Susan Ellen Anton is an American actress and singer.

Early life

Yucaipa, California Yucaipa ( Serrano: ''Yukaipa't'') is a city located east of San Bernardino, in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 51,367 at the 2010 census, up from 41,207 at the 2000 census. According to San Bernardino Coun ...

, and graduated in 1968. After high school, Anton attended San Bernardino Valley College. She first experienced fame by winning the nearby Miss Redlands and later the Miss California beauty contests in 1969 and tied as second runner-up in the 1969

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...

Scholarship Pageant held September 6 that year.

Career

Starting in 1976, Anton developed a following for her Muriel Cigar commercials where she sang, "Let Muriel turn you on / That is my desire / Muriel lights a flame in me / Where there's Muriel smoke, there's fire". Later in the 1970s, Anton appeared approximately 30 times on Merv Griffin's TV show. She was frequently seen and heard in television, print and radio ads for the Perfect Sleeper mattress by Serta. In these ads, she announced her name and sang the company's jingle. In 1978, ABC gave her and country singer Mel Tillis a summertime variety series, ''Mel and Susan Together'', produced by the Osmond Brothers. The pairing of Anton and Tillis was an unlikely one: he was popular in country music circles but hardly a national household name while Susan was barely known at all. The show disappeared after four weeks; nevertheless, she was later chosen as one of ''

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Ma ...

''s "Most Promising Faces of 1979". She later starred in her own variety show, ''Presenting Susan Anton,'' ''Stop Susan Williams'' ( one of three serials in the Cliffhangers series), and in the films '' Goldengirl,'' '' Spring Fever,'' and ''

Cannonball Run II ''Cannonball Run II'' is a 1984 action comedy film starring Burt Reynolds and an all-star cast, released by Warner Bros. and Golden Harvest. Like the original '' Cannonball Run'', it is set around an illegal cross-country race. This was the l ...

.'' She also recorded music, her biggest hit being "Killin' Time" in 1980, a duet with country singer Fred Knoblock. The record made Top 10 on the country charts and hit #28 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

's'' Hot 100. In 1990, Anton appeared on the TV comedy series '' Night Court'' in an episode called "The Talk Show" where she played talk show producer Margo Hunter. Anton is on the cover of the mass trade paperback edition of ''Goldengirl,'' written by Peter Lovesey (using the pen name Peter Lear). She had appeared as the title character in the film version which starred

James Coburn James Harrison Coburn III (August 31, 1928 – November 18, 2002) was an American film and television actor who was featured in more than 70 films, largely action roles, and made 100 television appearances during a 45-year career.AllmoviBi ...

and was directed by Joseph Sargent. Anton was the host of the successful "Great Radio City Music Hall Spectacular" show at the Flamingo Hilton in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

for over 5,000 performances until July 31, 2000. She also appeared in the Las Vegas company of the musical '' Hairspray'' and on Broadway in '' The Will Rogers Follies,'' '' Hurlyburly,'' and ''

All Shook Up "All Shook Up" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley, published by Elvis Presley Music, and composed by Otis Blackwell. The single topped the U.S. ''Billboard'' Top 100 on April 13, 1957, staying there for eight weeks. It also topped the ''Bil ...

.'' She had a recurring role on the TV series ''

Baywatch ''Baywatch'' is an American action drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bo ...

'' from 1992 to 1994 and has appeared as herself on '' Queer Eye for the Straight Guy'' (2006), ''The Larry Sanders Show'' (1993) and ''It's Garry Shandling's Show'' (1987), as well as in several films. Most recently she appeared in the movie Sharknado: The 4th Awakens in 2016. Anton appeared in an episode of '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' which aired on March 31, 2010. She was scheduled to reprise her role as Velma Von Tussle in '' Hairspray'' at the Hollywood Bowl production slated to run from August 5 to 7, 2011. In 2020, Anton starred in the feature

psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting. In terms of context and c ...

film ''Painter'' as the character Carree Tole.

Personal life

Anton was involved in a much publicized relationship with English film and TV star

Dudley Moore Dudley Stuart John Moore CBE (19 April 193527 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. Moore first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. He was one of the four writ ...

in the early 1980s, with much being made of their height difference: Moore being and Anton . Anton married television actor Jeff Lester on August 15, 1992, her second marriage.

Filmography

Discography

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Anton, Susan 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Living people Actresses from California American women country singers American country singer-songwriters American film actresses American musical theatre actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American women pop singers American beauty pageant winners Miss America 1970 delegates People from San Bernardino County, California Singer-songwriters from California 21st-century American women singers San Bernardino Valley College alumni Country musicians from California People from Yucaipa, California 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers Year of birth missing (living people)