Did you grow up watching The Partridge Family?
You’ll remember Susan Dey who played Laurie Partridge on the show.
She catapulted to stardom when she played the role of Laurie Partridge on The Partridge
Family in a total of 96 episodes!
She only had a bit of experience with modeling before The Partridge Family.
Nevertheless, it was this debut that made her a star.
After the show came to an end, the offers came left and right – and she continued
to appear in films and TV shows.
But she started to slow down in the 90s and early 2000s.
And then, she decided to call it quits.
But why did she quit acting for good?
Let’s look back at Susan Dey’s life and career and what she’s up to today…after
quitting acting for good…
EARLY LIFE AND CAREER
Susan Hallock Dey was born on December 10th, 1952, in Pekin, Illinois.
She graduated from Fox Lane High School in 1970 and then went straight to work – beginning
her career as a model.
Her natural beauty made her ideal for modeling and she gained stardom rather quickly from
her modeling.
One of her early successes was appearing in a booklet for Pursettes Tampons.
She soon became one of the most recognized teenage faces in the country.
But it was clear that she was destined for much more.
She decided to pursue a career in acting and her first role became her most famous.
She played Laurie Partridge in The Partridge Family four 4 seasons – but more on that
in just a bit!
She landed her first film role in the 1972 film Skyjacked.
She played Elly Brewster – one of the passengers on the hijacked plane featured in the film.
While this was a supporting role, it was enough for Susan Dey to garner attention.
It was only her debut role, but it was enough for her to gain a bit of fame and receive
offers for more work.
The following year, she graduated to working in television.
She appeared in the episode “Doorway to Death” in the series Circle of Fear.
The same year she had a lead role in the TV movie Terror on the Beach.
This TV movie followed a family who were looking for a peaceful day out on the beach – but
found anything but peace and quiet!
They were chased by dangerous thugs and had to find a way to protect themselves.
While this was a TV movie rather than a feature film, it brought her more fame.
It was clear that she was made to share her talents on television.
It was clear that audiences loved seeing her and she was destined to appear on TV more
often.
The early 1970s was truly one of the best times in Susan Dey’s career…
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Now, back to the video…
THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY
In 1970, Susan Dey joined the cast of The Partridge Family – playing daughter Laurie
Partridge.
This was her acting debut, and it was this role that we remember her most by to this
day!
The Partridge Family followed a family who embarked upon a musical career.
It was one of the most unique sitcoms of the 1970s and is still remembered fondly to this
day.
The ensemble cast members became some of TV’s biggest stars – and Susan Dey is still loved
for her role as Laurie Partridge.
This was the role that opened many opportunities for Susan.
She would get recognized for her role on The Partridge Family and was bombarded by fans
and the press alike.
Like many teenage stars of the 1970s, she was almost defined by her role.
This, of course, didn’t stop her from venturing into other roles and she won praise for her
other roles in TV shows and TV movies.
Apart from her role on Terror on the Beach, she also made guest appearances on shows such
as Born Free, The Rookies, SWAT, Hawaii Five-O, and Good Heavens.
But she also continued to get roles as Laurie Partridge.
She voiced the role of Laurie Partridge in a few episodes of the animated series Goober
and the Ghost Chasers.
She also revived Laurie Partridge in the short-lived animated series The Partridge Family 2200
AD.
But it seemed that many fans would always see her as Laurie Partridge.
She also had a crush on co-star David Cassidy – and years later, she was upset by him
disclosing personal details of their relationship in his memoir.
While The Partridge Family helped launch Susan Dey to stardom, she would try to distance
herself from the show and was happy to walk away from Laurie Partridge…
She still, however, managed to keep herself busy after the show came to an end.
AFTER THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY
Ever since The Partridge Family came to an end – Susan Dey hasn’t been eager to look
back on the show.
She’s often refused to appear in reunion programs about the show and seems eager to
distance herself from the role.
Luckily, she continued to receive great work opportunities following the end of The Partridge
Family.
She appeared in a lead role in the TV series Loves Me, Loves Me Not – which, sadly, didn’t
go past 1 season.
Nevertheless, her popularity was such that she continued to receive more roles in both
film and television.
She voiced different roles in Fred Flintstone and Friends and had a lead role in the harrowing
TV drama film Mary Jane Harper Cried Last Night.
She also played Josephine in the mini-series Little Women.
She also managed to snag a few film roles in the 1970s and 1980s.
These included roles in films such as First Love, Looker, Echo Park, The Trouble With
Dick, and That’s Adequate.
She also kept herself busy in popular TV movies such as Cage Without a Key, The Gift of Life,
Malibu, Sunset Limousine, Angel in Green, A Place at the Table, and I Love You Perfect.
In the 80s and early 90s, she won the next big role that she’d be remembered for.
This was as Grace Van Owen in the TV series LA Law – which she acted in for 126 episodes.
She was now in her 30s and she managed to move away from her role as Laurie Partridge
and show that she was a serious actress who could find a great recurring role on TV once
again!
After LA Law came to an end – she certainly didn’t slow down!
She was then cast in Love & War where she played “Wallis ‘Wally’ Porter.”
In the 90s, she also appeared in a variety of successful TV movies including Beyond Betrayal,
Deadly Love, Bridge of Time, and Blue River.
As the new millennium came around, Susan, now in her late 40s was showing no signs of
slowing down.
In 2001, she appeared in the feature film Rain and the following year she appeared in
the TV movie Disappearance.
She then appeared in the TV movie spinoff LA Law: The Movie.
In 2004, she appeared in 2 episodes of the show Third Watch.
It was clear that she was a talented actress who could take on any role.
And yet, after 2004 – she decided to quit acting for good…
SUSAN CALLS IT QUITS
So why did Susan Dey suddenly stop acting?
While it’s been a mystery for some time, fans will be pleased to know that Susan Dey
was ready to call it quits and focus on other goals in her life.
She felt exhausted from acting and had no interest in continuing to act or getting into
producing.
She also wanted a break from the limelight and to enjoy a quiet life with her family.
Nevertheless, she still keeps herself busy.
She’s on the board of the Rape Treatment Center at the UCLA Medical Center.
Along with her former LA Law co-star Corbin Bernsen, she co-narrated a documentary on
sexual assault on university campuses.
She seldom gives interviews now and isn’t too keen on appearing on red carpet events
too often nowadays.
She’s also reluctant to discuss her time on The Partridge Family.
While she must have enjoyed her role on the show – she didn’t always have the best
memories working on the show.
She had a crush on David Cassidy and when their relationship came to an end – it must
have taken its toll on Susan.
Luckily, Susan Dey managed to escape many of the trappings that teenage stars face.
Many of the most famous 70s teenage stars were forever defined by their role – and
never managed to find great work after their shows ended.
Susan Dey managed to find a diverse range of roles in films, TV movies, and TV shows.
She had lead roles, supporting roles, and bit parts – and she almost never stopped
working, until she finally decided to call it quits.
For some of us, we’ll always remember Susan Dey as Laurie Partridge.
But a further look at her résumé – and one can see that she was arguably one of the
most talented and versatile actresses of her generation.
She’s in her 60s now and many of us would still like to see her in new projects.
But it seems that she’s called it quits for good.
Luckily for us, she’s left us with a great body of work – what more could we ask for?
Now, let’s hear from you:
Are you a fan of Susan Dey?
In fact, here’s what we’d like to know:
Wouldn’t it have been nice for her to have continued her acting career rather than stopping
in the 2000s?
Or was it a better decision for her to step aside from show business altogether?
Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments.
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