Susan Blakely
- Actress
She continues to stand out in a crowd with her wholesome beauty, knock-out
figure and dazzling smile. Ever-radiant TV and film resident Susan
Blakely found success on several paths she chose for herself over the
years -- first as a model, then as an award-winning actress, and as a jewelry designer. The trim and trendy blonde is best known for enhancing a mild stream of popular films during the 1970s and 1980s.
Born on September 7, 1948, in Frankfurt, Germany, Susan is the daughter of U.S. Army Colonel Lawrence Blakely. While
growing up, she traveled extensively throughout the world with her
family including Korea, Hawaii and, finally, Texas. Following a year of
study at the University of Texas, Susan moved to New York and managed
to secure a place for herself as a high-priced magazine and TV ad
model for the Ford Modeling Agency.
At the same time, Susan was encouraged to try her hand at acting
and studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse. Married in 1969 to lawyer
and screenwriting hopeful Todd Merer, they chanced a move to Hollywood
to seek their fame and fortune.
Billed initially as Susie Blakely, she was cast in small, capricious,
deb-like turns in such films as
Savages (1972) (her debut) and
The Way We Were (1973). Her first
popular movie role came about surrounded by a high-and-mighty all-star
cast in Irwin Allen's epic disaster
The Towering Inferno (1974),
as the spoiled princess-like daughter of unscrupulous skyscraper
builder William Holden and wife
of callous, pretty-boy opportunist
Richard Chamberlain.
Lightweight as the role was, Susan willingly accepted the challenge of
proving herself in Hollywood as more than just another starlet with a
gorgeous face.
She did .. .and became a prominent name in Hollywood to boot ... by earning a Golden Globe and Emmy
nomination for her exceptional work as "Julie Prescott" in the
acclaimed TV mini-series epic
Rich Man, Poor Man (1976)
with both Peter Strauss and
Nick Nolte vying for her attention. It was
star-making turns for all three leads.
This monumental acting opportunity kicked off a highly rewarding career
in TV mini-movies, playing an array of flawed but fascinating and
newsworthy ladies, including Hitler mistress
Eva Braun opposite
Anthony Hopkins in
The Bunker (1981); tormented
actress Frances Farmer in
Will There Really Be a Morning? (1983);
political wife Joan Bennett Kennedy in
The Ted Kennedy Jr. Story (1986);
and crime attorney Leslie Abramson in
Honor Thy Father and Mother: The True Story of the Menendez Murders (1994). A few other interesting roles came in as well that belied Susan's glossy, pretty-girl
image -- ranging from an amphetamine addict in the TV movie A Cry for Love (1980) to a housewife who changes into a
werewolf in the movie My Mom's a Werewolf (1989).
Into the millennium, Susan accomplished a prime, award-winning turn in the low-profile film
Hungry Hearts (2002). Other films have included co-star/featured roles in The Cherokee Strip (1937), Crash Point Zero (2001), Mating Dance (2008), The Genesis Code (2010), and Displacement (2016), as well as several gay-themed short films of director Marc Saltarelli -- To Comfort You (2009), Pride (2011) Remember to Breathe (2013) and Speak (2016).
Having starred on stage in the 2006 world premiere of "Diva!" at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, Susan has guested on several popular TV programs including "Diagnosis Murder," "Baywatch," "Strong Medicine," "Cold Case," "Nip/Tuck," "Murder 101," "Two and a Half Men," "Brothers and Sisters," "NCIS" and "This Is Us."
In recent years, Susan has broadened her horizons once again
as a semi-precious jewelry designer...and once again she has met this challenge with
great success. Divorced from her first husband in the 1970s, Susan
remarried in 1982. Her present husband, media consultant, litigation
and political adviser Steve Jaffe,
has also reaped rewards as a film and television producer. Many of his
projects have included Susan -- the afore-mentioned
Frances Farmer TV biography, the TV-movie
A Cry for Love (1980),
and the film
Russian Holiday (1993) [aka
Russian Roulette]. They reside in the Beverly Hills area.
figure and dazzling smile. Ever-radiant TV and film resident Susan
Blakely found success on several paths she chose for herself over the
years -- first as a model, then as an award-winning actress, and as a jewelry designer. The trim and trendy blonde is best known for enhancing a mild stream of popular films during the 1970s and 1980s.
Born on September 7, 1948, in Frankfurt, Germany, Susan is the daughter of U.S. Army Colonel Lawrence Blakely. While
growing up, she traveled extensively throughout the world with her
family including Korea, Hawaii and, finally, Texas. Following a year of
study at the University of Texas, Susan moved to New York and managed
to secure a place for herself as a high-priced magazine and TV ad
model for the Ford Modeling Agency.
At the same time, Susan was encouraged to try her hand at acting
and studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse. Married in 1969 to lawyer
and screenwriting hopeful Todd Merer, they chanced a move to Hollywood
to seek their fame and fortune.
Billed initially as Susie Blakely, she was cast in small, capricious,
deb-like turns in such films as
Savages (1972) (her debut) and
The Way We Were (1973). Her first
popular movie role came about surrounded by a high-and-mighty all-star
cast in Irwin Allen's epic disaster
The Towering Inferno (1974),
as the spoiled princess-like daughter of unscrupulous skyscraper
builder William Holden and wife
of callous, pretty-boy opportunist
Richard Chamberlain.
Lightweight as the role was, Susan willingly accepted the challenge of
proving herself in Hollywood as more than just another starlet with a
gorgeous face.
She did .. .and became a prominent name in Hollywood to boot ... by earning a Golden Globe and Emmy
nomination for her exceptional work as "Julie Prescott" in the
acclaimed TV mini-series epic
Rich Man, Poor Man (1976)
with both Peter Strauss and
Nick Nolte vying for her attention. It was
star-making turns for all three leads.
This monumental acting opportunity kicked off a highly rewarding career
in TV mini-movies, playing an array of flawed but fascinating and
newsworthy ladies, including Hitler mistress
Eva Braun opposite
Anthony Hopkins in
The Bunker (1981); tormented
actress Frances Farmer in
Will There Really Be a Morning? (1983);
political wife Joan Bennett Kennedy in
The Ted Kennedy Jr. Story (1986);
and crime attorney Leslie Abramson in
Honor Thy Father and Mother: The True Story of the Menendez Murders (1994). A few other interesting roles came in as well that belied Susan's glossy, pretty-girl
image -- ranging from an amphetamine addict in the TV movie A Cry for Love (1980) to a housewife who changes into a
werewolf in the movie My Mom's a Werewolf (1989).
Into the millennium, Susan accomplished a prime, award-winning turn in the low-profile film
Hungry Hearts (2002). Other films have included co-star/featured roles in The Cherokee Strip (1937), Crash Point Zero (2001), Mating Dance (2008), The Genesis Code (2010), and Displacement (2016), as well as several gay-themed short films of director Marc Saltarelli -- To Comfort You (2009), Pride (2011) Remember to Breathe (2013) and Speak (2016).
Having starred on stage in the 2006 world premiere of "Diva!" at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, Susan has guested on several popular TV programs including "Diagnosis Murder," "Baywatch," "Strong Medicine," "Cold Case," "Nip/Tuck," "Murder 101," "Two and a Half Men," "Brothers and Sisters," "NCIS" and "This Is Us."
In recent years, Susan has broadened her horizons once again
as a semi-precious jewelry designer...and once again she has met this challenge with
great success. Divorced from her first husband in the 1970s, Susan
remarried in 1982. Her present husband, media consultant, litigation
and political adviser Steve Jaffe,
has also reaped rewards as a film and television producer. Many of his
projects have included Susan -- the afore-mentioned
Frances Farmer TV biography, the TV-movie
A Cry for Love (1980),
and the film
Russian Holiday (1993) [aka
Russian Roulette]. They reside in the Beverly Hills area.