When Susan Saint James moved to Los Angeles as a young woman, she lived at the Hollywood Studio Club. “It was started for women by Mary Pickford,” Susan exclusively tells Closer of the silent movie icon. “And my mom approved because Grace Kelly had lived here. I started taking acting lessons, but I got the feeling right away that you could get stuck in acting class. Plus, I had to make money.”
It didn’t take long for Susan to become a familiar face on television. After breaking out as research assistant Peggy Maxwell on The Name of the Game , a role that won her an Emmy, she became a star on McMillan & Wife . A decade later, she returned to TV on Kate & Allie . “I am still in touch with Jane [ Curtin ] and all the kids,” says Susan, 77. “It was great fun.”
What was your childhood like?
"I was born in L.A. and lived there until I was 12. We moved to Illinois. Then after school, I went to New York and never looked back."
Your Guide to 101 Classic TV Shows of the 1980s You started modeling as a teenager.
"I was on my way to college, but I never got there because I just wanted to make a living. I was 16-years-old and living at the Barbizon [Hotel]. I modeled for five or six months, got a book together and went to live in France. I speak French fluently, and I stayed a while because Kennedy was shot in November, and I was just heartbroken. It was like the end of the world."
By 1966, you had moved to Los Angeles to be an actress. Is there anything you wish you could have told your younger self?
"I think you have to go there with the idea that nothing is going to dissuade you. I tell people, talent, being interesting and being yourself adds 100 percent. It happened very fast for me, but you have to be the last man standing."
Did you have any role models when you were a young actress?
"Paula Prentiss . She was my perfect person. I did a movie later with Dick Benjamin , who was married to her, and I told him, 'I’m only here because of your wife.' I thought she was funny and pretty, and I wanted to be just like her."
Did you get to meet a lot of your idols?
"I met all my favorite stars. I did six or seven shows with Robert Wagner . I completely adored and fell in love with him. He introduced me to Paul Newman, so that was just the greatest thing in the whole wide world."
You also played Rock Hudson’s spouse on 'McMillan & Wife.' Were you a fan?
"Yes! A few years earlier, I stood in line to see Pillow Talk and Please Don’t Eat the Daisies . He was so dreamy. I followed him to the market in Hollywood one time with my girlfriend. I went, 'Let’s see what he buys!' I was a fan, and there I was playing his wife ."
What did you learn from working with him?
"One of them was to joke with everybody. There is nothing more important than making a set a pleasant place to be. The other thing was to be completely prepared. He never came in unprepared — never, not once. He was just great the whole time."
How did your role on 'McMillan & Wife' change the trajectory of your career?
"I went and did a couple of movies, and I had a great time ... I did one movie with George Hamilton , Love at First Bite , which was a big hit. But I started having more kids, and I realized I wanted to be back [on television] and make a salary every week so I could afford to take care of my kids. So, I made that choice, and it worked for me."
What did you enjoy most about starring on 'Kate & Allie'?
"The schedule was great. Jane [Curtin] and I had been friends before, so that was fun. I always tell people we both went to Catholic girls school, so we were unbelievably disciplined. Everybody knew their lines, nobody was having a fit. Jane seems like she’d be fun to work with. She was a master of improv. We would do rehearsals on Wednesday afternoon, and Jane would do the whole thing in a Mexican accent. Or she’d do the whole thing like a man. The kids would crumble from laughter. She could do anything. She played Lucille Ball better than anybody I’ve seen play Lucille Ball."
What was your life like after 'Kate & Allie'?
"I immediately had another baby, so that takes two years before they’re out of diapers and walking. Then it’s another year of getting them to ride a bike, and then you get a little more freedom. I had five kids. Every time I thought about going to work, I thought, 'It can’t be as much fun as this.'"
You’ve been married to your husband, TV executive Dick Ebersol, for more than 40 years. What’s your secret?
"Somebody once told me if you want to have a long and happy marriage, you have to stay in one. We just stayed in it. I mean, there were hard times. There were Olympic Games that I would go to, and I would never see him because he had a reputation for sleeping at the international broadcast building. He had a bed there. I figured out that if this marriage was going to work, I was going to have to stay home with the kids. I started watching him on TV."
Do you have a motto you live by?
"I have a couple. My son Teddy, who passed away, had so many sayings. I have some of them as tattoos on my arm. He had one that was, 'Life is a blur, love is the focus.' That was Teddy. I love that."
How would you describe this chapter of your life?
"It’s taken some crazy turns. I love my house in Connecticut, but it’s about 12 sizes too big for two people. I’m a collector, I’m not a hoarder, but I have every ashtray I ever stole from any restaurant I ever went to. I have corks, bottle caps, wardrobe from every movie I ever made. I’ve got every piece of my children’s clothing. I’ve got all that stuff to unload and unburden us."
That sounds overwhelming!
"But when I’m [at my home in] Hawaii, it’s completely different. We have a set of friends here. We go for long walks. It’s just easygoing. Our menu is simple, our life is simple, and it’s really relaxing and nice. We’re just going through life together. I get to enjoy my seven grandkids, so I’m really busy, but I love it."
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