Susan Dey is a former actress, producer and author. She gained fame for playing Laurie Partridge in the sitcom The Partridge Family. The actress, Susan Dey has received several award nominations and has won many awards in her 30-year career.
Although she began her career as a model, her acting talent gained her fame. The ex-actress is a three-time Emmy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe Award nominee.
What is Susan Dey Doing Now?
She continued her acting in TV and movies after the L.A. Law. The actress starred in the first season of the sitcom Love & War. In 2004, she acted in two episodes of the crime drama Third Watch.
However, this had been her last screen appearance to date. Since then, she has retired from acting. The former actress married producer Bernard Sofronski in 1988. She had a daughter from her first marriage.
Syndications and ongoing ’70s nostalgia have solidified The Partridge Family‘s iconic status. However, she expresses no interest in becoming part of any reunions. Shirley Jones, her on-screen mother from the show, expressed her disappointment in the refusal.
She claimed that Dey was the only member of the fictional family who refused to reunite. However, the former cast appreciated her decision to stick to her guns.
She has been famous for over 50 years now. However, she’s managed to keep an admirably low profile. While her onscreen work has impressively defined not one but two decades she keeps her life private.
How Did She Get Her Start?
She started as a young model. Her winsome expression, bright blue eyes and long, centre-parted hair gave her a girl-next-door look. This landed her in many teen magazines.
However, with her approachable avatar for teen girlhood, she appeared in tampon ads aimed at the demographic. This combination of beauty and a down-to-earth quality won her the role of Laurie Partridge at just 17 years old in 1970.
Laurie played keyboards and organ on the show and provided harmonies to the sunny songs. But these were works of session players. She was not a musician in her real life. While she lacked musical talent, she made up for charm and good humour.
What Were Her Struggles as a Teen Star?
She has expressed how growing up in public was a challenge. Her on-screen siblings projected positivity. But she said in an interview how difficult and strange it was to play an adult when one is not an adult.
The pressures of appearing onscreen led to her eating disorder during the show. When The Partridge Family ended in 1974, she ran into the post-teen star issue. She was trying to avoid typecasting and underestimation of her abilities as a performer.
Long after the show ended, she snapped all ties with her on-screen brother David Cassidy. Cassidy crudely revealed the fling between them during the show in his 1994 memoir.
Her struggles with alcoholism were exposed by tabloids without her consent. Thereafter she has become very conscious of her addressing the issue and speaking about her personal life in public.
How was Her Career After The Partridge Family?
She hugely returned to the small screen. In the 80s, she starred as district attorney Grace Van Owen on the popular legal drama L.A. Law. The show ran from 1986 to 1994. She appeared in 126 episodes and a 2002 reunion TV movie. The ex-actress is a three-time Emmy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe Award nominee.
As Grace, she got to show her dramatic chops. She got chances to have onscreen romances with hunky stars Harry Hamlin and Jimmy Smits. The actress relished the opportunity to challenge herself in the role. She only decided to leave the show once she felt there were no new surprises.
In Looker, nudity is thrown at the audience. It has made a one-time TV teen Susan Dey Nude on screen. However, this was not the first instance for her. This film was four years after she was nude in the sexually charged First Love. However, she should not be identified for her bold scenes.
The actress has a long list of great appearances on screen. She has been famous for over 50 years now. The combination of beauty and a down-to-earth quality won her the role of Laurie Partridge at just 17 years old in 1970.
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