Susan Dey

Susan Hallock Dey (born December 10, 1952) is a retired American actress, known for her television roles as Laurie Partridge on the sitcom The Partridge Family from 1970 to 1974, and as Grace Van Owen on the drama series L.A. Law from 1986 to 1992. A three-time Emmy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe Award nominee, she won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama Series for L.A. Law in 1988.
== Early life and education ==
Dey was born Susan Hallock Dey in Pekin, Illinois, to Ruth Pyle (née Doremus) Dey, a nurse,[1] and Robert Smith Dey, a newspaper editor for the Standard-Star in New Rochelle, New York.[2] Ruth died in 1961, when Susan was eight years old.[1]
Susan attended Columbus Elementary School in Thornwood, New York, later moving to Mount Kisco, New York, where she graduated from Fox Lane High School in 1970.
== Career ==
Dey was a model before starring as Laurie Partridge in the television series The Partridge Family from 1970 to 1974.[3] She was 17 years old when she won the part and had no previous acting experience. Her first modeling break was the cover photo for a booklet by Pursettes tampons on first facts of menstruation for young girls called "Getting to Know Yourself". She returned to weekly network television in 1977 as the co-star of the short-lived sitcom Loves Me, Loves Me Not.[4]
Her first film role was as a passenger in the 1972 airline hijack movie Skyjackedstarring Charlton Heston.[5] In a 1977 made-for-television movie, Mary Jane Harper Cried Last Night, Dey portrayed a disturbed young mother with serious psychological problems, who begins to take them out on her toddler daughter.[6]Also in 1977, Dey starred opposite William Katt in First Love, directed by Joan Darling.[7]
Dey co-starred with Albert Finney in the 1981 science-fiction film Looker, written and directed by Michael Crichton.[8] She had a leading role in 1986's Echo Parkas a struggling waitress-actress who takes a job as a stripper who delivers singing telegrams.[9] She starred on L.A. Law as Los Angeles County deputy district attorney Grace Van Owen, who later became a judge. Dey won a Golden Globe Award as Actress in a Leading Role – Drama Series for the role in 1988.[10] She was also nominated in each of the following four years. She was also nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1987, 1988, and 1989.
She hosted a 1992 episode of Saturday Night Live. Later that year, she co-starred in the sitcom Love & War. Although the show ran until 1995, Dey was replaced in 1993 by Annie Potts because producers reportedly felt she had "no chemistry" with co-star Jay Thomas.[11] In 1993, she produced and starred in Lies & Lullabies (later released on DVD as Sad Inheritance), where she played a pregnant cocaine addict.[12]
Dey was mentioned in Shirley Jones's memoir as the only cast member who "consistently refused" to take part in Partridge Family reunions.[13]
In 1972, Dey was credited as the author of a book titled Susan Dey's Secrets on Boys, Beauty and Popularity.[14]
== Personal life ==
Dey was married to Leonard "Lenny" Hirshan from 1976 to 1981. They have one daughter, Sarah, who was born in 1978. Dey has been married to her second husband, television producer Bernard Sofronski, since 1988.
She serves as a board member of the Rape Treatment Center at UCLA Medical Center and co-narrated a documentary on campus rape with her former L.A. Lawco-star Corbin Bernsen.[15]
During the production of The Partridge Family, Dey held romantic feelings for co-star David Cassidy. Dey and Cassidy eventually pursued a relationship when production on the show finished, but Cassidy broke it off as he didn’t reciprocate her feelings. In 1994, Cassidy disclosed details on his relationship with Dey in his autobiography, C'mon, Get Happy ... Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus. Dey's response was to sever all contact with Cassidy.[16]
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
1972	Skyjacked 	Elly Brewster 	
1973	Terror on the Beach 	DeeDee Glynn 	Television movie
1975	Cage Without a Key 	Valerie Smith 	Television movie
1977	Mary Jane Harper Cried Last Night	Rowena Harper 	Television movie
1977	First Love 	Caroline 	
1978	Little Women 	Jo March 	Television miniseries
1980	The Comeback Kid 	Megan Barrett 	Television movie
1981	Looker 	Cindy Fairmont 	
1983	Malibu 	Linda Harvey 	Television movie
1984	Love Leads the Way 	Beth 	Television movie
1986	Echo Park 	May 	
1987	The Trouble with Dick 	Diane 	
1992	Bed of Lies 	Vicky Daniel 	Television movie
1993	Lies and Lullabies 	Christina Kinsey 	Television movie
1994	Beyond Betrayal 	Joanna/Emily Doyle 	Television movie
1995	Deadly Love 	Rebecca Barnes 	Television movie
1995	Blue River 	Mrs. Sellers 	Television movie
1997	Bridge of Time 	Madeleine Armstrong	Television movie
1998	Avenged 	Margo 	
2002	L.A. Law: The Movie 	Grace Van Owen 	Television movie
2002	Disappearance 	Patty Henley 	Television movie
2003	Rain 	Dianna Davis 	
=== Television ===
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1970–74	The Partridge Family 	Laurie Partridge 	96 episodes
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
1973 	Circle of Fear 	Peggy 	Episode: "Doorway to Death"
1973 	Goober and the Ghost Chasers	Laurie Partridge (voice)	8 episodes
1974 	Partridge Family 2200 A.D. 	Laurie Partridge (voice)	2 episodes
1975 	The Rookies 	Angel 	Episode: "Angel"
1975 	Hawaii Five-O 	Susan Bradshaw 	Episode: "Target? the Lady"
1975 	S.W.A.T. 	Janice 	2 episodes
1976 	The Quest 	Charlotte Rosee 	Episode: "The Captive"
1976 	The Streets of San Francisco	Barbara Ross 	Episode: "The Thrill Killers" (filmed as a two-hour episode; aired in two parts)
1977 	Loves Me, Loves Me Not 	Jane Benson 	6 episodes
1983–84	Emerald Point N.A.S. 	Celia Mallory 	22 episodes
1986–92	L.A. Law 	Grace Van Owen 	110 episodes
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama (1989–92)
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series(1987–89)
Nominated—Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Actress in a Quality Drama Series
1992–93	Love & War 	Wallis "Wally" Porter 	23 episodes
1999 	Family Law 	Karen Hershey 	Episode: "Holt vs. Holt"
2004 	Third Watch 	Dr. Breene 	2 episodes