- Susan Saint James
Infobox actor
name = Susan Saint James
imagesize =
caption =
birthdate=Birth date and age|1946|8|14|df=y
location=Los Angeles, California , U.S.
birthname = Susan Jane Miller
yearsactive = 1966-present
spouse =Dick Ebersol (1981 - present) 3 children; Tom Lucas (1971 - 1977) (divorced) 2 children; Richard Neubert (1967 - 1968) (divorced)homepage =
emmyawards = Outstanding Continued Performance by a Supporting Actress 1969 "The Name of the Game"Susan Saint James (born
August 14 ,1946 ) is an Americanactress andactivist , most widely known for her Emmy Award-recognized work in television during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.cite web | title=Susan Saint James| url=http://www.cwhf.org/browse_hall/hall/people/st_james.php | work=Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame | date= | accessdate=2008-04-06]Born Susan Jane Miller in
Los Angeles, California to aConnecticut family, Saint James was raised inRockford, Illinois where she began modeling as a teenager. During this time, she attended theWoodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart inLake Forest, Illinois . She later attended the Connecticut College for Women. St. James became a household name at the age of 22, starting as an editorial assistant, Peggy Maxwell, on "The Name of the Game", then asRock Hudson 's younger supportive wife, Sally McMillan in the popular1970 s crime drama, "McMillan and Wife ", and asJane Curtin 's childhood friend, Kate McArdle, in the1980 s sitcom, "Kate & Allie ".Career
At the age of 20, she moved to
California where she began her acting career. Among her early television appearances were two episodes of the first season of "Ironside" ("Girl In The Night", Dec 1967 and two months later, playing a different role in the episode "Something For Nothing").She landed a role in the series "The Name of the Game", winning an
Emmy Award for her role in1969 . She appeared in the pilot episode of "Alias Smith and Jones "1971 . From 1971 until1976 , she played Sally McMillan oppositeRock Hudson in the series "McMillan and Wife " and received four Emmy Award nominations.She left the show to further her career as an actress in feature
film s and achieved a significant success in the vampire comedy "Love At First Bite " (1979 ). Between films, she made a guest appearance in a1980 episode of "M*A*S*H".After other film ventures failed to establish her, she returned to television, appearing in the comedy series "
Kate & Allie " oppositeJane Curtin from1984 until1989 . She received a further three Emmy Award nominations for this role.Saint James was also a celebrity and commentator for World Wrestling Federation (WWF)'s "
WrestleMania 2 " event in1986 along withVince McMahon .In her mid-40's, Saint James proclaimed herself retired after "Kate & Allie" ended.cite news | author= | title=Where Are They Now? - Susan St. James uses her mom-sense| url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/TV/11/26/people.watn.stjames/index.html | work=People | date=2002 | accessdate=2008-04-06] In addition to motherhood (her youngest son was born during the fourth season of "Kate & Allie"), she's been an active volunteer with the
Special Olympics (an organization she began actively supporting in 1972) [cite press release |url=http://www.specialolympics.org/Special+Olympics+Public+Website/English/Press_Room/Global_News_Archive/2006+Global+News+Archive/New+York+City+Urban+Initiative.htm |title=Special Olympics Announces Official Launch of Urban Strategy in New York City |date=November 2006 |publisher=Special Olympics ] [http://www.californiawomen.org/conference_speaker.html?year=07&speaker=33 Speaker Spotlight: Susan Saint James] ,The Women's Conference .] ; she has in the past also served on their board and served asCivitan International 's celebrity chairperson for their Special Olympics involvement. [cite book |last= Armbrester |first= Margaret E. |title= The Civitan Story |year= 1992 |publisher= Ebsco Media |location= Birmingham, AL |pages= 149 ] In 1998 Saint James, her sister Mercedes Dewey and friend Barrie Johnson founded "Seedling and Pip" [ [http://www.seedlingandpip.com/ Seedling and Pip official website] ] , a baby gift basket business. She is also a board member of the Telluride Foundation [ [http://www.telluridefoundation.org/boardofdirectors.html Board of Directors] , Telluride Foundation.]Saint James has occasionally emerged from retirement to appear in TV series guest roles, such as the mother of (her real-life niece)
Christa Miller in the first season of "The Drew Carey Show ", and ten years later, as a defense attorney on theFebruary 28 ,2006 episode of "". She also starred in aWarner Theatre (Torrington, Connecticut) 1999 production of "The Miracle Worker ".On June 11, 2008, Saint James was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Personal life
When she was 21, she married aspiring writer-director Richard Neubert, but their marriage only lasted a year. Saint James then got married a second time, to Thomas Lucas (a makeup artist), and they had a daughter, Sunshine Lucas (born 1972), and a son, Harmony Lucas (born 1974). The marriage lasted a few years.
While guest-hosting "
Saturday Night Live " in1981 , Saint James met her future third husband, then-"SNL" executive producerDick Ebersol . They dated immediately and married within the year. The marriage produced three sons, Charles, William, and Edward (Teddy). In March 2002, Saint James filed fordivorce from Ebersol, but the couple reconciled later that summer.On
November 28 2004 , a plane carrying Ebersol and two of their sons crashed inColorado ; Ebersol and son Charles survived, but son Teddy (age 14 at the time) perished, as did the pilot and flight attendant. [ [http://msnbc.msn.com/ID/6645487 Interview about Teddy] , "The Today Show", 2004-12-03.] Teddy Ebersol's Red Sox Fields at Lederman Park is named in memory of her son.Saint James holds honorary degrees from five Connecticut institutions: The
University of Connecticut , theUniversity of Bridgeport ,Southern Connecticut State University ,Albertus Magnus College , and theUniversity of New Haven .Saint James was a featured speaker atThe Women's Conference in 2007, at a session called "Beyond Courage: Overcoming the Unimaginable."References
External links
*imdb|0756634
* [http://www.lifetimetv.com/shows/ip/portraits/0230/0230_bio.html Susan Saint James: A Free Spirit Navigates Hollywood] , a Lifetime "Intimate Portrait"
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