Biography
Born Suzanne Marie Mahoney in San Bruno, CA on Oct. 16, 1946 to parents Frank and Marion Mahoney, A role in a high school production of "Guys and Dolls" resulted in a music scholarship to a Catholic college in California. Unfortunately, she was forced to drop out after becoming pregnant by her college classmate, Bruce Somers. Like many people caught off guard by an unexpected pregnancy, they married and had a son, Bruce Jr. in 1965. The marriage ended just two years later. Fortunately for her, the divorce led Suzanne on a new and better course. She relocated to San Francisco to support herself and her child through modeling; some of it of the nude variety. However, once she became famous, some of these early nude sessions surfaced years later in Playboy, much to her embarrassment. In 1969, she landed a job as a model on the television game show "The Anniversary Game" (1969). Somers began a romantic relationship with the show's host, Alan Hamel and she soon found herself pregnant with his child. She was convinced to terminate the pregnancy, which resulted in serious health complications for Somers - something she would go on to discuss later in her career. Despite these difficulties, the pair married in 1977, and Hamel acted as her business partner and manager throughout her colorful career. Starting in 1969, Somers began landing small roles in films and television; among her early credits was a near-cameo in "Bullitt" (1968) and a turn as a stunt double in the cult thriller "Daddy's Gone A-Hunting" (1969). In 1973, she turned heads as "the blonde in the T-Bird" in George Lucas' rite-of-passage classic, "American Graffiti." That small role ushered her further into the spotlight - as did an appearance on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" (NBC, 1962-92), which allowed her to publish a book of poetry, Touch Me: The Poems of Suzanne Somers in 1973. She appeared nude in the "Dirty Harry" feature film sequel "Magnum Force" (1973) and landed a more substantial role in the ludicrous made-for-TV thriller "It Happened At Lakewood Manor" (1977), which concerned rampaging ants. That same year, Somers replaced Susan Lanier in the role of Chrissy Snow on a new ABC sitcom called "Three's Company" (1977-1984). The part required Somers to play innocent, sexual, and slightly dense, and she embodied it to the hilt. The show became a massive ratings hit - in fact, an iconic time capsule of the good-time "Studio 54" era of sexual revolution - and earned her a Golden Globe nomination in 1979. However, Somers' relationship with the series' producers began to sour the following year when she demanded a huge raise and 10 percent ownership of the program itself. Her risky demands were not met by ABC. In protest, she missed several tapings of the series during its third season and her behavior drove a wedge between her and co-stars Joyce DeWitt and John Ritter. The producers feared that her departure would put the show's ratings into decline. Instead, they reduced her screen time. By the end of the fourth season (when her contract expired), she had departed the show. Following "Three's Company," Somers reinvented herself as a live performer and a commercial spokesperson. She enjoyed a popular run at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, winning that city's Entertainer of the Year award in 1984. She became the celebrity promoter for Ace Hardware and the campy yet popular Thighmaster exercise device. Promoting ThighMaster and its related exercise products, as well as a line of jewelry and a cook book helped make her very wealthy. Yet, Somers missed her first love, acting. A return to sitcoms with "She's the Sheriff" (syndicated, 1987-89) was less successful, but her third attempt - the family comedy "Step By Step" (ABC/CBS, 1991-98) with Patrick Duffy - struck gold with audiences. A sitcom focused on a blended family and was a staple of ABC's Friday night line-up for five years. After a hiatus, the show finished out the 1996-97 season before being picked up by CBS for a final season (1997-98). Almost as popular was her turn as co-host on a revived "Candid Camera" (CBS, 1998-2000). In 1987, Somers published her autobiography, Keeping Secrets. The best-selling book was later adapted into a 1991 TV-movie in which Somers played herself. Her story struck a chord with many readers who had undergone similar childhood experiences, and she soon transformed herself into a one-woman self-help industry, with 16 popular books on diet, beauty, and health to her name. In the spring of 2001, Somers revealed that she had breast cancer. With fans praying that she knew what she was doing, Somers treated the disease with her natural meds of choice, as well as surgery and radiation - ultimately, to great success. Because of her life-altering experience and with the passion she always exhibited, she became a breast cancer activist, working with the American Breast Cancer to educate and encourage others. In 2003, the same year Somers received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, she was reunited with her former "Three's Company" co-stars at the funeral of John Ritter, who died suddenly from a heart ailment. She had not spoken with many of them for over a decade, but had mended fences with Ritter before his premature death. In 2005, she made her Broadway debut in a one-woman show, "The Blonde in the Thunderbird," in which she recounted her life in stories and songs. The production closed within a month. Somers later received a special award from the USO that year for performing "Thunderbird" for military personnel and their families, as well as for previous tours she had done for the troops. Somers went on to continue with her busy schedule of product promotion on the Home Shopping Network, sales on her website, and self-help lectures around the country. Suzanne Somers died on October 15, 2023 in Palm Springs, CA at the age of 76.
