I think Susan Dey is beautiful, but I never really gave it a thought when I was a kid watching The Partridge Family. I was busy drooling over Jeremy Gelbwaks (Chris Partridge) and learning all of their groovy songs. Now that I’m an adult, I see that Susan Dey was a really beautiful girl.
Susan Dey was born Susan Hallock Smith on December 10, 1952 in Illinois. She was only 17 when she got the job of Laurie Partridge on The Partridge Family. Susan was discovered modeling in New York when she was offered the job. During the filming of the pilot and some of the early episodes, she had to live with a guardian until she turned 18 (December 1970). She had no acting experience at all when she started The Partridge Family.
In addition to Laurie Partridge, Susan Dey is also well known for her role as Grace Van Owen on the drama series L.A. Law. Her second big hit of her career ran from 1986 to 1992. She won a Golden Globe for her role and was nominated for numerous other awards.
Susan Dey also appeared in the following TV shows and made for TV movies:
- Circle of Fear
- Terror on the Beach
- Goober and the Ghost Chasers
- Born Free
- The Rookies
- Cage Without a Key
- S.W.A.T.
- Hawaii Five-O
- Matt Helm
- Petrocelli
- Good Heavens
- The Quest
- The Streets of San Francisco
- Loves Me, Loves Me Not
- Barnaby Jones
- Emerald Point N.A.S.
- Love & War
Susan was not part of The Partridge Family reunion on The Today Show back in 2010. I think Danny Bonaduce made some smart ass comment but David Cassidy seemed sincere when he spoke into the camera and said he loved her. (RIP, David. Click here to see my blog on him.) She had always kind of stayed out of the limelight. I can’t recall her ever being in trouble or in any kind of scandal. It’s odd that nobody seemed to know the reason why she didn’t do the reunion. Maybe she just didn’t want to.
Susan Dey was a beautiful young girl and went on to become a classy actress. She stayed out of trouble and kept her nose clean. Her last acting credit was in 2004 and she seems to have just disappeared. Maybe she’s off enjoying life with her husband. I believe she is living in New York. It’s VERY impressive that she had a successful acting career beginning at a young age and was able to leave Hollywood with no scandals or issues that plague so many of the child actors. I wish her the best and hope she’s happy in her life.