Suzanne Somers Passes On

Suzanne Somers, best known for starring on the TV shows Three's Company and Step by Step, died on October 15 2023 at the age of 76. In 2000 he had been diagnosed with stage II breast cancer.

Suzanne Somers was born Suzanne Mahoney on October 16 1946 in San Bruno, California. She performed in plays in high school and graduated from Capuchino High School in San Bruno, California. She attended Lone Mountain College in San Francisco, but dropped out when she learned she was pregnant. She married the father of the child, Bruce Somers. They divorced in 1968.

Suzanne Somers made her film debut in a bit part in Bullitt in 1968. She also appeared as an extra in the movies Daddy's Gone A-Hunting (1969) and Fools (1970). She was a model on the syndicated show Anniversary Game, which ran from 1969 to 1970. She appeared as the blonde in the Thunderbird in American Graffiti (1973) and that same year in Magnum Force (1973). In the Seventies she guest starred on the shows Lotsa Luck!, The Rockford Files, One Day at a Time, The Love Boat, Starsky and Hutch, The Six Million Dollar Man, Billy, and The Ropers. She was cast as Chrissy Snow on the TV show Three's Company following an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. The show proved to be a hit in the Nielsen ratings. It was with the show's fifth season that Suzanne Somers demanded to be paid as much as men on similar, but lower rated series. She missed two episodes, and ABC eventually fired her.

In the Eighties Suzanne Somers starred on the syndicated sitcom She's the Sheriff for two seasons. She appeared in the mini-series Hollywood Wives. In the Nineties she starred on the sitcom Step by Step. She guest starred on the shows Sisters, The Larry Saunders Show, Full House, The Naked Truth, and The Simpsons. She appeared in the movie Serial Mom (1994), and provided a voice for Rusty: A Dog's Tale (1998). In 1994 she was the host of her own talk show, The Suzanne Somers Show. Her last appearance in a feature film was in Say It Isn't So (2001). In 2012 she hosted The Suzanne Show on the cable channel Lifetime.

Chances are very good that Suzanne Somers will be best remembered as Chrissy Snow on Three's Company. While Chrissy had many of the characteristics of the dumb blonde stereotype, Suzanne Somers made the character sympathetic and even convincing within the reality of Three's Company. She also did fine on Step by Step as widowed mother Carol Foster Lambert, who married a divorced father (Patrick Duffy). The role was a far cry from Chrissy Snow, particularly given Carol was a beautician who operated her own business. Of course, she'll always be remembered as the blonde in the T-Bird in American Graffiti as well. While it was a bit part, with her facial expressions and body language she brought the character to life and made her appealing. With two hit series and an appearance in a classic film, Suzanne Somers won't soon be forgotten.