Actress Kaley Cuoco had her first taste of TV success with the family sitcom 8 Simple Rules in 2002. Five years later, she launched the next phase of her career with The Big Bang Theory, which became one of television's most popular comedies. Cuoco has also appeared in such films as Hop (2011) and The Wedding Ringer (2015). Early Life and Career Jim Parsons: I remember getting the call and I was somewhere in LA . . . no, I think I was in Florida. Well, it doesn’t really matter, probably, but I was outdoors when I took the phone call. The biggest thing I remember was Johnny saying it won’t get in the way of work, which was nice to say. And honestly, it really didn’t. Kaley Christine Cuoco was born in Camarillo, California, to Layne Ann (Wingate) and Gary Carmine Cuoco, a realtor. Kaley Cuoco: We got into a fight because he was eating tuna during the scene and I got pissed. It was a day Johnny was late, so I was already annoyed. And he decides during the scene, which did not contain food, that he was going to rehearse and eat tuna. Kaley Cuoco: I was very nervous with both [the on-screen and real-life first kisses]. I mean, I was kissing him as Penny before we ever dated, and it’s weird when you have a crush on someone and you’re kissing them as actors.

Kaley Cuoco: Johnny was like, “Why didn’t you tell me?” I said, “I didn’t even think it was a big deal.” And then when I saw the way it was written, it wasn’t what I expected. I really didn’t think of it that way, so I guess that’s why I didn’t say anything for a while. Big Bang Theory’s Kaley Cuoco is stepping far outside of her typecast with her newest role in Prime Video’s Role Play. Cuoco appeared as Penny for the final time on May 16, 2019, when The Big Bang Theory bowed after 12 seasons and 279 episodes. Films: 'Hop,' 'The Wedding Ringer' and 'Alvin and the Chipmunks'Cuoco married professional tennis player Ryan Sweeting on December 31, 2013, but they announced they were divorcing in September 2015. The actress subsequently began dating pro equestrian Karl Cook, and the two married on June 30, 2018, at a horse stable near San Diego, California.

Steve Molaro (executive producer) : It makes me crazy because technically that photo was from the fantasy sequence, so it shouldn’t be a real photo on her refrigerator. Unless Leonard said, “Hey, we should go re-create this image I have from a dream of mine and get in the elevator shaft and have somebody take a picture of us,” it doesn’t belong there. Like her husband, Cuoco is an avid horse rider. She is also a former nationally ranked amateur tennis player. The two made their first public appearance as a couple at a Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in early May 2022.

Kaley Cuoco: Yeah, we didn’t tell anyone for a long time. I don’t even know how many months later, but we were in New York, and I said to Johnny, “I think we should tell the cast. It’s starting to feel like we’re lying to them.” Johnny said, “I’m going to call Jim right now. I want to tell him.” We call Jim on speaker, and Johnny says, “I’m in love with Kaley,” or “I really want to be with Kaley,” and Jim goes, “Ah! Does she know?!” I started laughing and yelled, “Yes, I know! I’m here!” Jim thought Johnny was telling him that he liked me and was going to tell me that. It was the cutest reaction, like, Does she know?! Kaley Cuoco: It wasn’t like I decided, Hey, this will be the magazine that I tell! It was so not that way. I mean, why would I choose Watch magazine? I’m sorry. It was just an interview, and then the writer started asking me, and I was like, “Yeah [we were in a relationship].”

Kaley Cuoco: And Leonard doesn’t have his glasses on, either! All these things are wrong with the photo, but you couldn’t really tell where we were, so it worked.

When she is not acting, Cuoco is an avid tennis player, who in earlier years had consistently been ranked well in Southern California Tennis Association standings as a member of a regional amateur division team.