Susan Hallock Dey (born December 10, 1952) is a retired American actress, known for her television roles as Laurie Partridge on the sitcom ''

The Partridge Family ''The Partridge Family'' is an American musical sitcom starring Shirley Jones and featuring David Cassidy. Jones plays a widowed mother, and Cassidy plays the oldest of her five children, in a family who embarks on a music career. It ran from S ...

'' from 1970 to 1974, and as Grace Van Owen on the drama series '' L.A. Law'' from 1986 to 1992. A three-time

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nominee and six-time

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

nominee, she won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama Series for ''L.A. Law'' in 1988.

Early life and education

Dey was born in

Pekin, Illinois Pekin () is a city in and the county seat of Tazewell County, Illinois, Tazewell County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located on the Illinois River, Pekin is the largest city of Tazewell County and the second most populous municipality of the Pe ...

, to Ruth Pyle (née Doremus) Dey, a nurse, and Robert Smith Dey, an editor for the ''Standard-Star'' newspaper in

New Rochelle, New York New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state o ...

. Ruth died in 1961, when Susan was eight. Dey attended Columbus Elementary School in Thornwood, New York. She later moved to

Mount Kisco, New York Mount Kisco is a village and town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The town of Mount Kisco is coterminous with the village. The population was 10,959 at the 2020 United States census over 10,877 at the 2010 census. It serves as a ...

, where she graduated from Fox Lane High School in 1970.

Career

Dey began her professional life as a model. Her first modeling break was the cover photo of a booklet by Pursettes tampons on first facts of menstruation for young girls, "Getting to Know Yourself". She was cast as Laurie Partridge in the television series ''

'' from 1970 to 1974. She was 17 when she won the part with no previous acting experience. She returned to weekly network television in 1977 as the co-star of the short-lived sitcom '' Loves Me, Loves Me Not''. Dey's first film role was as a passenger in the 1972 airline hijack movie '' Skyjacked'', starring

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist. As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten ...

. In a 1977 made-for-television movie, '' Mary Jane Harper Cried Last Night'', she portrayed a disturbed young mother with serious psychological problems who begins to take them out on her toddler daughter. Also in 1977, Dey starred opposite

William Katt William Theodore Katt (born February 16, 1951) is an American actor and musician best known as the star of the television series '' The Greatest American Hero''. He first became known for playing Tommy Ross, the ill-fated prom date of Carrie ...

in ''

First Love First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

'', directed by

Joan Darling Joan Darling (née Kugell; born April 14, 1935, Boston, Massachusetts, United States) is an American actress, film and television director and a dramatic arts instructor. Biography Born Joan Kugell in Boston, Darling began her career with the ...

and appeared in the ''

Barnaby Jones ''Barnaby Jones'' is an American detective television series starring Buddy Ebsen as a formerly retired investigator and Lee Meriwether as his widowed daughter-in-law, who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles, California. The show was o ...

'' episode "Testament of Power" (1977). Dey co-starred with

Albert Finney Albert Finney (9 May 1936 – 7 February 2019) was an English actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in the theatre before attaining prominence on screen in the early 1960s, debuting with '' The Entertainer'' (1960 ...

in the 1981 science-fiction film ''

Looker ''Looker'' is a 1981 American science fiction film written and directed by Michael Crichton and starring Albert Finney, Susan Dey, and James Coburn. The film is a suspense/science-fiction piece that comments upon and satirizes media, advertisin ...

'', written and directed by

Michael Crichton John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavily feature tech ...

. She had a leading role in 1986's ''

Echo Park Echo Park is a neighborhood in the east-central region of Los Angeles, California. Located to the northwest of Downtown, it is bordered by Silver Lake to the west and Chinatown to the east. The culturally diverse neighborhood has become known f ...

'' as a struggling waitress-actress who takes a job as a

stripper A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at a bachelor party or other private event. ...

who delivers

singing telegrams A singing telegram is a message that is delivered by an artist in a musical form. Singing telegrams are historically linked to normal telegrams, but tend to be humorous. Sometimes the artist is in costume or formal clothing. Western Union, the Am ...

. She starred on '' L.A. Law'' from 1986 through 1992 as Los Angeles County deputy district attorney Grace Van Owen, who later became a judge. She won a

as Actress in a Leading Role – Drama Series for the role in 1988. She was also nominated in each of the following four years. She was also nominated for the

for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1987, 1988, and 1989. She hosted a 1992 episode of ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...

''. Later that year, she co-starred in the sitcom '' Love & War''. Although the show ran until 1995, Dey was replaced in 1993 by

Annie Potts Anne Hampton Potts (born October 28, 1952) is an American actress. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for ''Corvette Summer'' (1978) and won a Genie Award for '' Heartaches'' (1981), before appearing in '' Ghostbusters'' (1984), ''Pretty ...

because producers reportedly felt she had "no chemistry" with co-star

Jay Thomas Jay Thomas (born Jon Thomas Terrell; July 12, 1948 – August 24, 2017) was an American actor, comedian, and radio personality. He was heard in New York from 1976–1979 on top-40 station 99X, and later on rhythmic CHR station 92KTU, and in ...

. In 1993, Dey produced and starred in '' Lies & Lullabies'' (later released on DVD as '' Sad Inheritance''), where she played a pregnant cocaine addict. Dey was mentioned in

Shirley Jones Shirley Mae Jones (born March 31, 1934) is an American actress and singer. In her six decades in show business, she has starred as wholesome characters in a number of musical films, such as '' Oklahoma!'' (1955), ''Carousel'' (1956), and ''The M ...

's memoir as the only cast member who "consistently refused" to take part in ''Partridge Family'' reunions. In 1972, Dey was credited as the author of a book titled ''Susan Dey's Secrets on Boys, Beauty and Popularity''.

Personal life

During the production of ''

'', Dey had romantic feelings for co-star

David Cassidy David Bruce Cassidy (April 12, 1950 – November 21, 2017) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was best known for his role as Keith Partridge, the son of Shirley Partridge (played by his stepmother, Shirley Jones), in t ...

. They eventually pursued a relationship when the show ended, but Cassidy broke it off as he did not share her feelings. In 1994, Cassidy disclosed details of his relationship with Dey in his autobiography ''C'mon, Get Happy ... Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus;'' he presumed this led to her severing contact with him. Dey was married to Leonard "Lenny" Hirshan from 1976 to 1981. They have one daughter, Sara, born in 1978. Dey has been married to television producer Bernard Sofronski since 1988. She serves as a board member of the Rape Treatment Center at

UCLA Medical Center Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (also commonly referred to as ''UCLA Medical Center'', "RRMC" or "Ronald Reagan") is a hospital located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, United ...

, and co-narrated a documentary on campus rape with former ''L.A. Law'' co-star

Corbin Bernsen Corbin Dean Bernsen (born September 7, 1954) is an American actor and film director. He appeared as divorce attorney Arnold Becker on the NBC drama series '' L.A. Law'',

. She suffered from the

eating disorder An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating behaviors that negatively affect a person's physical or mental health. Only one eating disorder can be diagnosed at a given time. Types of eating disorders include binge eating d ...

anorexia Anorexia nervosa, often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by low weight, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thin. ''Anorexia'' is a term of Gre ...

during the run of ''The Partridge Family''.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

Sources

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dey, Susan 1952 births Actresses from Illinois Actresses from New York (state) American child actresses American film actresses American television actresses Best Drama Actress Golden Globe (television) winners Female models from Illinois Living people People from Bedford, New York People from Pekin, Illinois 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Writers from Illinois