Susan Richardson | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, nursing home caregiver, author and illustrator of children's books |
| Years active | 1973–99 |
| Known for | Susan Bradford in Eight Is Enough |
| Spouse | Michael Virden (m. 1978;div. 1985) |
| Children | 1 |
Susan Richardson is an American retired actress, best known for her role as Susan Bradford on the television series Eight Is Enough , which she played from 1977 to 1981.
 | This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources .(December 2022) |
Born in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, Richardson first started acting in plays in high school. She graduated from Coatesville Area Senior High School in Coatesville, Pennsylvania in 1969, and moved to Hollywood in 1971.
Initially, Richardson played bit roles in feature films American Graffiti (1973) and A Star Is Born (1976), and she guest-starred on the television series Happy Days and The Streets of San Francisco . Shortly before her 25th birthday, about six years after moving to the West Coast, Richardson was picked to play the fourth-oldest child in the Bradford family on Eight Is Enough .
In her Eight Is Enough heyday, Richardson appeared in two installments of Battle of the Network Stars (May 1979 and December 1980), as well as numerous appearances on The $20,000 Pyramid , Password Plus , and Match Game , in addition to a one-hour All-Star episode of Family Feud in 1978 and a three-episode celebrity tournament on the daytime version in May 1979.
| This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification .(February 2017) |
On March 15, 1978, Richardson married Michael Virden, and shortly thereafter became pregnant, which was also written into Eight Is Enough. She gave birth to their daughter, Sarah, on February 27, 1980. After her pregnancy, a rumor was spread that Richardson would lose her job if she did not shed her pregnancy weight; she had gained 90 lb (41 kg). Finding it very difficult to slim down by normal means, she started using cocaine. [1]
In December 1987, Richardson claimed that she was held captive in South Korea. [2]
In January 2013, The Huffington Post published a report from a National Enquirer interview with Richardson. She reported she had experienced extremely hard times, living in an unheated trailer with a rotting floor in Wagontown, Pennsylvania, not far from her hometown of Coatesville. Richardson said she had developed diabetes, suffered three mini-strokes, had lost 60 lb (27 kg), and lost her teeth as the result of a digestive condition. [3]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | American Graffiti | Judy | |
| 1974 | Nakia | Nancy | Episode: "A Matter of Choice" |
| 1975 | The Streets of San Francisco | Marlene Hollander | Episode "The Programming of Charlie Blake" |
| 1975 | Happy Days | Carol Danson | Episode: "Fonzie Joins the Band" |
| 1976 | A Star Is Born | Groupie | |
| 1977 | The McLean Stevenson Show | Sharlene | Episode: "The Great Rift" |
| 1977–81 | Eight Is Enough | Susan Bradford Stockwell | 112 episodes |
| 1979 | The Runaways | Kathleen Randolph | Episode: "Screams in the Night" |
| 1981 | The Love Boat | Emily Parker | Episode: "He's My Brother/Zeke and Zelda/Teach Me Tonight" |
| 1982 | Fantasy Island | Ellen | Episode: "The Magic Camera/Mata Hari/Valerie" |
| 1982 | CHiPs | Snow Pink | Episode: "Battle of the Bands" |
| 1982 | One Day at a Time | Eloise | Episodes: "The Honeymoon Is Over", "First Things First" |
| 1987 | Eight Is Enough: A Family Reunion | Susan Bradford | TV movie |
| 1987 | Soldiers of Innocence | Sister Elizabeth | |
| 1989 | An Eight Is Enough Wedding | Susan Bradford | TV movie |
Coatesville is a city in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,350 at the 2020 census. Coatesville is approximately 39 miles west of Philadelphia. It developed along the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike beginning in the late 18th century. It spans U.S. Route 30, the "Main Line" highway that runs west of Philadelphia.
Kirstie Louise Alley was an American actress. Her breakthrough role was as Rebecca Howe in the NBC sitcom Cheers (1987–1993), for which she received an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe in 1991. From 1997 to 2000, Alley starred as the lead in the sitcom Veronica's Closet, earning additional Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. On film, she played Mollie Jensen in Look Who's Talking (1989) and its two sequels, Look Who's Talking Too (1990) and Look Who's Talking Now (1993).
Susan Tyrrell was an American character actress. Tyrrell's career began in theater in New York City in the 1960s in Broadway and off Broadway productions. Her first film was Shoot Out (1971). She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Oma in John Huston's Fat City (1972). In 1978, Tyrrell received the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Andy Warhol's Bad (1977). Her New York Times obituary described her as "a whiskey-voiced character actress (with) talent for playing the downtrodden, outré, and grotesque."
Susan Flannery is an American actress and director. She made her screen debut appearing in the 1965 Western film Guns of Diablo and later appeared in some television series. From 1966 to 1975, Flannery starred as Laura Horton on the NBC daytime soap opera, Days of Our Lives for which she received her first Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
Susan Seaforth Hayes is an American television actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Julie Williams on the NBC drama Days of Our Lives, and her intermittent portrayal of Joanna Manning on the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless. She began playing the role of Julie on Days of Our Lives in 1968, and is the only actress to appear on the show for all seven decades it has been on the air. Seaforth Hayes still regularly appears on Days as Julie.
Patricia Castle Richardson is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Jill Taylor on the ABC sitcom Home Improvement, for which she was nominated four times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and twice for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical. She also received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her performance in Ulee's Gold (1997).
Susan Saint James is an American former actress and activist, most widely known for her work in television during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, especially the detective series McMillan & Wife (1971–1976) and the sitcom Kate & Allie (1984–1989).
Jane Rossington is a British actress, best known for her role as Jill Richardson/Harvey/Chance in the soap opera Crossroads.
Susan Sullivan is an American actress known for her roles as Lenore Curtin Delaney on the NBC daytime soap opera Another World (1971–76), as Lois Adams on the ABC sitcom It's a Living (1980–81), as Maggie Gioberti Channing on the CBS primetime soap opera Falcon Crest (1981–90), as Kitty Montgomery on the ABC sitcom Dharma & Greg (1997–2002), and as Martha Rodgers on Castle (2009–2016). She earned an Emmy nomination for Lead Actress for the role of Julie Farr in the 1978 series Julie Farr, M.D. and a Golden Globe nomination for Supporting Actress for her role in Dharma & Greg.
Eight Is Enough is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on ABC from March 15, 1977, to May 23, 1981. The show was modeled on the life of syndicated newspaper columnist Tom Braden, a real-life parent with eight children, who wrote a book by the same title.
Mary Tamm was a British actress who appeared in many British TV drama series and serials. She is best known for her role as Romana I in the BBC's science fiction television series Doctor Who, appearing opposite Tom Baker in the 1978–1979 story arc The Key to Time.
Diana Hyland was an American stage, film, and television actress.
Barbara Barrie is an American actress and author.
Susan Elizabeth Strasberg was an American stage, film, and television actress. Thought to be the next Hepburn-type ingenue, she was nominated for a Tony Award at age 18, playing the title role in The Diary of Anne Frank. She appeared on the covers of LIFE and Newsweek in 1955. A close friend of Marilyn Monroe and Richard Burton, she wrote two best-selling tell-all books. Her later career primarily consisted of slasher and horror films, followed by TV roles, by the 1980s.
Dianne Kay is an American retired actress. She is best known for playing Nancy Bradford on ABC's Eight Is Enough from 1977 to 1981.
Barbara Babcock is an American actress. She began her career on television in mid-1950s with guest-starring appearances in more than 60 television series through her career. She made several appearances on Star Trek: The Original Series, Mannix and Murder, She Wrote and had a recurring role in the CBS prime time soap opera, Dallas from 1978 to 1982.
Sarah Kathleen Rush is an American actress, best known in television for her work in the original Battlestar Galactica. She narrated and starred in the 2005 documentary The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania, produced by Patricia Heaton and directed by David Hunt, which won the 2006 Heartland Film Festival Award. Rush was herself crowned Coal Queen in 1972.
Lani O'Grady was an American actress and talent agent. She is best remembered for her role as Mary Bradford, the eldest sister from Eight Is Enough.
Susan Hogan is a Canadian film, television and stage actress.
Nita Talbot is an American actress. She received an Emmy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for the 1967–68 season of Hogan's Heroes.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
