Meghan Markle ‘grew up’ on the set of a popular US sitcom.
Fans were taken aback when they found out which US sitcom Meghan Markle starred in as her first acting role, as well as how heavily involved her father was.
When we think of Meghan Markle the actor, we tend to link her with the well-known Rachel Zane, the role she played on Suits for the first seven seasons.
But every actress has a debut, and it turns out that fans are only now discovering which US sitcom she was heavily involved in at an early age.
Last year, some 30 years after the show ended, footage of her first on-screen performance resurfaced.
The young rising star can be seen in the background of a scene with Christina Applegate as Kelly Bundy.
Yes, the US sitcom Married with Children was the show that gave Meghan her first break, but it wouldn’t have happened without a little support from her father.
Thomas Markle was a camera operator for the show in the 1980s.
Ed O’Neill, who starred in the sitcom, discussed the news on an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
He said: “By the way, she [Meghan] grew up on the set of Married With Children. Did you know that? Her father was a camera operator.
“And she used to come on the set in her little Catholic school uniform. She was, like, nine.”
Meghan appeared in an episode of season nine, as a student.
Her father began as a lighting director on the show and swiftly rose to the position of director of photography from the second to the tenth seasons.
Fans were quick to notice that they had missed her brief cameo, with one saying, “When you actually remember that episode!”
And another added: “Aww so adorable.”
Meghan discussed her experiences on the show in an interview with Esquire in 2018.
She said: “Every day after school for ten years, I was on the set of Married with Children, which is a really funny and perverse place for a little girl in a Catholic school uniform to grow up.
“There were a lot of times my dad would say, ‘Meg, why don’t you go and help with the craft services room over there? This is just a little off-colour for your 11-year-old eyes’.”