Susan Anton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Susan Anton
Anton in 2001
Education	Yucaipa High School
Alma mater	San Bernardino Valley College
Occupation	Actress singer
Years active	1969–present
Known for	Goldengirl Cannonball Run II Baywatch
Spouse(s)	Jack Stein ​ ​ (m. 1975; div. 1980)​ Jeff Lester ​ ​ (m. 1992)​

Susan Anton is an American actress and singer. She has worked in television, movies, theater, and concerts for over 35 years. Her first movie, "Goldengirl," earned her a Golden Globe nomination. This led to her own TV show, "Presenting Susan Anton," on NBC. Later, ABC signed her for the drama series "Cliffhangers."

Susan has performed on Broadway in shows like "The Will Rogers Follies" and "Hurlyburly." She also played Velma Von Tussle in the Las Vegas production of "Hairspray." She even played this role again at the Hollywood Bowl. Susan also toured with the musical "All Shook Up. For seven years, she was part of "The Great Radio City Music Hall Spectacular" with The Rockettes.

She has performed with famous entertainers such as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Tom Jones. Susan toured with Kenny Rogers and had a top 10 country song called "Killing Time." She also had international success with her Gold record "Foxy."

Susan has lived in Las Vegas for more than 20 years with her husband, director Jeff Lester. In 1997, they started their own company called Big Picture Studios. Through their company, Susan has helped produce projects like "The Last Real Cowboys" and the documentary "Speed of Life."

Early Life and Pageant Success

Susan Anton went to Yucaipa High School in Yucaipa, California, and finished in 1968. After high school, she attended San Bernardino Valley College. She first became known by winning local beauty contests. She won Miss Redlands and then Miss California in 1969. She also tied for second runner-up in the 1969 Miss America Scholarship Pageant.

Susan Anton's Career Highlights

Starting in 1976, Susan Anton became famous for her Muriel Cigars commercials. In these ads, she sang a catchy jingle. Later in the 1970s, she appeared many times on Merv Griffin's TV show. She was also often seen and heard in ads for Serta mattresses.

In 1978, ABC gave her a summer variety show called Mel and Susan Together with country singer Mel Tillis. Even though the show only lasted four weeks, Time Magazine named her one of the "Most Promising Faces of 1979."

She later starred in her own variety show, Presenting Susan Anton. She also appeared in Stop Susan Williams, which was part of the Cliffhangers series. Susan also starred in movies like Goldengirl, Spring Fever, and Cannonball Run II.

Susan also recorded music. Her biggest hit was "Killin' Time" in 1980, a duet with country singer Fred Knoblock. This song reached the Top 10 on the country charts and #28 on Billboard's Hot 100. In 1990, Anton appeared on the TV comedy series Night Court as a talk show producer.

Susan Anton was the host of "The Great Radio City Music Hall Spectacular" show in Las Vegas. She performed in over 5,000 shows until 2000. She also appeared in the Las Vegas musical Hairspray and on Broadway in The Will Rogers Follies, Hurlyburly, and All Shook Up.

She had a regular role on the TV series Baywatch from 1992 to 1994. She has also appeared as herself on shows like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (2006) and The Larry Sanders Show (1993). In 2016, she appeared in the movie Sharknado: The 4th Awakens. In 2020, Susan starred in the film Painter.

Filmography

Discography