Iconic 80s soap villain who later landed roles on Baywatch and Seinfeld looks completely different at age 69

One of the most iconic villains of 80s primetime soaps turned heads during a rare outing in Los Angeles on Friday.

The stunning actress, now 69, looked as though she’d discovered the fountain of youth while running errands around the city.

She famously scooped a Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Villain: Prime Time for her unforgettable turn as the deliciously devious Jill Bennett on Knots Landing.

Dressed down in a simple black short-sleeved top and matching pants, she was a far cry from her glamorous red carpet days - and her memorable guest spots on Quantum Leap, Seinfeld, Matlock, Murder, She Wrote, and L.A. Law.

But her beauty remains undeniable, with her blonde locks worn long and loose as she oversaw the delivery of a brand-new car to a local residence.

While she later won over a fresh legion of fans with appearances on Baywatch, Beverly Hills, 90210 and Seinfeld, it’s her wildly manipulative, erratic - and ultimately murderous - Knots Landing character Bennett that viewers still can't forget.

So… can you guess the enigmatic beauty? 

If you said Teri Austin, give yourself a gold star.

Born Teresa Austin on April 17, 1957, in Toronto, Canada, the actress first cut her teeth performing across television, film, radio, and theater before making the move to Los Angeles to chase bigger opportunities. 

Her time on Knots Landing proved to be her defining chapter, with her portrayal of Bennett evolving into one of the show’s most explosive arcs.  

Introduced as Gary Ewing’s dangerously obsessive love interest, the character quickly spiraled into increasingly unhinged behavior that kept viewers hooked.

In one of her most infamous storylines, she even attempted to kill Valene Ewing in a chilling suicide plot that cemented her status as a true soap supervillain.

Her dramatic downfall was just as unforgettable, ending in a shock twist when she locked herself in the trunk of Gary’s car in an attempt to frame him - only for the plan to go horribly wrong, leading to her tragic death.

Behind the scenes, she also shared a close bond with her Knots Landing co-star Ted Shackelford, with the pair even living together as roommates for a time during the show’s run. 

Her Hollywood career extended beyond the small screen, with roles in films including The Vindicator (1986) and Brian De Palma’s Raising Cain (1992).

But at the height of her career, she made the surprising decision to step away from acting.

'I’d been working in the industry since I was fifteen, and I had a very nice time in showbiz. I was so fortunate,' she said during a 2021 interview with Mary Kiser.

'By the time I was in my mid-to-late forties, I decided that I was done. It wasn’t for lack of work, but I was doing the same roles. You get type-cast. I’d play the senator’s wife and the lawyer and the whatever, just the same role so many times.'

She added, 'Now looking back on it, I was an idiot because I had a good income. I should have balanced it more. But at the time, I was ready to go.'

In 2001, she pivoted toward a more personal calling - animal welfare - dedicating her time to rescue efforts in Los Angeles and working closely with organizations such as The Amanda Foundation.

But the passion was already there. She revealed that she was volunteering at The Amanda Foundation while still filming Knots Landing.

'I was working twelve-to-fourteen-hour days on Knots Landing. On days that I finished early, I would come by the Amanda Foundation with my great big eighties hair and my eighties makeup, shoulder pads and high heeled shoes,' she told Mary Kiser.

'I would bring jeans and a sweatshirt to change into, and then I’d shovel poop. Here I was working on a top ten television show and being on the cover of magazines, and then I was shoveling poop.'

The star has largely remained out of the spotlight ever since, making only occasional public appearances.

And while she may have left Hollywood behind, her legacy as one of soap’s most unforgettable villains still looms large decades later.