Susan Anton is an American actress and singer with a career spanning over 35 years in various entertainment fields, including television, film, theater, and concert venues. Her debut film, "Goldengirl," earned her a Golden Globe nomination, leading to a contract with NBC for her variety show, "Presenting Susan Anton." Later, ABC signed her for the drama series "Cliffhangers."

Susan Anton
Anton in 2001
EducationYucaipa High School
Alma materSan Bernardino Valley College
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
Years active1969–present
Known forGoldengirl
Cannonball Run II
Baywatch
Spouses
Jack Stein
(m. 1975; div. 1980)
(m. 1992)
Websitesusananton.com
Susan Anton
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Beauty pageant titleholder
TitleMiss California 1969
Hair colorAuburn
Eye colorHazel
Major
competition(s)
Miss America (2nd runner-up)

Anton's Broadway credits include roles in Tommy Tune's "The Will Rogers Follies" and David Rabe's "Hurlyburly," directed by Mike Nichols. She played Velma Von Tussle in the Las Vegas production of "Hairspray," directed by Jack O’Brien and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, and reprised this role at the Hollywood Bowl. Anton also co-starred in the national tour of "All Shook Up" and appeared for seven years in "The Great Radio City Music Hall Spectacular" with The Rockettes, directed by Joe Layton.

Her other stage work includes the Neil Simon/Marvin Hamlisch production "They’re Playing Our Song" and a national tour of "A Couple of White Chicks Sitting Around Talking" alongside Elizabeth Ashley. Anton has performed with notable entertainers like Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Tom Jones. She toured with Kenny Rogers and had a top 10 country hit with "Killing Time." Internationally, she achieved success with the Gold record "Foxy."

Based in Las Vegas for over 20 years with her husband, director Jeff Lester, they founded Big Picture Studios in 1997. Through their company, Anton has executive produced projects like "The Last Real Cowboys" with Billy Bob Thornton and the documentary "Speed of Life" featuring Amy Purdy.

Early life

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Anton attended Yucaipa High School in Yucaipa, California, and graduated in 1968. After high school, Anton attended San Bernardino Valley College. She first experienced fame by winning the nearby Miss Redlands and later the Miss California beauty contests in 1969[1][2] and tied as second runner-up in the 1969 Miss America Scholarship Pageant held September 6 that year.[3]

Career

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Starting in 1976, Anton developed a following for her Muriel Cigars commercials[4][5] where she sang, "Let Muriel turn you on / That is my desire / Muriel lights a flame in me / Where there's Muriel smoke, there's fire". Later in the 1970s, Anton appeared approximately 30 times on Merv Griffin's TV show.[6] She was frequently seen and heard in television, print and radio ads for the Perfect Sleeper mattress by Serta. In these ads, she announced her name and sang the company's jingle.

In 1978, ABC gave her and country singer Mel Tillis a summertime variety series, Mel and Susan Together, produced by the Osmond Brothers. The pairing of Anton and Tillis was an unlikely one: he was popular in country music circles but hardly a national household name while Susan was barely known at all. The show disappeared after four weeks;[7] nevertheless, she was later chosen as one of Time Magazine's "Most Promising Faces of 1979".[citation needed]

She later starred in her own variety show, Presenting Susan Anton, in Stop Susan Williams (one of three serials in the Cliffhangers series), and in the films Goldengirl,[8] Spring Fever,[9] and Cannonball Run II. She also recorded music, her biggest hit being "Killin' Time" in 1980, a duet with country singer Fred Knoblock. The record made Top 10 on the country charts and hit #28 on Billboard's Hot 100. In 1990, Anton appeared on the TV comedy series Night Court in an episode called "The Talk Show" where she played talk show producer Margo Hunter.

Anton is on the cover of the mass trade paperback edition of Goldengirl, written by Peter Lovesey (using the pen name Peter Lear). She had appeared as the title character in the film version which starred James Coburn[10] and was directed by Joseph Sargent.

Anton was the host of the successful "Great Radio City Music Hall Spectacular" show at the Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas for over 5,000 performances until July 31, 2000. She also appeared in the Las Vegas company of the musical Hairspray and on Broadway in The Will Rogers Follies, Hurlyburly, and All Shook Up.[11][12]

She had a recurring role on the TV series Baywatch from 1992 to 1994 and has appeared as herself on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (2006), The Larry Sanders Show (1993) and It's Garry Shandling's Show (1987), as well as in several films. Most recently, she appeared in the movie Sharknado: The 4th Awakens in 2016.

Anton appeared in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit which aired on March 31, 2010.[13]

In 2020, Anton starred in the feature psychological thriller film Painter as the character Carree Tole.[14]

Filmography

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Susan Anton film work
Year Title Role Notes
1977 Wizards Princess Elinore / The Balladeer singing voice (uncredited)
1979 Goldengirl Goldine Serafin
1982 Spring Fever Stevie Castle
1984 Cannonball Run II Jill, Lamborghini Babe
1987 Making Mr. Right Soap Opera Actress (uncredited)
1989 Options Princess Nicole (in telefilm epilogue)
1991 Lena's Holiday Sara
1999 New Jersey Turnpikes
2004 Whistlin' Dixie Dixie Dawson (short)
2008 Playing with Fire Sandra Nevell
2020 Painter Carree Tole Indie feature film
Susan Anton television work
Year Title Role Notes
1973 The Great American Beauty Contest Betty Sue Allen – Last Year's Queen TV movie
1976 Serpico Model Episode: "Strike!" (1.5)
1976 Police Story Party Girl #2 Episode: "Monster Manor" (4.8)
1977 Hunter Cissy Episode: "The Costa Rican Connection" (1.5)
1977 Switch Marcy Episode: "Go for Broke" (3.7)
1978 The Jim Nabors Show Herself
1978 Hollywood Squares Guest Appearance 3 episodes
1978 The Mike Douglas Show Herself – Vocalist (17.33)
1979 American Music Awards of 1979 Herself – Presenter
1979 The Mike Douglas Show Herself – Vocalist (17.90)
1979 Stop Susan Williams Susan Williams 10 episodes
1979 Presenting Susan Anton Herself – Host 4 episodes
1979 The Girls Who Saved the World Susan Williams TV movie
1980 American Movie Awards Herself – Performer TV special
1982 American Music Awards of 1982 Herself
1982 Golden Globe Award Herself
1982 Academy Awards Herself
1983 The Love Boat Leslie Webb Episode: "The Pledge/East Meets West/Dear Roberta/My Dumplings: Part 1" (7.1)
1983 The Love Boat Leslie Webb Episode: "The Pledge/East Meets West/Dear Roberta/My Dumplings: Part 2" (7.2)
1984 The Boy Who Loved Trolls Kalotte TV movie
1984 Mike Hammer Noelle Roberts Episode: "The Deadly Prey" (2.8)
1985 Placido Domingo: Stepping Out with the Ladies Herself TV special
1985 39th Tony Awards Herself – Presenter & Performer TV special
1986 40th Tony Awards Herself – Performer & Presenter: Best Book of a Musical TV special
1986 Super Password Herself 5 episodes
1986 Hardesty House Charlotte Montgomery TV movie
1986 Murder, She Wrote Christine Clifford Episode: "Corned Beef and Carnage" (3.5)
1987 Making Mr. Right Soap Opera Actress (uncredited)
1987 Mr. Belvedere Herself Episode: "Separation" (3.20)
1987 Hotel Linda Davis Episode: "All the King's Horses" (4.22)
1987 Jonathan Winters: On the Ledge TV movie
1987 It's Garry Shandling's Show Herself Episode: "No Baby, No Show" (2.2)
1988 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Diane Lewis Episode: "Animal Lovers" (3.2)
1988 My Secret Identity Susan Anderson Episode: "Memories" (1.5)
1989 The Pat Sajak Show Herself (1.66)
1989 The Home Show Herself – Co-Host
1989 Murder, She Wrote Celia James Episode: "Jack and Bill" (6.5)
1989 The Famous Teddy Z Esther Luna Episode: "Baking with Esther Luna" (1.7)
1990 Night Court Margo Hunter Episode: "The Talk Show" (7.17)
1990 Quantum Leap Helen Le Baron Episode: "One Strobe Over the Line – June 15, 1965" (3.4)
1990 Out of This World Sandy Martin Episode: "Best Friends" (4.6)
1991 Blossom Suzy Episode: "Expectations" (2.10)
1992 Dangerous Curves Ellen Tarbuck Episode: "Deadlier Than the Male" (1.8)
1992 The Ben Stiller Show Susan Anton Episode: "With Dennis Miller" (1.10)
1993 Civil Wars Cassie Strait Episode: "Dances with Sharks" (2.13)
1993 The Larry Sanders Show Susan Anton Episode: "The Breakdown: Part 2" (2.2)
1992–1994 Baywatch Jackie Quinn 13 episodes
1997 City Guys Mrs. Anderson Episode: "For the Love of Mother" (1.2)
1997 City Guys Mrs. Anderson Episode: "Red Ferrari" (1.7)
2002 Hollywood Squares Guest Appearance
2002 TVography: Suzanne Somers – Mastering Success Herself TV movie documentary
2006 CMT: Greatest Miss America Moments Herself TV special
2006 Queer Eye for the Straight Guy Herself Episode: "Turn a Poker Dud Into a Five Card Stud: Ed M" (4.3)
2009 Sex in '69: The Sexual Revolution in America Herself TV special
2010 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Jenny Coswold Episode: "Bedtime" (11.18)
2016 Sharknado: The 4th Awakens Betty Television film
2022 The Cleaning Lady Ginger Cline Episode: "The Brit" (2.5)

Discography

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Susan Anton albums
Year Album Label
1981 Foxy Scotti Bros.
1981 Killin' Time Scotti Bros.
2001 One Night Varese Sarabande
Susan Anton singles
Year Single
1980 "Killin' Time" (with Fred Knoblock)

References

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  1. ^ "Community shares happiness as Susan Anton wins crown". Redlands Daily Facts. June 23, 1969. p. 3.
  2. ^ "Miss California History". Miss California. Archived from the original on October 13, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  3. ^ "Michigan Girl Chosen Miss America". The New York Times. September 7, 1969.
  4. ^ Reilly, Sue (April 14, 1980). "It's More Than a Vegas Act When Susan Anton Sings Lost-Love Blues Over Sly Stallone". People. Retrieved January 9, 2019. Then in 1976 she got her shot, replacing Edie Adams as the Muriel cigar girl.
  5. ^ Kleinschmidt, Janice (November 30, 2009). "Forever Young: Susan Anton comes home for Christmas to perform with The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies". Arts & Entertainment. Palm Springs Life. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  6. ^ "Susan Anton Hopes To Hit Record Charts". St. Petersburg Times. December 26, 1980. p. 20D.
  7. ^ Associated Press (December 26, 1980). "Susan Anton Hopes To Hit Record Charts". St. Petersburg Times. p. 20D.
  8. ^ Canby, Vincent (June 15, 1979). "Goldengirl (1979) Screen: A Witty 'Goldengirl':Nurtured to Win". The New York Times.
  9. ^ Maslin, Janet (January 15, 1983). "The Last American Virgin (1982) FROLICS IN FLORIDA AND OTHER ANTICS". The New York Times.
  10. ^ Associated Press (January 6, 1981). "Anton Now Tries Recording Career". The Sumpter Daily Item. p. 8.
  11. ^ Associated Press (November 19, 1993). "Get Your Kicks". Sarasota Herald Tribune.
  12. ^ New York Times News Service (March 4, 1985). "Anton strives for solid image". Winnipeg Free Press. p. 26.
  13. ^ "Exclusive: Ann-Margret to Guest on SVU". TVGuide.com.
  14. ^ "Painter (2020 movie)". Startattle. October 18, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Sharon Terrill
Miss California
1969
Succeeded by
Karin Kascher