Before making it in show business, Meghan Markle rubbed shoulders with a few of the most successful sitcom actors in Hollywood.
It’s no secret that the Duchess of Sussex, 42, was a well-established actress in her own right before becoming a royal — and she or he got her start in front of the camera at a really young age.
Markle’s first uncredited acting role was on the hit sitcom “Married… with Children,” which ran from 1988 until 1997.
She got to see the ins and outs of a TV show set because of her estranged father, Thomas Markle, who worked as a lighting director and director of photography for the show.
This week, a resurfaced image from an episode the duchess appeared in showed her as a teen in season 9 of the sitcom.
Within the 1995 episode, titled “The Undergraduate,” Meghan played a student, and appeared in a scene with Christina Applegate and David Faustino.
In 2019, Ed O’Neill, who starred as Al Bundy on the hit sitcom, told Ellen DeGeneres all about Meghan’s little-known connection to the show.
“She [Meghan] grew up on the set of ‘Married With Children.’ Did you already know that? Her father was a camera operator,” the “Modern Family” alum said. “And he or she used to come back on the set in her little Catholic school uniform. She was, like, 9.”
Despite the fact that Meghan doesn’t boast any credits as an additional on the show, O’Neill said she spent plenty of time on set on account of her dad’s job.
Meghan revealed in 2018 that she visited the sitcom’s set “each day after school” for a decade.
“Day-after-day after school for 10 years, I used to be on the set of ‘Married With Children,’ which is a very funny and perverse place for somewhat girl in a Catholic school uniform to grow up,” she told Esquire on the time.
“There have been plenty of times my dad would say, ‘Meg, why don’t you go and help with the craft services room over there? That is just somewhat off-color on your 11-year-old eyes.’”
While she wasn’t allowed to look at the show at home, she “could watch the tip credits so I could give the screen a kiss after I saw my dad’s name go by.”
Markle also gushed in regards to the guest stars she would see on set.
“You gotta think, there have been guest stars like Tia Carrere and Traci Lords and Nikki Cox. Those were the type of women coming in each day,” she told the publication.
“Just picture me with my curly hair and a spot in my teeth and my little school uniform with Keds on, looking up like, ‘Hi,’ at these very, uh, provocative women. It was a giant change from Immaculate Heart Catholic School,” she added.
Meghan went on to realize acting credits in several projects before landing the most important — and final — role of her profession as Rachel Zane on “Suits.”
