Suzanne Somers

Age: 63
Height: 5' 5 1/2"

Birth Place: San Bruno, California, USA
Born: Oct. 16th, 1946

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Suzanne Somers' Main TV Roles

Show	Character(s)
Three's Company	Chrissy Snow
Step by Step	Carol Foste…
E! True Hollywood Story	Suzanne Som…
Anniversary Game	Model
Good Day Live	Suzanne Som…
Lotsa Luck	Gloria
Mantrap	Panelist (14) Suzanne Som… panelist (15)
She's the Sheriff	Sheriff Hil…

NOTE: Complete List of Works can be found at IMDB

BIOGRAPHY:

Suzanne Somers is the third of four children born to Frank and Marion Mahoney. Her father worked loading beer onto boxcars, and her mother was a homemaker. She grew up living in constant fear of being hurt or even killed at the hands of her verbally and physically abusive alcoholic father. She was diagnosed with dyslexia when she was young, and was a poor student. She excelled, however, in the arts and was active in her school's theater program. She won a music scholarship to college, but became pregnant after six months. She married the baby's father, "Bruce Somers", and her only child, Bruce Somers (I), was born in November 1965. She was unhappy in her marriage and began an affair with her former drama teacher. Her husband found out about it and the marriage ended after just two years, in 1967. A single mom, she turned to modeling in San Francisco to support herself and her son. She also distanced herself from her family because her older brother and sister by then were also alcoholics. In 1968, she won a job as a prize model on a game show hosted by her future husband, Alan Hamel (II), who was married at the time. The two began dating, and she became pregnant while Hamel was still married. They came to the conclusion that Suzanne should have an abortion, from which she suffered severe bleeding for several days. In 1971, her son Bruce was severely injured when he was hit by a car, and the therapist counseling him only charged the struggling Suzanne $1 per week. Suzanne herself also underwent therapy to overcome the problems of her dysfunctional childhood. In the early 1970s, she landed minor roles in film and TV, and finally won a role on the series "Three's Company" (1977), where she modeled her character after Dick Clark (I)'s wife. She married Hamel in 1977. She was fired from the series after she asked for a raise at the beginning of the fifth season. She then headed to Las Vegas, where she performed extensively in the mid-1980s. In 1986, she began writing her autobiography, "Keeping Secrets", which was later made into a TV movie. In 1991, Suzanne landed the role of "Carol Foster", opposite Patrick Duffy (I), on the TV series "Step by Step" (1991). Since the end of that show, she has begun co-hosting the series "Candid Camera" (1992).

TRIVIA:

In January 2007 her Malibu seafront home was burned to the ground.
In 1970, she auditioned for Playboy's Playmate of the Month and got as far as a test series of photos taken in the Mexican jungle. She was fully nude except for a gold chain around her waist (Playboy did not publish full nudes at the time, so this was unusual). Playboy decided not to use her at the time, but paid her $3,000 for the test. When she became a star on "Three's Company," Playboy published the entire series of photos and the handwritten quick-autobiography that each Playmate writes (supposedly in her own handwriting, although the handwriting looks suspiciously the same each time). In the bio, she gives the year of her birth as 1947.
Sister of 'Maureen Gilmartin' (qv) and 'Daniel Mahoney' (qv).
She was the fourth actress to be hired for the "Chrissy" role on _"Three's Company" (1977)_ (qv). Actress 'Susanne Zenor' (qv) played "Samantha", a Chrissy type in the first pilot. After being rewritten as "Chrissy Snow", ABC hired then fired 'Denise Galik' (qv), replacing her with 'Susan Lanier' (qv). After ABC reviewed the 2nd pilot, they dropped Lanier and hired Somers.
(28 March 2001) Announced on _"Larry King Live" (1985)_ (qv) that she is battling breast cancer, and that she is undergoing homeopathic treatment against the will of her doctors. She also underwent liposuction in an effort to deal with the effects of the cancer.
24 January 2003, Received Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
She was also the brunette walking along the beach of the opening credits of the first 3 seasons of _"Three's Company" (1977)_ (qv). She was wearing a wig.
Mother of 'Bruce Somers (I)' (qv).