Arguably, one of the most underrated actresses of her generation was Suzanne Pleshette.
But during her heyday, she was often considered to be the next “Liz Taylor” – no doubt
due to a combination of her beauty and impeccable acting talent.
You may remember her from her role as Emily Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show.
Or you’ll certainly remember her as Annie Hayworth in Alfred Hitchcock’s film The
Birds…
But what were some of Suzanne Pleshette's struggles?
She had to work hard to succeed in the film industry, but she continued to persevere.
Her life is certainly an inspiration for anyone wishing to pursue a career in show business
– perhaps one of the most ruthless industries there is!
So how did she overcome these struggles?
How did she become a prolific actress in film, television, and theater?
Let’s learn about the incredible life and career of Suzanne Pleshette…
EARLY LIFE AND CAREER
Suzanne Pleshette was born on the 31st of July, 1937, in New York.
She hailed from a Jewish family with roots in Russia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Show business was in her blood as her mother was a professional dancer and her father worked
as a stage manager, a theater manager, and later – as a network executive.
Suzanne would end up pursuing an acting career that spanned theater, film, and television
and worked for close to 5 decades!
She graduated from New York City’s High School of the Performing Arts where she honed
her acting skills.
She briefly attended Syracuse University and then later, Finch College.
However, she dropped out of both these schools to study acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse
– under the direction of famed acting teacher Sanford Meisner.
She began her career as a stage actress.
She got her start with a supporting role on a Broadway production of Compulsion.
She eventually got promoted to a lead role in the play.
Suzanne’s incredible talent along with her beauty and now-signature “husky” voice
made her ideal for film and television.
While she didn’t become a star on stage, she had reached enough prominence to get cast
in movies and television shows.
It all started with a TV series called Harbormaster…
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SUZANNE’S TELEVISION WORK
Suzanne’s first TV role was as the character “Barbara Benson” in the episode “Night
Rescue” on Harbormaster.
The episode aired on Dec 5, 1957 – when Suzanne was 20 years old.
She continued to get regular roles in TV following her debut.
She would appear in one-off roles in popular TV shows including Decoy, Matinee Theatre,
Omnibus, Black Saddle, Have Gun Will Travel, Adventure in Paradise, and Alfred Hitchcock
Presents.
Her first TV movie was Summer of Decision – released in 1959.
She had a supporting role in this short movie about a college student trying to figure out
his career.
She acted alongside Kevin McCarthy and Nicholas Pryor.
As the 1960s came along, she began appearing on TV more often.
Up till then, she would appear once in an episode of a popular TV show before moving
on to her next project.
But by the 1960s, it was clear that there was greater demand to see Suzanne Pleshette
on screen.
She appeared in 2 episodes of Route 66 and also appeared more than once on shows such
as Dr. Kildare, The Fugitive, The Invaders, and The FBI.
She also continued to appear in one-off roles in shows such as Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, It
Takes a Thief, Love American Style, and Marcus Welby MD.
Throughout her career, she also was a regular on popular TV movies.
These included River of Gold, In Broad Daylight, The Legend of Valentino, Richie Brockman:
The Missing 24 Hours, Flesh and Blood, For Love and Money, Kojak: The Belarus File, Leona
Hemsley: The Queen of Mean, and A Twist of the Knife – to name a few!
Her last TV role was as Lois Whitley in 3 episodes of Will & Grace – twice in 2002
and once in 2004.
But Suzanne’s best-known TV work was when she finally secured a recurring role in The
Bob Newhart Show.
She acted as Emily Hartley in 142 episodes alongside Bob Newhart.
Interestingly enough, she landed the role during an interview on The Tonight Show with
Johnny Carson.
She sat next to Bob Newhart on the show and the two of them hit it off.
Producers felt that they had excellent on-screen chemistry and so Suzanne seemed the perfect
choice for Emily Hartley.
Her other prominent recurring TV roles included the short-lived comedy series Suzanne Pleshette
is Maggie Briggs, Bridges to Cross, Nightingales, The Boys are Back, and Good Morning Miami.
She also appeared as “Laura” in 3 episodes of 8 Simple Rules.
SUZANNE’S FILM WORK
Suzanne’s first feature film role was a small role in the 1958 comedy film The Geisha
Boy – starring Jerry Lewis.
She wouldn’t land another role in a feature film again until 1962 when she landed a lead
role in the romantic film Rome Adventure.
She starred alongside Troy Donahue – with whom she later had a short-lived marriage.
But her big film breakthrough was in the 1963 film The Birds – directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
This, of course, was her second acting experience working with The Master of Suspense – having
previously been in an episode of his TV show, Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
In The Birds, Suzanne Pleshette played Annie Hayworth.
She’s a local teacher who was also the former love interest of Mitch, played by Rod Taylor.
While their relationship in the film is amiable, many viewers and film scholars alike have
discussed how Mitch could leave the decent Annie for the slightly cunning Melanie Daniels,
played by Tippi Hedren.
Suzanne’s role in the film is a supporting one, but it remains one of her most famous
roles.
It also showed that she was an accomplished dramatic actress.
Throughout the 1960s, Suzanne continued to work in film alongside her blossoming TV career.
She appeared in both lead and supporting roles in films such as A Distant Trumpet, Fate is
the Hunter, Youngblood Hawke, The Ugly Dachshund, Nevada Smith, Mister Buddwing, Blackbeard’s
Ghost, The Power, If It’s Tuesday: It Must Be Belgium, and Target: Harry.
In the 1970s and 1980s, she focused on comedy and family films, including Support Your Local
Gunfighter, The Shaggy DA, Hot Stuff, and Oh God, Book II.
In the 2000s, she transitioned to being a voice actress – still having her signature
husky voice!
She voiced characters for the animated films The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride and Spirited
Away.
This latter film was a Japanese animated film made by the famed writer-director Hayao Miyazaki.
Suzanne voiced the character “Yubaba” and “Zeniba” in the English version.
This was also her final feature film role.
SUZANNE’S STRUGGLES
One of the best lessons we can learn from Suzanne Pleshette’s life and career is to
continue to persevere.
Looking at her extensive acting résumé, it may seem that her career was smooth.
It’s true that she worked consistently from the late 1950s to the mid-2000s, but this
doesn’t mean that she didn’t have her struggles.
What makes Suzanne Pleshette different, is that she didn’t allow her missed opportunities
to slow her down.
Early in her career, she turned down roles in The Dick Van Dyke Show and later, The New
Dick Van Dyke Show.
These ended up being among America’s most popular sitcoms and would have surely led
to even more work for Suzanne.
She also auditioned for the role as “Vicki Anderson” in The Thomas Crown Affair and
Norma MacIver in The Detective.
The first film starred Steve McQueen, and the second starred Frank Sinatra.
They both went on to become major feature films which Suzanne missed out on.
She lost the roles to Faye Dunaway and Jacqueline Bisset, respectively.
Her agents often advised her to focus more on feature films rather than TV shows and
TV movies.
However, she went against this advice and focused mostly on television – particularly
after 1980.
Film actors and actresses are often given more credibility than TV stars – especially
during much of Suzanne’s career.
Focusing on television was a huge risk for any actress.
Yet Suzanne loved working on TV and managed to make a name for herself through the medium.
Despite focusing on TV more than feature films, he still became one of the most well-known
actresses of her generation.
SUZANNE’S POPULARITY
So, what made Suzanne Pleshette so popular?
And what caused her to be referred to as the “next Liz Taylor?”
The main reason for her popularity was that she had an incredible work ethic and that
she loved acting!
While she eventually became a star, she was more concerned with acting and working as
often as possible.
She was once quoted as saying: “I don't sit around and wait for great parts.
I'm an actress, and I love being one, and I'll probably be doing it until I'm 72, standing
around the backlot doing Gunsmoke.”
Looking at her appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, many fans have commented
on how comfortable she seemed as a guest.
She garnered a reputation as being a great recounter as well as a talented actress.
It’s no wonder that Johnny invited her on several times on his show!
She also had a great range as an actress, something that she commented on several times
in her career.
Her natural beauty made her perfect for romantic films.
But she could also do serious and somber roles such as in The Birds and then contrast these
with lighthearted comedy such as in The Bob Newhart Show.
In short, she was a talented and versatile actress who loved her work.
She was truly one of her kind and her work deserves more attention…
Suzanne Pleshette died on January 19th, 2008, just shy of her 71st birthday.
She was suffering from cancer in her later years and eventually died from respiratory
failure.
Are you a fan of Suzanne Pleshette?
Do you think she’s gotten her due as one of the great actresses of her generation?
Or do you think that she’s been overshadowed by many of her contemporaries?
Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments.
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