Susan Dey

Susan Dey
Publicity photo for The Partridge Family, 1970
Born	Susan Hallock Dey December 10, 1952 Pekin, Illinois, United States
Nationality	American
Occupation	Model Actress
Years active	1970–2004
Known for	The Partridge Family L.A. Law L.A. Law: The Movie
Spouse(s)	Lenny Hirshan (1976–1981) Bernard Sofronski (1988–present)
Children	Sarah Hirshan (b. 1978)

Susan Dey (born December 10, 1952) is an American actress, known primarily for her roles in film and television. Her more prominent parts came as elder daughter Laurie Partridge on the 1970s sitcom The Partridge Family, and as Grace Van Owen, a California assistant district attorney and later judge on the dramatic series L.A. Law from 1986-92.

Early life and education

Dey was born Susan Hallock Dey in Pekin, Illinois to Ruth Pyle (née Doremus) Dey,^[1] a nurse who died in 1961, when Susan was eight years old, and Robert Smith Dey, a newspaper editor for the New Rochelle, New York Standard-Star.^[2] She attended Columbus Elementary School in Thornwood, New York, later moving to Bedford, New York, where she graduated from Fox Lane High School.

Career

Dey was a model before starring as "Laurie Partridge" in the television series The Partridge Family from 1970–74. She was 17 years old when she won the part and had no previous acting experience. She returned to weekly network television in 1977 as the co-star of the short-lived situation comedy Loves Me, Loves Me Not.

Her first film role was as a passenger in the 1972 airline hijack movie Skyjacked starring Charlton Heston. In a 1977 made-for-television movie, Mary Jane Harper Cried Last Night, Dey 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 in a romance film, First Love, directed by Joan Darling.

Dey co-starred with Albert Finney in a 1981 science-fiction film, Looker, written and directed by Michael Crichton. She had a leading role in 1986's Echo Park as a struggling waitress/actress who takes a job as a stripper who delivers singing telegrams. She starred on L.A. Law as Grace Van Owen and earned a Golden Globe Award as "Actress in a Leading Role – Drama Series" for the role in 1987. Dey was also nominated in each of the following four years. She was also nominated for the Emmy Award for "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series" in 1987, 1988, and 1989.

She hosted a 1992 episode of Saturday Night Live. Later that year, she co-starred in the Diane English/CBS sitcom Love & War with Jay Thomas. Although the show ran until 1995, Dey was replaced in 1993 by Annie Potts because producers reportly felt she had "no chemistry" with co-star Thomas.^[3] In 1993, she produced and starred in the ABC Movie of the Week Lies & Lullabies (later released on DVD as Sad Inheritance), where she played a pregnant cocaine addict.

Dey was mentioned in Shirley Jones' memoir as the only one who "consistently refused" to take part in Partridge Family TV reunions.^[4]

Personal life

Dey was married to Leonard "Lenny" Hirshan from 1976–1981. They have one daughter, Sarah Hirshan (born 1978). Lenny Hirshan died January 31, 2014. Dey has been married to her second husband, television producer Bernard Sofronski, since 1988. She serves as a board member of the Rape Treatment Center at UCLA Medical Center and co-narrated a documentary on campus rape with her former L.A. Law co-star Corbin Bernsen.^[5]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1972	Skyjacked	Elly Brewster
1973	Terror on the Beach	DeeDee Glynn	Television movie
1975	Cage Without a Key	Valerie Smith	Television movie
1977	Mary Jane Harper Cried Last Night	Rowena Harper	Television movie
1977	First Love	Caroline
1978	Little Women	Jo March	Television movie
1980	The Comeback Kid	Megan Barrett	Television movie
1981	Looker	Cindy Fairmont
1983	Malibu	Linda Harvey	Television movie
1986	Echo Park	May
1987	The Trouble with Dick	Diane
1992	Bed of Lies	Vicky Daniel
1993	Lies and Lullabies	Christina Kinsey	Television movie
1994	Beyond Betrayal	Joanna/Emily Doyle	Television movie
1995	Deadly Love	Rebecca Barnes	Television movie
1995	Blue River	Mrs. Sellers	Television movie
1997	Bridge of Time	Madeleine Armstrong	Television movie
1998	Avenged	Margo
2002	L.A. Law: The Movie	Grace Van Owen	Television movie
2002	Disappearance	Patty Henley
2003	Rain	Dianna Davis

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1970–74	The Partridge Family	Laurie Partridge	96 episodes Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
1973	Circle of Fear	Peggy	Episode: "Doorway to Death"
1973	Goober and the Ghost Chasers	Laurie Partridge	8 episodes
1975	The Rookies	Angel	Episode: "Angel"
1975	Hawaii Five-O	Susan Bradshaw	Episode: "Target? the Lady"
1975	S.W.A.T.	Janice	2 episodes
1976	The Quest	Charlotte Rosee	Episode: "The Captive"
1976	The Streets of San Francisco	Barbara Ross	2 episodes
1977	Loves Me, Loves Me Not	Jane Benson	6 episodes
1983–84	Emerald Point N.A.S.	Celia Mallory	22 episodes
1986–92	L.A. Law	Grace Van Owen	110 episodes Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama (1989–92) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (1987–89) Nominated—Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Actress in a Quality Drama Series
1992–93	Love & War	Wallis "Wally" Porter	23 episodes
1999	Family Law	Karen Hershey	Episode: "Holt vs. Holt"
2004	Third Watch	Dr. Breene	2 episodes

References

1. New York Times obituary, July 21, 1961.
2. "Susan Dey profile". Filmreference.com. Advameg, Inc. 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
3. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 705. 0-345-45542-8
4. Nguyen, Vi-An. "7 Surprising Secrets of the Partridge Family Cast from Shirley Jones's Memoir". Parade.com. Parade Publications. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
5. "Campus Rape". Rape Treatment Center, Santa Monica Hospital Medical Center. 1990. Retrieved April 29, 2015.

Sources

• Terrace, Vincent (1985). Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials: 1974–1984. New York: New York Zoetrope. ISBN 978-0-918432-61-2. Retrieved October 14, 2011.

External links

• Susan Dey at the Internet Movie Database