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| Birth Name(s) : Susan Hallock Smith |
Date of Birth: December 10, 1952 |
| Status:
Married
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Partner:
Bernard Sofronski |
| Profession:
Actor |
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Full Susan Dey Biography
Susan Dey has been a regular sight on the small screen since her debut, at age 18, on "The Partridge Family". As Laurie, the pretty, sensible, eldest daughter and keyboardist of the traveling musical clan, she exuded an earnest, slightly gawky charm, even when her braces were wreaking havoc with the group's electrical equipment in a memorable episode.
After the show went off the air, Dey tried her luck on the big screen playing opposite William Katt in the bland teen romance "First Love" (1977), played the tomboyish Jo March in a TV adaptation of "Little Women" (NBC, 1978) and kept reasonably busy in a series of modest TV-movies, failed sitcom pilots and several other features. The best of the latter was the "Echo Park" (1985), with Dey as a single mother with show business aspirations who rents a room to a writer (Tom Hulce). Released several years before the boom in independent films, it went practically unnoticed by mainstream Hollywood, despite earning good reviews. A dutiful daughter role on the naval drama series "Emerald Point N.A.S." (CBS, 1983-84) failed to turn Dey's career around, but the role of Grace Van Owen, one of many high-powered attorneys peopling NBC's "L.A. Law", thrust her back into the spotlight. The long, straight hair of Laurie Partridge had been cut to a stylish bob, her alto voice a trifle deeper than before, Dey proved one of the series' main attractions over a six year run (1986-92). She ventured back to sitcoms as co-star of CBS' "Love and War" in 1992, but her return to comedy was short-lived. Citing "creative differences" with the series' producers, Dey opted out after one season. She continued working in TV-movies of varying quality, some of which were executive produced by her husband, Bernard Sofronski. (Dey had co-producer credit on others.) Among the more notable were "Bed of Lies" (ABC, 1992), wherein she was a woman who killed her politician husband, "Lies and Lullabies" (ABC, 1993), as a drug addict, "Blue River" (Fox, 1995), as an emotionally-repressed mother, and "Bridge of Time" (Fox, 1997), as a UN worker, one of the passengers of a plane which crashes into a Shangri-la-like preserve. |
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Additional Susan Dey Biography
Born to Robert Smith (a newspaper editor) and Gail Dey (a nurse), Susan was a model before starring as Laurie Partridge in the television series The Partridge Family from 1970–1974. She was 18 years old when she won the part, and had no previous acting experience.
While participating in The Partridge Family, striving to be as thin as possible, Dey developed an eating disorder, a form of orthorexia nervosa, according to A&E's Biography. While suffering from this disorder, she would eat only carrots. After a struggle, Dey overcame her disorder and regained her normal health.Susan Dey, in a still from the opening credits for The Partridge Family.
After the end of the television series, Dey strove to shed her wholesome image. She took movie roles in which she was required to appear nude or semi-nude. The new image did not significantly help her career, however, and she remained in scarce demand for movie roles. Dey felt that she had become too typecast, and to this day she refuses to talk about her days on The Partridge Family.
Dey seemed to be attempting a comeback with her appearance in 1981's sexy thriller Looker, but after this high-profile movie she nearly disappeared from the public eye until her starring role in the TV series L.A. Law as Grace Van Owen. She was critically hailed for her part in this role. She earned a Golden Globe Award as "Actress In A Leading Role — Drama Series" for this role in 1987. She was nominated four more times the following four years. She was also nominated for the Emmy Award for "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series" for this role in 1987, 1988 and 1989.
Dey has been married to her second husband, television producer Bernard Sofronski, since 1988. She has one child, a daughter, Sarah Hirshan (born 1978). Her daughter's father is her first husband, Lenny Hirshan (married 1976–1981). Susan Dey is a notable graduate of Fox Lane High School in Bedford, New York.
Since the ending of "LA Law," Dey has devoted herself to public service. 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 LA Law co-star, Corbin Bernsen.Susan in the film Echo Park. |
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