and sang in the chorus for the song Voices That Care (1991), a track recorded by a group of popular entertainers intended to help boost the morale of U.S. troops during Operation Desert Storm. Years later, in 2003, she also starred in the Brooks & Dunn music video, You Cant Take the Honky Tonk Out of the Girl.

5. In the 1999 film Man on the Moon, a movie about Henners Taxi co-star Andy Kaufman, she played both herself and her Taxi character Elaine.

6. Henner is one of the rare people who have hyperthymesia, also known as a Superior Autobiographical Memory. The condition allows her to recall in minute detail almost every day of her life since childhood. In December 2010, she was featured on an episode of 60 Minutes discussing the condition. Henners ninth book, An Unforgettable LifeYours! teaches people how to access their own autobiographical memories, and will be on bookshelves this fall.

7. Henner has hosted a handful of television shows. In 1994, she had her own daytime talk show, Marilu, for 165 episodes. In 2006 and 2007, Henner was the host of America's Ballroom Challenge even though she was never a ballroom dancer. Shes also hosted FitTV and Shape Up Your Life on The Discovery Channel. The programs are based on her books.

8. She played the role of the raucous Unsinkable Molly Brown in the 1996 TV movie Titanic.

9. When both of Henners parents died in the 1950s, she became inspired to lead a healthy lifestyle. Now, shes a vegetarian and the published author of eight diet and health books. In her best-known book, Total Health Makeover, she discusses the pluses of a non-dairy diet and exercise. She leads monthly classes on her website, marilu.com, which are designed to help get a healthier, more active lifestyle.

10. Henner has been married three times. Her first marriage to Frederic Forrest ended in divorce after two years. Her next marriage was to Robert Liebermanthey have two children together, but theysplit in 2001. Then in 2006, she married her current husband and former college classmate, Michael Brown. They live in Los Angeles.