Why did Susan Dey disappear from the limelight

[TMC]

According to IMDb, Susan Dey's last acting job was in a two part episode of a TV show called Third Watch back in 2004. All that I know about her current life is that she's very reclusive (and the subject of many clickbait articles) and lives in upstate New York. To be more direct, she serves as a board member of the Rape Treatment Center at UCLA Medical Center.

Did Susan Dey retire voluntarily or did she have little other good options post-LA Law? She did this sitcom for CBS called Love & War, but she was let go after only the first season.

Susan had always been the one cast member who refused to take part in any Partridge Family reunions. And she apparently, stopped talking to David Cassidy after he divulged details on their relationship in his 1994 autobiography.

[Mr. Television]

She's the new Greta Garbo.

[PracTz]

Perhaps having seen what intense fame had done to contribute to the destruction of her costar, she simply decided she wanted no part of it.

[Mr. Television]

Originally Posted by Alan Brady's Hair

She was nominated continuously for LA Law, but I never thought much of her as an actress. The Love and War role was pretty much a disaster, she may have realized she couldn't do character roles once the leading lady looks had faded.

She was good on LA Law but Love & War just wasn't a funny sitcom and she and Jay Thomas had no chemistry at all.

[um]

Originally Posted by PracTz

Perhaps having seen what intense fame had done to contribute to the destruction of her costar, she simply decided she wanted no part of it.

It is possible. That is a practical scenario after all, but also Ms Dey was probably able to see the most harsh side of fame during David Cassidy's heyday in the early 1970s. She reasonably might have decided right then and there not to stay in show business after the cancellation of The Partridge Family.
Also , if her last acting role was sometime in 2002 , that was before Cassidy's life really spiraled into chaos: He was 60 when he started getting in trouble with DWIs.

Originally Posted by Alan Brady's Hair

She was nominated continuously for LA Law, but I never thought much of her as an actress. The Love and War role was pretty much a disaster, she may have realized she couldn't do character roles once the leading lady looks had faded.

I don't know. It is very well known or reputed that the older that actresses get, the fewer acting roles they get. As true as it is, it can be inaccurate to jump to the conclusion that just because Ms Dey reached her 50s that she was considered to have too many older features to assign to acting roles.
She was successful in certain TV series after TPF and David Cassidy himself said that he assigned his own agent to work with Susan and that is how she went on to have the best acting career of all TPF cast members as Cassidy himself put it in his autobiography.

Some of us take little bits of information, and though it may be all we have to go on, we speculate sometimes using our wildest imaginations about the issue along with our own haughtiness.

I am not an expert on acting ability. I have seen some movies which critics have lauded as having "great acting" but I myself did not think it was so good, and I have seen movies that critics have said contain bad acting and I thought the acting was very well done and not deserving of being panned.

It seems that under the right director and also if she is in the right role an actress like Susan Dey can do a great acting job. It just might be that regardless of having had significantly established herself in LA Law (which is a TV show that I actually did not watch) she still was remembered as Lori Partridge.

Also there are just times in which a successful actor or actress just feels it is time to leave the business and do something else with his or her life.
I heard that the actress who gave Elvis his first screen kiss went on to become a nun. Also the kid who became famous as "Charlie" in the original Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory decided never to make a movie again and just tried to hide the fact that he was not merely a kid actor but that kid actor in Willy Wonka.
Sometimes it can be because of frustration with the business and getting the right roles for you. SOmetimes it is just that you suddenly feel that should have been doing something else all along. who knows ? Though we are free to discuss and make guesses we should not take it so personally so as to
say that Susan Dey failed to maintain her attractiveness and just has a bad attitude so it serves her right that she is forced to quit show business.
Sometimes a celebrity just knows that she or he can further a social or political cause by lending his or her name to it. Susan Dey seems to, at least partially, be using her past fame to do some good in helping victims of sex crimes.

Originally Posted by TMC

According to IMDb, Susan Dey's last acting job was in a two part episode of a TV show called Third Watch back in 2004. All that I know about her current life is that she's very reclusive (and the subject of many clickbait articles) and lives in upstate New York. To be more direct, she serves as a board member of the Rape Treatment Center at UCLA Medical Center.

Did Susan Dey retire voluntarily or she had little other good options post-LA Law? She did this sitcom for CBS called Love & War, but she was let go after only the first season.

Susan had always been the one cast member who refused to take part in any Partridge Family reunions. And she apparently, stopped talking to David Cassidy after he dissolved details on their relationship in his 1994 autobiography.

Susan did not "Refuse to take part in any Partridge Family reunions."
She may not have done it to the perfect satisfaction of every Partridge Family fan, but she made an appearance in a "This Is Your Life" broadcast in which David Cassidy's life was reviewed, also she called in and talked with Danny Bonaduce and other members of TPF when Danny featured his former co-stars on his show.
I think Susan is given a great deal of criticism for not taking part in reunions as much as other cast members but she has to make a decision that is right for herself. She probably feels that it was a part of her acting career that should not become the emphasis even though other people have decided that Susan Dey's celebrity is unavoidably all about a 1970s sitcom that has been off the air for decades.
I am sure it was a difficult time for her too as she has stated that she was under pressure to be thin and attractive according to the current standards and dealt with an eating disorder.
I think that no one should judge her if she feels that she rather move on to other things . Maybe she is a bit angry about what David revealed in his autobiography. She is the only one who knows what it is like and if she believes it is best for herself to avoid the public eye, no one should second guess her decision .

[TMC]

Originally Posted by Alan Brady's Hair

She was nominated continuously for LA Law, but I never thought much of her as an actress. The Love and War role was pretty much a disaster, she may have realized she couldn't do character roles once the leading lady looks had faded.

In hindsight, I think it was a huge mistake on Susan's part to leave LA Law when she did. Love & War pretty much killed her career as a leading lady.

[um]

Originally Posted by TMC

In hindsight, I think it was a huge mistake on Susan's part to leave LA Law when she did. Love& War pretty much killed her career as a leading lady.

I never observed her career that closely so I was not aware of these very final stints at acting of hers. Perhaps her career was killed by the very last acting gig she took part in. However from what it seems, she was essentially done with acting by this time anyway. She had been acting for most of her life by this time and maybe she felt it was time to retire even though a lot of other actors continue seeking and doing roles into their senior years. From what it seems, she just wanted to call it quits with acting and just move on to something else which turned out to be charity work, or community service, or working at an organization meant to help victims of sexual violence.
It seems she mainly does not want to be constantly reminded or asked about her celebrity past. It seems she wants to be a person who works behind a desk or maybe talking with needy people or assisting in organizing all kinds of charitable events without being thought of as a star.
She probably is most remembered as Lori Partridge at least by people who are over the age of 55.

[TV Guy]

I think she was smart enough to realize that L.A. Law was declining and only had a few years left, and she wanted to jump to another series while she was still “hot” (it’s always easier to get another job when you already have a job). And multi camera sitcoms were big at that time.

The problem with Susan is: she just wasn’t funny. In fact, I found her acting range pretty limited, even on L.A. Law. She had this stilted way of saying her lines that seemed unnatural. I remember when she got the job on L.A. Law, which had a pedigree, and thinking, why in the world did they choose her?

That said, I don’t blame her for taking the chance on Love and War. The Times article linked above quoted the producer of L.A. Law saying he hoped she’d come back. Too bad that didn’t happen, though she would have only been back for a single year - the final season. She did go back for the reunion movie in 2002, and it was one of her final acting jobs.

[um]

Originally Posted by TV Guy

The problem with Susan is: she just wasn’t funny. In fact, I found her acting range pretty limited, even on L.A. Law. She had this stilted way of saying her lines that seemed unnatural. I remember when she got the job on L.A. Law, which had a pedigree, and thinking, why in the world did they choose her?

.

When it comes to actors saying their lines in a way that sounds "unnatural," for that matter the way most characters are portrayed on TV , the way they typically say exactly whats on their minds without having to stop and think what word they want to use or having to go back and restate what they are trying to say or using the wrong word etc (of course if an actor flubs his or her words the take is redone), is not the way real people talk in real life and even educated articulate people often say "what word am i looking for?" or "What" the name" and forget their train of thought.

Also if you watch any actor in different TV shows or movies you will often notice that even the best actors will do a scene poorly and will look as if s/he is looking directly at the camera and reading from a cue card

[TMC]

Susan Dey became popular starring as Laurie Partridge in the 70s hit musical sitcom, The Patridge Family. Her role in the series was her first acting stint but the role made her overnight. After the hit musical, she starred in the NBC series, L.A. Law. Watch the video to know some amazing facts about her, including her relationship with David Cassidy, her onscreen brother on The Partridge Family and her net worth in 2020.

Chapters:

• 00:00 Susan Dey The Partridge Family
• 00:15 Susan Dey Laurie Partridge
• 00:25 Susan Dey Retirement
• 00:36 Susan Dey Age
• 00:51 Susan Dey Parents
• 01:26 Susan Dey TV Shows & Movies
• 02:50 Susan Dey David Casidy
• 03:10 Susan Dey The Patridge Family reunions
• 03:27 Susan Dey Leonard "Lenny" Hirshan
• 03:34 Susan Dey Daughter
• 03:39 Susan Dey Husband
• 03:45 What is Susan Dey Doing Now?

[TMC]

https://nedhardy.com/2023/11/28/susan-dey-2/

What is Susan Dey doing now?



Susan Dey continues to live a life away from the spotlight. Since retiring from acting, Dey has maintained a low profile, embracing a private life that is far removed from her past celebrity.

In recent years, there has been minimal news about her, with no personal updates coming from social media platforms, as she has chosen to stay away from these channels.

However, in a rare and delightful appearance for fans in 2020, Dey participated in a virtual reunion of “L.A. Law,” rekindling memories of the acclaimed series and her significant role in it.

Dey talked about her audition process and her experiences on the show. She mentions how she originally auditioned for a different role and how she was eventually cast in the part of Grace.

Dey also reflects on the memorable scenes she had with Jimmy Smits, who played Victor Sifuentes, particularly a scene involving a belt buckle which she found challenging and scary.

She praises the show’s producer, Steven Bochco, for his talent in producing and bringing together a great team.

Key cast members who also attended the reunion included Corbin Bernsen, Michele Greene, Harry Hamlin, Jimmy Smits, and Blair Underwood.



When her Partridge sister Suzanne Crough passed away in 2015 at the age of 52, Dey publicly declared her condolences about her death.

But when it came to the passing of her onscreen brother David Cassidy in 2017, Dey had nothing to say, and has never spoken about it.

[TMC]

Don't take my word for it, but here's one "blind item" from June 2016 that may or may not be about Susan Dey.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by um

It is possible. That is a practical scenario after all, but also Ms Dey was probably able to see the most harsh side of fame during David Cassidy's heyday in the early 1970s. She reasonably might have decided right then and there not to stay in show business after the cancellation of The Partridge Family.
Also , if her last acting role was sometime in 2002 , that was before Cassidy's life really spiraled into chaos: He was 60 when he started getting in trouble with DWIs.




I don't know. It is very well known or reputed that the older that actresses get, the fewer acting roles they get. As true as it is, it can be inaccurate to jump to the conclusion that just because Ms Dey reached her 50s that she was considered to have too many older features to assign to acting roles.
She was successful in certain TV series after TPF and David Cassidy himself said that he assigned his own agent to work with Susan and that is how she went on to have the best acting career of all TPF cast members as Cassidy himself put it in his autobiography.

Some of us take little bits of information, and though it may be all we have to go on, we speculate sometimes using our wildest imaginations about the issue along with our own haughtiness.

I am not an expert on acting ability. I have seen some movies which critics have lauded as having "great acting" but I myself did not think it was so good, and I have seen movies that critics have said contain bad acting and I thought the acting was very well done and not deserving of being panned.

It seems that under the right director and also if she is in the right role an actress like Susan Dey can do a great acting job. It just might be that regardless of having had significantly established herself in LA Law (which is a TV show that I actually did not watch) she still was remembered as Lori Partridge.

Also there are just times in which a successful actor or actress just feels it is time to leave the business and do something else with his or her life.
I heard that the actress who gave Elvis his first screen kiss went on to become a nun. Also the kid who became famous as "Charlie" in the original Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory decided never to make a movie again and just tried to hide the fact that he was not merely a kid actor but that kid actor in Willy Wonka.
Sometimes it can be because of frustration with the business and getting the right roles for you. SOmetimes it is just that you suddenly feel that should have been doing something else all along. who knows ? Though we are free to discuss and make guesses we should not take it so personally so as to
say that Susan Dey failed to maintain her attractiveness and just has a bad attitude so it serves her right that she is forced to quit show business.
Sometimes a celebrity just knows that she or he can further a social or political cause by lending his or her name to it. Susan Dey seems to, at least partially, be using her past fame to do some good in helping victims of sex crimes.



Susan did not "Refuse to take part in any Partridge Family reunions."
She may not have done it to the perfect satisfaction of every Partridge Family fan, but she made an appearance in a "This Is Your Life" broadcast in which David Cassidy's life was reviewed, also she called in and talked with Danny Bonaduce and other members of TPF when Danny featured his former co-stars on his show.
I think Susan is given a great deal of criticism for not taking part in reunions as much as other cast members but she has to make a decision that is right for herself. She probably feels that it was a part of her acting career that should not become the emphasis even though other people have decided that Susan Dey's celebrity is unavoidably all about a 1970s sitcom that has been off the air for decades.
I am sure it was a difficult time for her too as she has stated that she was under pressure to be thin and attractive according to the current standards and dealt with an eating disorder.
I think that no one should judge her if she feels that she rather move on to other things . Maybe she is a bit angry about what David revealed in his autobiography. She is the only one who knows what it is like and if she believes it is best for herself to avoid the public eye, no one should second guess her decision .

Susan admittedly before their apparent falling out, did appear on stage with David Cassidy at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards.



And she did participate in a spoof of The Partridge Family when she guest hosted Saturday Night Live in 1992:

[rusty spike]

I don't think Susan was a bad actor, but I don't think she was outstanding either.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by um

When it comes to actors saying their lines in a way that sounds "unnatural," for that matter the way most characters are portrayed on TV , the way they typically say exactly whats on their minds without having to stop and think what word they want to use or having to go back and restate what they are trying to say or using the wrong word etc (of course if an actor flubs his or her words the take is redone), is not the way real people talk in real life and even educated articulate people often say "what word am i looking for?" or "What" the name" and forget their train of thought.

Also if you watch any actor in different TV shows or movies you will often notice that even the best actors will do a scene poorly and will look as if s/he is looking directly at the camera and reading from a cue card

Susan as Laurie Partridge seemed to exude kind of a sweet shyness in her performance.