Suzanne Somers Biography

By Author: Ivan Cuxeva Jr
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Suzanne Marie Mahoney was born in San Bruno, California, on 16 October 1946; she is one of four children. In 1986, she wrote an autobiography entitled Keeping Secrets, in which detailed the physical abuse she suffered at the hands of her father as a child, which was later made into a TV movie.

As a child she was diagnosed as having dyslexia and was considered a poor academic student. She did, however, perform well in the theatre programme at the school, eventually, attending college with a music scholarship.

Unfortunately, after a short time at college, she became pregnant and married her boyfriend Bruce Somers, the marriage ended in 1967 after two years. As a single mother trying to make ends meet Suzanne used her looks to take up modelling, she was quickly snapped up by a game show hosted by Alan Hamel, who later became her second husband.

During the early 70s, she found minor roles in TV shows and movies. Eventually, winning the role that would make her a star, as the bubbly blonde Chrissy on the hit TV comedy show Three's Company opposite John Ritter. She has stated in the past that the character was ...
... based on the wife of famous entertainer, Dick Clark.

She starred in the show for four seasons, then was apparently ‘let go' after asking for a raise. During the early 80s she performed on stage in Las Vegas. She later took the role of Carol Foster, this time, playing opposite Patrick Duffy in the TV series Step by Step. She later went on to host the long-running Candid Camera.

At the beginning of the 90s, he became famous as the scantily clad Thigh Master workout girl in a series of well remembered commercials for the leg exerciser.

Since then, she has gone to more serious work, founding the Suzanne Somers Institute for the Effects of Addictions on the Family. She also, she appeared before the U.S. Senate Committee who at the time were planning legislation regarding addiction and family abuse.

She went on to give lectures on the subject, all over the United States. In addition, was given a Humanitarian Award from the National Counsel on Alcoholism, she is also won the prestigious President's Award from the National Association of American Drug Counselors. As well as several other commendations for her work.

Here are some interesting facts about Suzanne's life, she reached cult status, playing the mysterious blonde driving a Thunderbird, and being pursued by Richard Dreyfuss in the 1972 cult phenomena American Graffiti.

Because of her dyslexia, she had to paint one shoe red to be able to learn dance numbers for her Vegas show. After originally winning the role of Jill Munroe in "Charlie's Angels", she was replaced before shooting began, by Farrah Fawcett.

After losing the role, she hired, Farrah's manager to do for her what he had done a Farrah. In 2001 while being interviewed on the hit show Larry King Live, she announced that she was suffering from breast cancer.

In the opening credits for "Three's Company, the brunette walking along the beach is Suzanne wearing a wig. In 1986, she became Las Vegas, female entertainer of the year.

She and Joyce DeWitt did not speak for 20 years after the end of Three's Company.

She was not the first actors hired play Chrissy; she was in fact, the fourth, women, given the role.

Suzann currently promotes her own line of diet and other products with her husband Alan Hamel.