Susan was born on 31st July 1943 in New York City, where she attended Cathedral High School. She received a scholarship to Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and enrolled later at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, where she produced and directed TV and film documentaries, and received her B.F.A. in Theatre. Declining a graduate school scholarship to Yale University, she joined a repertory group. She then went to the Phoenix Little Theatre where she won the Best Actress award for her performance in "Country Girl". She got a master's degree in Theatre from Arizona State University before arriving in Hollywood.
Susan is a talented actress, and made her television debut in "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" (1965 and 1966), which landed her a role in "Days of our Lives" (1966 - 1975; playing Laura Spencer Horton). She has also appeared in "The Time Tunnel" (1966), "The Green Hornet" (1967), "Mannix" (1973), and "Love Thy Neighbour" (1973); as well as "Felony Squad", "Burke's Law", "Hazel", "Ben Casey", and "Slattery's People". She later enjoyed a role in the television series “Dallas” (1981) and "The Bold & The Beautiful" (1987 - 2008; playing Stephanie Douglas Forrester), and appeared in television movies "Women in White" (1979) and "Anatomy of a Seduction" (1979). She also co-produced the cable soap opera "New Day in Eden", and both starred and directed "The Bold and the Beautiful".
Susan has appeared in a number of films including "Guns of Diablo" (1964), "The Gnome-Mobile" (1967), "The Towering Inferno" (1974), "The Gumball Rally" (1976), "Money on the Side" (1982), and the television mini-series "The Moneychangers" (1976).
Susan is an award-winning television and motion picture actress. She won a Golden Globe Award (Most Promising Newcomer - Female) in 1975 for her role in the film "Towering Inferno" (1974). She has won four Emmy Awards (Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series) in 1975, 2000, 2002 and 2003 for her role in the television series "Days of Our Lives", with numerous other nominations. She also received an Emmy Award nomination in 1977 for her role in the mini-series "The Moneychangers" (1976).
"The Bold & The Beautiful" earned her two DGA nominations (Outstanding Directoral Achievements in a Daytime Series) in 1996 and 1998, and also a RATSC nomination (Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Series) in 1999.
[his portrait is illustrated above; source unrecorded]