The term ‘Renaissance Woman’ could have been invented for Suzanne Somers! She’s now filthy
rich – and the reason why might surprise you! She’s had a rich career as an actress,
entrepreneur, and spokesperson – and she’s not slowing down anytime soon!
But how did she get started in life? She’s living the dream,
but parts of her early life may have seemed like a nightmare!
But through her hard work and perseverance, she’s succeeded in her career and has truly
achieved the American Dream. Her life is truly inspirational and everyone looking
to pursue their dreams should take a page out of her book…
Let’s look back at Suzanne Somers’ life and career and how she’s keeping herself busy today…
SUZANNE’S EARLY LIFE AND CAREER
Suzanne Mahoney was born on October 16, 1946, in San Bruno, California. She is the third of
four children born to Frank and Marion. Suzanne's mother was a medical secretary,
and her dad was a laborer – mostly earning money by loading cases of beer onto boxcars.
It seemed that his love for alcohol wasn’t just limited to his work.
Suzanne’s father was physically abusive toward her, and this traumatized her
for much of her early life. To make matters worse,
she was diagnosed with dyslexia at a young age and was a poor student at school.
She did take an early interest in the theatre and excelled at almost
everything related to the arts. She won a music scholarship for college,
but her studies were cut short when she got pregnant by a boyfriend.
She married her boyfriend, Bruce Somers, and took his surname. She had 1 son,
also named Bruce with him. Unfortunately,
Suzanne was unhappy in the marriage and she and Bruce divorced only 2 years later.
Around this time, she also distanced herself from 2 of her siblings who had also become alcoholics.
She was a single mother, on her own, without qualifications and a desperate need to survive.
Her natural beauty made her ideal for modeling. For the first few years of her working life,
she worked exclusively as a model to support herself and her son. She eventually landed a gig
as a prize model on the show Anniversary Game – hosted by Alan Hamel. While he was married at the
time, the two began dating and they eventually got married in 1977 after Alan left his wife.
In the late sixties and until the late 1970s, she also began acting as a means to earn more
money. She mostly played bit parts in popular feature films and TV shows. Her first role was
a small uncredited role in the hit 1968 film Bullitt. One of her first major breaks was when
she appeared in 3 different episodes of Starsky and Hutch – each time playing a different role.
But her big break came in 1977 with a show called Three’s Company…
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SUZANNE’S ACTING CAREER
Suzanne Somers was cast as Chrissy Snow in the sitcom Three’s Company. This was
a lead role in an ensemble that also included John Ritter and Janet Wood.
She played the character of Chrissy for 5 seasons.
Chrissy was a sexy and silly secretary. The character launched Suzanne Somers to stardom
and helped craft her public image. Suzanne was the epitome of beauty and sexiness –
but, as you’ll find out soon, she certainly wasn’t silly and has excellent business acumen.
She left the show after she was refused a pay hike. She eventually decided to create
her own production company to ensure that she could also profit from films and TV shows.
While leaving Three’s Company was a slight setback
in her career she continued to act in TV and had occasional film work.
She appeared in the popular TV movies Goodbye Charlie and Rich Men, Single Women. She was
also cast as Sheriff Hildy Granger in the series She’s The Sheriff. By the 1990s,
she had become so well-known that she made several cameo appearances as herself in popular TV shows.
Some of her most notable cameo appearances include the TV movie Keeping Secrets, the TV shows,
Sister, The Larry Sanders Show, Full House, and The Simpsons. Throughout the 90s,
she also acted in TV movies such as Devil’s Food, No Laughing Matter, and The Darklings.
Her final notable TV role was as Carol Foster Lombert – a role she first played
in the series ABC TGIF and later in Step by Step. Her final acting role
was as herself in the feature film Say It Isn’t So – released in 2001.
Her notable film roles included work in the films American Graffiti,
Magnum Force, It Happened At Lakewood Manor, Billy Jack Goes To
Washington, Zuma Beach, Yesterday’s Hero, Nothing Personal, Totally Minnie, and Rusty: A Dog’s Tale.
While she hasn’t acted since 2001, she’s still recognized in public for her acting roles. Her
role in Three’s Company still follows her around and fans love her to this day for it!
But while she’s stepped away from acting, Suzanne Somers has kept herself busy as a
multi-faceted entrepreneur and public personality!
SUZANNE’S OTHER VENTURES
During the 1990s, as she was making cameo appearances on TV movies and
shows – Suzanne Somers began looking to other ventures to succeed with.
Her celebrity, beauty, and charming personality landed her the gig of being
the spokeswoman for a new exercise equipment called The Thighmaster.
She no doubt helped this product become popular and in 2014,
she would get inducted into the Infomercial Hall of Fame. During this time, she would also
travel to military bases to entertain the troops. She often performed her one-woman
show The Blonde in the Thunderbird – which had first debuted on Broadway.
While there were some critics who didn’t offer praise for her one-woman show, it didn’t matter.
The troops loved her performance, and she received a Patriotic Civilian Service Award for her acting.
The Blonde in the Thunderbird was a series of skits and monologues about
Suzanne’s childhood and her journey to becoming a professional entertainer.
She also briefly hosted 2 talk shows – one was an online show called Suzanne Somers
Breaking Through on the website CaféMom. The other was a Lifetime talk show called
The Suzanne Show. She also briefly hosted the show Candid Camera in the late 1990s.
She’s also written a series of self-help books. One of the most notable ones was Ageless:
The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones. In this book, Suzanne discusses her views on
bioidentical hormone replacement therapy – specifically The Wiley Protocol.
Writing the book inspired her to be more vocal about her views on modern medicine
and wellness. She’s promoted alternative treatments for cancer and has also spoken
about how she decided not to go with chemotherapy for her cancer treatment.
She has received some criticism for her contrarian views on medicine and wellness,
but she’s never backed down. In a time when celebrities are usually
expected to tow the party line, Suzanne Somers isn’t afraid to speak her mind!
Most recently, Suzanne also performed on the popular reality show Dancing With The
Stars. While she and her partner, Tony Dovolani, were eliminated after only
5 weeks – her popularity hadn’t waned at all and there was still a demand to see her on TV!
SUZANNE SOMERS IS FILTHY REACH
Suzanne Somers certainly didn’t have the best start in life. Her troubled
family life took its emotional toll and her poor grades in school must
have discouraged her tremendously. Her unhappy marriage to Bruce Somers and
having to survive as a single mother certainly didn’t make matters easier!
Once she began working, she knew that financial freedom had to be the focus of her career.
She stated that as a younger person she didn’t value money and would waste it.
It took her time to realize that financial stability was the only
option to give her the freedom and control over her life and career.
By the time she began acting in the 5th season of Three’s Company, she was earning $30,000 per
episode. It was during this time that she tried to negotiate a pay raise of $150,000
per episode. This is what led to a feud with the producers and what caused her to leave the show.
She stated that this price was equal to what John Ritter was earning and
she felt that she deserved the same. But while this negotiation didn’t work out,
Suzanne wasn’t going to stop working towards becoming wealthy!
As a spokeswoman for The Thighmaster, writer, and online retailer, she’s become a multi-millionaire.
She also made a great profit a few years back when she and her husband Alan sold their home
in Palm Springs, California. They’re now living it up in a “sexy” new home!
She’s now in her seventies, yet she’s showing no signs of slowing down.
She continues to earn well from her infomercials as well as her books and instructional videos.
She’s a perfect example of the American Dream – coming from a humble background
and rising to the top. She’s wealthy, famous, and respected by her fans and colleagues alike.
The reason why Suzanne Somers is filthy rich might surprise you. But by looking back
at her hard work and perseverance, it’s easy to see why she became a multi-millionaire and a star!
Now, let’s hear from you:
Are you a fan of Suzanne Somers?
In fact, here’s what we’d like to know:
Do you think that she’s still remembered for her acting roles?
Or has she been more successful with her other business ventures?
Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments.
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