Susan Dey
Susan Dey | |
---|---|
![]() Publicity photo for The Partridge Family, 1970 | |
Born | Susan Hallock Dey December 10, 1952 Pekin, Illinois, United States |
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Model actress |
Years active | 1970–2004 |
Known for | |
Spouse(s) | Lenny Hirshan
(m. 1976; div. 1981)Bernard Sofronski (m. 1988) |
Children | 1 |
Susan Hallock Dey (born December 10, 1952) is a retired American actress, known for her television roles as Laurie Partridge on the sitcom The Partridge Family from 1970 to 1974, and as Grace Van Owen on the drama series L.A. Law from 1986 to 1992. A three-time Emmy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe Award nominee, she won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama Series for L.A. Law in 1988.
Early life and education[]
Dey was born Susan Hallock Dey in Pekin, Illinois, to Ruth Pyle (née Doremus) Dey, a nurse,[1] and Robert Smith Dey, a newspaper editor for the Standard-Star in New Rochelle, New York.[citation needed] Ruth died in 1961, when Susan was eight years old.[1]
Susan attended Columbus Elementary School in Thornwood, New York, later moving to Mount Kisco, New York, where she graduated from Fox Lane High School in 1970.
Career[]
Dey was a model before starring as Laurie Partridge in the television series The Partridge Family from 1970 to 1974.[2][3] She was 17 years old when she won the part and had no previous acting experience. Dey's first modeling break was the cover photo for a booklet by Pursettes tampons on first facts of menstruation for young girls called "Getting to Know Yourself". She returned to weekly network television in 1977 as the co-star of the short-lived sitcom Loves Me, Loves Me Not.[2]
Dey's first film role was as a passenger in the 1972 airline hijack movie Skyjacked, starring Charlton Heston.[4] In a 1977 made-for-television movie, Mary Jane Harper Cried Last Night, Dey portrayed a disturbed young mother with serious psychological problems, who begins to take them out on her toddler daughter.[2][5] Also in 1977, Dey starred opposite William Katt in First Love, directed by Joan Darling.[2][6] Dey also appeared in the Barnaby Jones episode "Testament of Power" (1977).
Dey co-starred with Albert Finney in the 1981 science-fiction film Looker, written and directed by Michael Crichton.[2] She had a leading role in 1986's Echo Park as a struggling waitress-actress who takes a job as a stripper who delivers singing telegrams.[2][7] She starred on L.A. Law from 1986 through 1992 as Los Angeles County deputy district attorney Grace Van Owen, who later became a judge.[2] Dey won a Golden Globe Award as Actress in a Leading Role – Drama Series for the role in 1988.[8] She was also nominated in each of the following four years. Dey was also nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1987, 1988, and 1989.[9]
She hosted a 1992 episode of Saturday Night Live. Later that year, Dey co-starred in the sitcom Love & War.[2] Although the show ran until 1995, Dey was replaced in 1993 by Annie Potts because producers reportedly felt she had "no chemistry" with co-star Jay Thomas.[10] In 1993, she produced and starred in Lies & Lullabies (later released on DVD as Sad Inheritance), where she played a pregnant cocaine addict.[11]
Dey was mentioned in Shirley Jones's memoir as the only cast member who "consistently refused" to take part in Partridge Family reunions.[12]
In 1972, Dey was credited as the author of a book titled Susan Dey's Secrets on Boys, Beauty and Popularity.[13]
Personal life[]
During the production of The Partridge Family, Dey held romantic feelings for co-star David Cassidy. Dey and Cassidy eventually pursued a relationship when production on the show finished, but Cassidy broke it off as he did not reciprocate her feelings. In 1994, Cassidy disclosed details on his relationship with Dey in his autobiography, C'mon, Get Happy ... Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus, and he presumed this led to her severing contact with him.[14]
Dey was married to Leonard "Lenny" Hirshan from 1976 to 1981. They have one daughter, Sara, who was born in 1978. Dey has been married to television producer Bernard Sofronski since 1988.[citation needed]
She serves as a board member of the Rape Treatment Center at UCLA Medical Center and co-narrated a documentary on campus rape with her former L.A. Law co-star Corbin Bernsen.[15] She suffered with the eating disorder anorexia during the run of The Partridge Family.[16]
Filmography[]
Film[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1972 | The Candidate | Girl in Crowd | |
1972 | Skyjacked | Elly Brewster | |
1973 | Terror on the Beach | DeeDee Glynn | Television movie |
1975 | Cage Without a Key | Valerie Smith | Television movie |
1977 | Mary Jane Harper Cried Last Night | Rowena Harper | Television movie |
1977 | First Love | Caroline | |
1978 | Little Women | Jo March | Television miniseries |
1980 | The Comeback Kid | Megan Barrett | Television movie |
1981 | Looker | Cindy Fairmont | |
1983 | Malibu | Linda Harvey | Television movie |
1984 | Love Leads the Way | Beth | Television movie |
1986 | Echo Park | May | |
1987 | The Trouble with Dick | Diane | |
1992 | Bed of Lies | Vicky Daniel | Television movie |
1993 | Lies and Lullabies | Christina Kinsey | Television movie |
1994 | Beyond Betrayal | Joanna/Emily Doyle | Television movie |
1995 | Deadly Love | Rebecca Barnes | Television movie |
1995 | Blue River | Mrs. Sellers | Television movie |
1997 | Bridge of Time | Madeleine Armstrong | Television movie |
1998 | Avenged | Margo | |
2002 | L.A. Law: The Movie | Grace Van Owen | Television movie |
2002 | Disappearance | Patty Henley | Television movie |
2003 | Rain | Dianna Davis |
Television[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1970–74 | The Partridge Family | Laurie Partridge | 96 episodes Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film |
1973 | Circle of Fear | Peggy | Episode: "Doorway to Death" |
1973 | Goober and the Ghost Chasers | Laurie Partridge (voice) | 8 episodes |
1974 | Partridge Family 2200 A.D. | Laurie Partridge (voice) | 2 episodes |
1975 | The Rookies | Angel | Episode: "Angel" |
1975 | Hawaii Five-O | Susan Bradshaw | Episode: "Target? the Lady" |
1975 | S.W.A.T. | Janice | 2 episodes |
1976 | The Quest | Charlotte Rosee | Episode: "The Captive" |
1976 | The Streets of San Francisco | Barbara Ross | Episode: "The Thrill Killers" (filmed as a two-hour episode; aired in two parts) |
1977 | Loves Me, Loves Me Not | Jane Benson | 6 episodes |
1983–84 | Emerald Point N.A.S. | Celia Mallory | 22 episodes |
1986–92 | L.A. Law | Grace Van Owen | 110 episodes Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama (1989–92) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (1987–89) Nominated—Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Actress in a Quality Drama Series |
1992–93 | Love & War | Wallis "Wally" Porter | 23 episodes |
1999 | Family Law | Karen Hershey | Episode: "Holt vs. Holt" |
2004 | Third Watch | Dr. Breene | 2 episodes |
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Obituary". The New York Times. July 21, 1961.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h "Susan Dey". TVGuide.com. TV Guide. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ "The Partridge Family (TV Show) 1970". TVGuide.com. TV Guide. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
- ^ Soares, Emily. "Skyjacked (1972)". TCM.com. Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Retrieved August 16, 2018.
- ^ "Mary Jane Harper Cried Last Night (1977)". TCM.com. Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Retrieved August 16, 2018.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (November 5, 1977). "First Love, Film of the 70's, Misogynistic on Ugly Affair". The New York Times.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (April 25, 1986). "Echo Park (1986)". RogerEbert.com. Chicago Sun-Times.
- ^ "Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Drama (1988)". GoldenGlobes.com. Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
- ^ "39th Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners : OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES - 1987". Emmys.com. Emmy Awards. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 705. 0-345-45542-8
- ^ Scott, Tony (March 11, 1993). "ABC Sunday Night Movie Lies and Lullabies". Variety.com. Variety.
- ^ Nguyen, Vi-An (July 29, 2013). "7 Surprising Secrets of the Partridge Family Cast from Shirley Jones's Memoir". Parade.com. Parade Publications. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
- ^ Dey, Susan (May 10, 1972). Susan Dey's secrets on boys, beauty, & popularity. Scholastic Book Service. Archived from the original on April 5, 2014 – via Amazon.
- ^ "DAVID CASSIDY AND SUSAN DEY: INSIDE AN UNREQUITED LOVE ON 'THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY' BUS". Inquisitr. 2017. Archived from the original on November 21, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
- ^ Campus Rape. Rape Treatment Center, Santa Monica Hospital Medical Center. 1990. OCLC 21500123.
- ^ Mathews, Jay (October 5, 1989). "SUSAN DEY, LIGHT-YEARS FROM THE CHILD STAR". Washington Post. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
Sources[]
- Terrace, Vincent (1985). Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials: 1974–1984. New York: New York Zoetrope. ISBN 978-0-918432-61-2. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
External links[]
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- 1952 births
- Actresses from Illinois
- Actresses from New York (state)
- American child actresses
- American film actresses
- American television actresses
- Best Drama Actress Golden Globe (television) winners
- Female models from Illinois
- Living people
- People from Bedford, New York
- People from Pekin, Illinois
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- Writers from Illinois