Susan Strasberg

Susan Strasberg
1973 promotional image of Mannix
Born	Susan Elizabeth Strasberg May 22, 1938 New York City, New York
Died	January 21, 1999 (aged 60) New York City, New York
Cause of death	Thrombosis
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1953–1992
Spouse(s)	Christopher Jones (1965-1968; divorced; 1 child)
Parents	Lee Strasberg, Paula Strasberg

Susan Elizabeth Strasberg (May 22, 1938 – January 21, 1999) was an American film and stage actress.

Background and career

Strasberg was born in New York City, New York, the daughter of theatre director and drama coach Lee Strasberg of the Actors Studio and former actress Paula Strasberg. Her brother, John, is an acting coach. Her parents were both from Jewish families that immigrated from Europe.

Strasberg in the 1950s.

After a widely praised performance as a teenager in Picnic, Strasberg originated the title role in the Broadway production of The Diary of Anne Frank and was nominated for a Tony Award at the age of 18. Strasberg became the youngest actress to star on Broadway with her name above the marquee title. In 1955, she appeared on the cover of Newsweek (December 19, 1955 issue) and twice on the cover of Life Magazine (July 11, 1955 issue; November 11, 1955 issue). Director George Stevens used a different actress in the 1959 film version of The Diary of Anne Frank because he feared her acting teacher parents would undermine his authority on the set. She later starred in the Italian Holocaust film Kapò which was nominated for an Academy Award as best foreign film of 1960.

From the 1960s through the 1980s she guest-starred in such television series as The Virginian, The Invaders, Bonanza, The F.B.I., Breaking Point, Burke's Law, The Streets of San Francisco, Night Gallery, McCloud, Alias Smith & Jones, The Big Valley, Remington Steele and twice on The Rockford Files (as Deborah Ryder) and as Karen Stiles (Rockford's ex-girlfriend).

Berlin International Film Festival

She lived in Italy in the early 1960s where she was often called 'La Strasberg'. In 1993 she was a jury member for the 43rd Berlin International Film Festival.

Books

Strasberg wrote two best-selling books. Bittersweet was an autobiography in which she wrote about her tumultuous relationships with actors Richard Burton and Christopher Jones, along with her daughter's struggles with a heart defect. Marilyn and Me: Sisters, Rivals, Friends was about Strasberg's friendship with Marilyn Monroe, whom she called a "surrogate sister" and a "member" of the Strasberg family for many years.^{[citation needed]} Strasberg was working on a third book about her personal spiritual journey at the time of her death entitled Confessions of a New Age Heretic.

Personal life

Strasberg's daughter Jennifer Robin was born March 14, 1966, in Los Angeles, during her short marriage to actor Christopher Jones, with whom she had appeared in an episode of The Legend of Jesse James. In her autobiography she joked that her daughter would be the "real Jennifer Jones," given that the actress Jennifer Jones used a stage name.^{[citation needed]}

Susan had a brief romance with Warren Beatty during the early 1960s.

Susan and her brother John were disinherited by their father Lee Strasberg. He changed his will at the end of his life leaving everything to his third wife Anna.

Death

Strasberg struggled with breast cancer for a number of years. She died in 1999, aged 60, as a result of cancer and thrombosis following an injury.

Filmography

• The Cobweb (1955)
• Picnic (1955)
• 1955 Motion Picture Theatre Celebration (1955) (short subject)
• Stage Struck (1958)
• Kapò (1959)
• Scream of Fear (1961)
• The Shortest Day (1962)
• Disorder (1962)
• Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man (1962)
• The High Bright Sun (1964)
• The Trip (1967)
• Psych-Out (1968)
• The Name of the Game Is Kill (1968)
• Chubasco (1968)
• The Brotherhood (1968)
• Sweet Hunters (1969)
• The Sisters (1969)
• The Other Side of the Wind (1972) (unfinished)
• So Evil, My Sister (1974)
• The Legend of Hillbilly John (1974)
• The Stronger (1976) (short subject)
• Sammy Somebody (1976)
• Rollercoaster (1977)
• The Manitou (1978)
• In Praise of Older Women (1978)
• Acting: Lee Strasberg and the Actors Studio (1981) (documentary)
• Bloody Birthday (1981)
• The Returning (1983)
• Sweet 16 (1983)
• The Delta Force (1986)
• Remembering Marilyn (1987) (documentary)
• Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend (1987) (documentary)
• The Runnin' Kind (1989)
• Prime Suspect (1989)
• Schweitzer (1990)
• The Cherry Orchard (1992)

External links

• Susan Strasberg at the Internet Movie Database
• Susan Strasberg at the Internet Broadway Database
• Susan Strasberg at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• John Strasberg Studios
• Susan Strasberg discussing Marilyn Monroe video, 6 min.,
• Susan Strasberg at Find a Grave