Susan Brown (May 4, 1932 – August 31, 2018) was an American television and film actress and interior designer. She was best known for her roles on daytime soap operas, particularly ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...

''; in 1979, she was nominated for a

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...

for her role on the show.

Early life

Brown was born in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. She graduated from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

and later attended the

American Theatre Wing The American Theatre Wing (the Wing for short) is a New York City–based non-profit organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre", according to its mission statement. Originally known as the Stage Women's War Relief ...

in New York City.

Career

Brown's first soap role was on ''

From These Roots ''From These Roots'' is an American soap opera that aired from June 30, 1958, to December 29, 1961. It was created and written by Frank Provo and John Pickard. The show was seen on NBC. Storyline Actress Ann Flood starred as Elizabeth "Liz" ...

'' in 1959, taking over temporarily from leading actress

Ann Flood Ann Flood (born Maryanne Elizabeth Ott; November 12, 1932 – October 7, 2022) was an American actress, best known for her role as journalist and author Nancy Pollock Karr in the soap opera ''The Edge of Night'', a role she began in 1962. Floo ...

. Afterwards, she also subbed for Flood on numerous occasions in the role of Nancy Karr on ''

The Edge of Night ''The Edge of Night'' is an American television mystery crime drama series and soap opera, created by Irving Vendig and produced by Procter & Gamble Productions. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that netwo ...

''. She later had regular roles on the short-lived soaps ''

The Young Marrieds ''The Young Marrieds'' is an American daytime soap opera which aired on ABC from October 5, 1964 to March 25, 1966. The program was created by James Elward and written by Elward with Frances Rickett. Authors John Pascal and Francine Pascal al ...

'', ''

Bright Promise ''Bright Promise'' is an American daytime soap opera that ran on NBC from September 29, 1969 to March 31, 1972. Synopsis The show revolved around students and faculty at the fictional Bancroft College, located in the community of Bancroft, somew ...

'' and ''

Return to Peyton Place ''Return to Peyton Place'' is a 1959 novel by Grace Metalious, a sequel to her best-selling 1956 novel '' Peyton Place''. Plot summary After the phenomenal success of her first novel, Metalious hastily penned a sequel centering on the life and ...

'', playing

Constance MacKenzie Constance MacKenzie (née Standish) is a fictional character in the 1956 novel '' Peyton Place'' by Grace Metalious. In the subsequent film adaptation, she was played by Lana Turner; in the sequel '' Return to Peyton Place'', by Eleanor Parker; ...

. In 1977, Brown joined the cast of ''General Hospital'' as Dr. Gail Adamson Baldwin, Monica Webber's foster mother who married widowed attorney

Lee Baldwin Lee Baldwin is a fictional character on the daytime dramas '' General Hospital'' and ''Port Charles''. Ross Elliott originated the role on ''General Hospital'' in 1963. Peter Hansen inherited the role in 1965 and played it until 1986 and agai ...

( Peter Hansen). In 1979, Brown was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress. She left the series on December 12, 1985, and made occasional appearances from 1989 to 1990 before returning on September 30, 1992 on a recurring status. In between stints, Brown played Victoria Lane's mother, Janet, on '' Santa Barbara'' and businesswoman Adelaide Fitzgibbons (who was romantically involved with the much younger Kirk Anderson (

Tom Wiggin Tom Wiggin (born July 6, 1955) is an American actor, writer and entrepreneur. He is best known for creating the role of nefarious businessman Kirk Anderson on the long-running soap opera ''As the World Turns''. Early life, family and education ...

) on ''

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other soa ...

''). When ''General Hospital''s spin-off series ''

Port Charles ''Port Charles'' (commonly abbreviated as ''PC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from June 1, 1997, to October 3, 2003. It was a spin-off of the series ''General Hospital'', which has been running since 1963 and takes pl ...

'' began, the Baldwins were established as the core family, although once

Kin Shriner Kin Shriner (born December 6, 1953) is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Scott Baldwin on the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital'' and its spin-off, '' Port Charles''. Early life Shriner and his twin brother, actor Wil Shriner, ...

(who played

Scott Baldwin Scott "Scotty" Baldwin is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital'' and its now-defunct spinoff ''Port Charles''. The character debuted played by child actors in the 1960s until Kin Shriner assumed the role in 1977. Sc ...

) returned to ''General Hospital'', their appearances were reduced. Brown, however, continued to be seen on occasion for special events on both shows. Along with Peter Hansen, she made her final appearance in 2004 in an episode honoring the late

Anna Lee Anna Lee, MBE (born Joan Boniface Winnifrith; 2 January 1913 – 14 May 2004) was a British actress, labelled by studios "The British Bombshell". Early life Anna Lee was born Joan Boniface Winnifrith in Ightham, (pronounced 'Item'), Kent, the ...

, who played

Lila Quartermaine ''General Hospital'' is the longest running American television serial drama, airing on ABC. Created by Frank and Doris Hursley, who originally set it in a general hospital (hence the title), in an unnamed fictional city. In the 1970s, the city ...

, whose character was also killed off. Along with her soap career, Brown performed on Broadway, primetime television, and films. She guest starred on ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program ...

'', ''

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American action crime drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theodopolis "Theo" Kojak. Taking the time slot of the popular ''Cannon'' series, ...

'', ''

Marcus Welby, M.D. Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl ...

'', ''

Doc Elliot ''Doc Elliot'' is an American medical drama series that aired on ABC from October 10, 1973 until May 1, 1974. Premise Dr Benjamin R. Elliot (James Franciscus) is a successful New York City doctor who decided to leave Bellevue Hospital, drop out o ...

'', ''

Barney Miller ''Barney Miller'' is an American sitcom television series set in a New York City Police Department police station on East 6th St in Greenwich Village. The series was broadcast on ABC Network from January 23, 1975, to May 20, 1982. It was created ...

'', ''

Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

'', ''

Beverly Hills, 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to by its short title, ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling under his production company Spelling Television. The series ran for ...

'', and ''

Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons. It premiered on September 16, 1993, and ended on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee (as Grub ...

''. She was a regular cast member on the short-lived ABC legal drama, ''Mariah'' in 1987. Brown also appeared in a number of films; in 1971, she appeared in a science fiction feature film, ''The Andromeda Strain'' as Mrs Allison Stone. In addition, Brown appeared in made-for-TV movies, including playing

Nancy Reagan Nancy Davis Reagan (; born Anne Frances Robbins; July 6, 1921 – March 6, 2016) was an American film actress and First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989. She was the second wife of president Ronald Reagan. Reagan was born in N ...

in ''Without Warning: the James Brady Story'' and

Pat Nixon Thelma Catherine "Pat" Nixon (''née'' Ryan; March 16, 1912 – June 22, 1993) was First Lady of the United States from 1969 to 1974 as the wife of President Richard Nixon. She also served as Second Lady of the United States from 1953 to 1961 wh ...

in ''The Final Days''.

Personal life and death

Brown owned an interior design firm and assisted various soap stars and television friends with her decorating services. She died on August 31, 2018, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

from undisclosed causes at the age of 86. She had been suffering from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

. As per her last will and testament, upon her death, she was

cremated Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre i ...

Neptune Society The Neptune Society, Inc. is a US provider of cremation services. Its was founded in Plantation, Florida. History The Neptune Society was established in 1973 and was incorporated in 1985. In 1999, the Neptune Society announced its completion ...

and her ashes scattered at sea.

Soap appearances

*''

'' as Liz Fraser Allen (1958-1961) *''

'' as Nancy Pollock Karr (temporary replacement, 1962, 1964) *''

'' as Ann Reynolds (1964–66) *''

'' as Martha Ferguson (1969–72) *''

'' as Constance MacKenzie Carson (1972–1974) *''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, Wi ...

'' as Fran Whitaker (1975) *''

'' as Dr. Gail Adamson Baldwin (1977–85, 1989–90, 1992–2002, 2004) *'' Santa Barbara'' as Janet Lane (1986) *''

'' as Adelaide Fitzgibbon (1988) *''

'' as Dr. Gail Adamson Baldwin (1997–2001)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Susan 1932 births 2018 deaths Businesspeople from California American women interior designers Actresses from San Francisco American soap opera actresses American television actresses American stage actresses Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Deaths from dementia in California 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses University of Southern California alumni 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesswomen