Susan Blakely
Age: 76
Birthplace: Frankfurt, Germany
Susan Blakely (born September 7, 1948) is an American actress and model. She is best known for her leading role in the 1976 ABC miniseries, Rich Man, Poor Man, for which she received Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Television Series Drama. Blakely also has appeared in films include The Towering Inferno (1974), Report to the Commissioner (1975), Capone (1975), The Concorde ... Airport '79 (1979), and Over the Top (1987).
Early life
Blakely was born in Frankfurt, Germany, the daughter of American parents, Mary Louise, a former art teacher, and Colonel Larry Blakely, a career Army officer. After she attended University of Texas, she moved to New York, while she studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse and later began professional modeling career at Ford Modeling Agency.
Career
Blakely arrived in Hollywood in the early 1970s, and began appearing in supporting roles in films include Savages, The Way We Were, and The Lords of Flatbush. Her first major role was as Patty Simmons in the 1974 disaster film The Towering Inferno. The following year, she played the female lead roles in films Report to the Commissioner alongside Michael Moriarty, and Capone opposite Ben Gazzara.
Blakely gained wide critical acclaim with her leading role in the 1976 ABC television miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Irwin Shaw. For her performance, Blakely won that year's Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Television Series Drama and earned a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie. She earned a second Emmy Award nomination the following year when she reprised her role in Rich Man, Poor Man Book II. After her television success, she played leading roles in two movies in 1979; disaster film The Concorde ... Airport '79 opposite Alain Delon, and sport drama Dreamer with Tim Matheson.
During 1980s and 1990s, Blakely played leading roles in many made for television movies. She portrayed Frances Farmer in the 1982 film based on Farmer's autobiography, Will There Really Be a Morning?, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Miniseries or Television Film. She played Eva Braun opposite Anthony Hopkins in Adolf Hitler' biographical film The Bunker (1981), and Joan Kennedy in The Ted Kennedy Jr. Story (1986). She appeared in such feature films as Over the Top (1987), My Mom's a Werewolf (1989), and Hate Crime (2005). She guest starred on Hotel, The Twilight Zone, Falcon Crest, Murder, She Wrote, Nip/Tuck, Brothers & Sisters, Southland, and Cougar Town.
Personal life
In 1982, Blakely married media consultant and crisis management expert Steve Jaffe, a former television producer. In 2003, Blakely created a semi-precious jewelry line from her own designs.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1972 | Savages | Cecily | |
1973 | The Way We Were | Judianne | |
1974 | The Lords of Flatbush | Jane Bradshaw | |
1974 | The Towering Inferno | Patty | |
1975 | Report to the Commissioner | Patty Butler | |
1975 | Shampoo | Girl on Street | Uncredited |
1975 | Capone | Iris Crawford | |
1976 | Rich Man, Poor Man | Julie Prescott | Miniseries Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Television Series Drama Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie |
1976 | Rich Man, Poor Man Book II | Julie Prescott | Miniseries Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie |
1977 | Secrets | Andrea Fleming | Television film |
1979 | Dreamer | Karen | |
1979 | The Concorde ... Airport '79 | Maggie Whelan | |
1980 | Make Me an Offer | Joyce Windsor | Television film |
1980 | A Cry for Love | Polly Harris | Television film |
1981 | The Oklahoma City Dolls | Sally Jo Purkey | Television film |
1981 | The Bunker | Eva Braun | Television film |
1983 | Will There Really Be a Morning? | Frances Farmer | Television film Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Miniseries or Television Film |
1984 | The Hitchhiker | Melody | Episode: "Remembering Melody" |
1985 | Stingray | Evelyn Decter | Television film |
1985 | The Love Boat | Nicole Phillips | 2 episodes |
1986 | Blood & Orchids | Marie Farrell | Television film |
1986 | Annihilator | Layla | Television film |
1986 | The Ted Kennedy Jr. Story | Joan Kennedy | Television film |
1987 | Over the Top | Christina Hawk | |
1987 | The Twilight Zone | Linda Wolfe | Episode: "The Card/The Junction" |
1985-1987 | Hotel | Marion Thorne / Dr. Ann Vargo / Allison | 3 episodes |
1987 | The Survivalist | Linda Ryan | |
1987 | Fatal Confession: A Father Dowling Mystery | Patricia Erdain | Television film |
1988 | Broken Angel | Catherine Coburn | Television film |
1988 | April Morning | Sarah Cooper | Television film |
1988 | Hiroshima Maiden | Betty Bennett | Television film |
1988 | Ladykillers | Lilah Corbett | Television film |
1988 | In the Heat of the Night | Claudia Merrill | Episode: "The Family Secret" |
1989 | Dream a Little Dream | Cherry Diamond | |
1989 | My Mom's a Werewolf | Leslie Shaber | |
1990 | The Incident | Billie | Television film |
1990 | Falcon Crest | Anne Bowen | 3 episodes |
1990 | Dead Reckoning | Alex Barnard | |
1990 | Out of Sight, Out of Mind | Alice Lundgren | |
1990 | Murder Times Seven | Gert Kiley | Television film |
1991 | And the Sea Will Tell | Gail Bugliosi | Television film |
1991 | Blackmail | Lucinda | Television film |
1991 | Wildflower | Ada Guthrie | Television film |
1992 | Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore | Billie | Television film |
1992 | Intruders | Leigh Holland | Miniseries |
1992 | Russian Holiday | Susan Dennison | |
1993 | No Child of Mine | Peggy Young | Television film |
1994 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Meredith Clancy | Episode: "Deadly Vision" |
1994 | The True Story of the Menendez Murders | Leslie Abramson | Television film |
1989-1994 | Murder, She Wrote | Variety roles | 4 episodes |
1994 | Seven Sundays | Alice | |
1995 | Step by Step | Pam Marshall | Episode: "She Came in Through the Bedroom Window" |
1996 | Co-ed Call Girl | Teri Halbert | Television film |
1996 | Color Me Perfect | Dr. Linda Ryan | Television film |
1998 | Broken Silence: A Moment of Truth Movie | Margaret Carlyle | Television film |
1998 | 7th Heaven | Elizabeth Brown | Episode: "And a Nice Chianti" |
1999 | Gut Feeling | ||
2000 | Chain of Command | Meg Danforth | Television film |
2000 | The Perfect Nanny | Dr. Julia Bruning | Television film |
2000 | Her Married Lover | Laura Mannhart | Television film |
2001 | A Mother's Testimony | Donna Mulroney | Television film |
2001 | Crash Point Zero | Barbara Esmond | |
2001 | Strong Medicine | Camille Cantrell | Episode: "Rebirth" |
2002 | Hungry Hearts | Barbi Harris | |
2004 | L.A. Twister | Vivian | |
2005 | Hate Crime | Martha Boyd | |
2005 | The Perfect Neighbor | Jeannie Costigan | Television film |
2006 | Cold Case | Mollie Felice | Episode: "Baby Blues" |
2007 | Side Order of Life | Margot McIntyre | 3 episodes |
2007 | Nip/Tuck | Valerie Farrell | Episode: "Everett Poe" |
2008 | Murder 101: New Age | Camilla Meera | Television film |
2008 | Grizzly Park | Unhappy Camper | |
2008 | Two and a Half Men | Angie | 2 episodes |
2008 | Mating Dance | Abby's Mother | |
2010 | The Genesis Code | Beverly Truman | |
2010 | Brothers & Sisters | Celia Calmartin | Episode: "Faking It" |
2009 - 2011 | Southland | Linda Sherman | 2 episodes |
2011 | Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 | Vivian Ashe | |
2012 | Cougar Town | Betsy | Episode 3.8: "Ways to be Wicked" |
2013 | The Perfect Boyfriend | Clara | Television film |
2013 | Green Briefs | Theresa | |
2015 | Displacement | Carol Sinclair |