- Born
- Died
- Birth nameSusan Elizabeth Strasberg
- Height5′ 0½″ (1.54 m)
- Susan Strasberg was born in New York City on May 22, 1938. From the time of her birth, she was destined to be an actress, as her father was Lee Strasberg, acting coach at the famed Actors Studio in New York. In 1953, Susan made her acting debut in the episode Catch a Falling Star (1953) of the Goodyear Playhouse (1951) when she was just 15 years old. However, her true stage debut was on Broadway in the title role of "Diary of Anne Frank" in 1955. From that time on, Susan would devote part time to the stage and part time to the screen. Her first movie role was a fourth-billed part in Picnic (1955). That spot wasn't bad, considering she was still relatively new to the screen and her co-stars were William Holden, Kim Novak, Rosalind Russell, Cliff Robertson and Arthur O'Connell.
After making The Cobweb (1955) later that same year, she went back to perform on the stage. It just wasn't on-screen that she co-starred with big names; in 1957 she shared the stage with Helen Hayes and Richard Burton in "Time Remembered". In 1958, Susan returned to the big screen again in Stage Struck (1958). Although her billing wasn't anywhere near what it was with "Picnic", the picture got good reviews. For the remainder of her acting career, Susan alternated among the stage, screen and television. Wherever there was an acting role, she was there to appear in it. She spent some time in Europe, particularly Italy, making films for the rabid fans there. During the course of her tenure, she appeared in three documentaries about her old friend Marilyn Monroe. The first two were Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend (1986) and Remembering Marilyn (1988). The third was Marilyn Monroe: Life After Death (1994). On January 21, 1999, Susan lost her struggle with breast cancer in New York City. She was a youthful 60 years old.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Denny Jackson (qv's & corrections by A. Nonymous)
- SpouseChristopher Jones(September 25, 1965 - March 1968) (divorced, 1 child)
- Children
- Parents
- RelativesJohn Strasberg(Sibling)David Lee Strasberg(Half Sibling)Adam Strasberg(Half Sibling)
- Daughter of Lee Strasberg and stage actress Paula Strasberg. Mother of one child, daughter Jennifer Robin Jones (B: March 14, 1966), with ex-husband Christopher Jones.
- Originated the role of Anne Frank in the original 1955 Broadway production of "The Diary of Anne Frank". Of the opening night cast members, only Joseph Schildkraut and Gusti Huber as Anne Frank's parents and Lou Jacobi as Mr. Van Daan also appeared in George Stevens' 1959 film.
- Was nominated for Broadway's 1956 Tony Award as Best Actress (Dramatic) for "The Diary of Anne Frank."
- In her early teens, she made her stage debut in an off-Broadway production of "Maya." She auditioned for the part when actress Jo Van Fleet, a member of the cast and friend of her famous parents, mentioned that the director was still looking for an ingenue.
- Her father was a Jewish immigrant who was born in Budzanów, Austrian Poland (now Budaniv, Ukraine). Her mother was born in New York of Austrian Jewish descent.
- There's no such thing as The Method. The term "method-acting" is so much nonsense. There are many methods, many techniques. My father merely used a method of teaching based on the ideas originally propounded by [Konstantin Stanislavski]--self-discipline, how to think out a role and use imagination. That's all.
- [1980] The parts that Jane Fonda or Meryl Streep or Jill Clayburgh or Sally Field get, those are the parts I'd love to get a crack at. To a degree I should be playing much better parts than I am. But since I don't measure myself by what kind of parts I play I consider myself one of the most successful people I know.
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