Susan Sarandon bio, age, daughter, young, husband, Oscar, relationships 2025

Biography of Susan Sarandon

Susan Sarandon is a popular Hollywood actress who gained international fame for her roles as Jane Spofford in "The Witches of Eastwick" and Sister Helen Prejean in the crime drama "Dead Man Walking," for which she won an Oscar, having been nominated five times in her career. She has also been nominated for Emmy Awards six times and Golden Globe Awards nine times. Even in her later years, the actress continues to work. Most recently, in 2023, she starred in the comedy "Maybe I Do."

Childhood, Adolescence, Family

Susan Abigail Tomalin was born in the autumn of 1946 to Philip Leslie Tomalin and Lenora Marie Criscione in New York. Her father, of English descent, worked as a television producer and previously performed musical acts in nightclubs. On her mother's side, she had Sicilian and Tuscan heritage.

The family was large: Susan had four brothers – Philip, Terry, Tim, and O'Brian, and four sisters – Meredith, Bonnie, Amanda, and Missy. Her parents were deeply religious and raised their children in the Christian faith.

When Susan was a few years old, the family moved to Edison, a town about 50 kilometers from New York. The children lived in two rooms, sleeping on bunk beds. The house was pure chaos, and as the eldest, Susan found herself looking after the younger kids.

Recalling her school years, Sarandon shared the following:

I attended a very strict Catholic school, but I was never a rebel – I just asked a lot of questions. In the third grade, we were told that a true marriage can only be by Catholic rite. I asked, 'How did Joseph and Mary get married if Jesus was not yet born and there was no Catholic church?' But they said that original sin raged within me and made me stand in the corridor. The sense of humor was not great there.

After school, she enrolled at The Catholic University of America in Washington – simply because her parents had missed all the application deadlines for other schools.

She graduated in 1968 with a Bachelor of Arts in Drama but had not considered an acting career. However, meeting her future husband and actor Chris Sarandon changed Susan's life forever. She went with him to an audition to help him run lines, and ended up landing the lead role herself.

Acting Career

Twenty-four-year-old Susan Sarandon made her film debut in "Joe" (1970), playing Melissa Compton, a hippie enthusiast. The performance caught attention, landing her a role in the Italian-French comedy "Lady Liberty" with Sophia Loren and Danny DeVito.

After wrapping the film, Susan landed her next role in the American series "A World Apart." She then appeared in films such as "Lovin' Molly" (as Sarah), "The Front Page" (as Peggy Grant), and "The Great Waldo Pepper" (as Mary Beth).

Susan Sarandon in the film 'The Great Waldo Pepper'

Sarandon's breakout role came as lovestruck innocent Janet Weiss in the cult musical "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." She starred alongside Tim Curry as the outrageous scientist Frank-N-Furter and Barry Bostwick as her fiancé Brad Majors. The campy musical became a cult classic with American audiences.

Susan Sarandon in 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show'

In 1977, Sarandon headed to New Orleans to audition for Hattie in the controversial drama "Pretty Baby" and landed the role despite battling nerves. The story of a photographer documenting prostitutes' lives while falling for a twelve-year-old girl in that world shocked critics. Despite the controversy, the sensitively crafted film won the Technical Grand Prize at Cannes.

Susan Sarandon in the film 'Pretty Baby'

Susan's star truly rose with her performance as Sally Matthews in the crime drama "Atlantic City" (1980). She starred opposite legendary Burt Lancaster, with his role as former gangster Lou marking one of his final major screen performances. The film took the top prize at Venice, earned five Oscar nominations, and gave Sarandon her first Genie Award for Best Foreign Actress.

Susan Sarandon in the film 'Atlantic City'

The 1980s saw Susan's career take off. She appeared in the vampire thriller "The Hunger" with Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie, then joined Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Jack Nicholson in 1987's supernatural comedy "The Witches of Eastwick."

Susan Sarandon in the film 'The Witches of Eastwick'

She also starred in the international drama "Mussolini and I," playing the dictator's daughter Edda Mussolini-Ciano. Her co-stars included Anthony Hopkins and Annie Girardot.

Susan Sarandon in the film 'Mussolini and I'

In the thriller "Thelma & Louise," Sarandon played a weary waitress who embarks on a weekend getaway with her housewife friend (Geena Davis), only to find themselves caught up in a crime spree. For her role as Louise, she received multiple award nominations, including for the Oscars and Golden Globes.

Susan Sarandon in the film 'Thelma & Louise'

The actress shared her impressions of working on the project:

I remember shooting 'Thelma & Louise' with Ridley Scott. He's not what you'd call an actor's director. He does his job and expects the actors to do theirs. Geena Davis and I would turn to Ridley with questions, and he certainly helped us, but we created our characters independently. We came up with their backstories, how they came to live such lives, how they moved, how they spoke, etc. However, the way he filmed us, how he managed what he had at his disposal, allowed him to make such a successful film that became an event for all women. It opened up and changed a lot for them.

Susan reached the peak of her fame with Tim Robbins' "Dead Man Walking" (1995), where she played a nun and spiritual advisor to death row inmate Matthew (Sean Penn). While the film earned four Oscar nominations, Sarandon alone took home the Best Actress award. This win cemented her place on Hollywood's A-list.

Susan Sarandon in the film 'Dead Man Walking'

The new millennium brought fresh opportunities for Sarandon. She starred in the drama "Moonlight Mile" with Dustin Hoffman and Jake Gyllenhaal, playing writer Jojo Floss, and entered the main cast of the Christmas film "Noel" with Penelope Cruz and Paul Walker.

In the mystical thriller "Irresistible," Susan delivered a brilliant performance as Sophie Hartley, a woman obsessed with the idea of being pursued, while in the drama "The Greatest," she played Pierce Brosnan's character's wife.

Susan Sarandon in the film 'Irresistible'

In the 2010s, Sarandon was remembered by audiences for her roles in the comedy "Tammy" (as the alcoholic grandmother Pearl), the thriller "Arbitrage" (as Ellen Miller), and the biographical drama "Feud" (as Bette Davis). In 2021, the crime action film "Jolt" was released, in which Sarandon appeared in one of the supporting roles.

Susan Sarandon's Personal Life

At the age of twenty, while a university student, Susan married actor Chris Sarandon. He helped launch her acting career, but couldn't handle the professional jealousy. When the movie "Joe" came out – a role Chris had auditioned for but Susan ultimately landed – the couple split up.

From her first marriage, the aspiring actress kept her husband's surname, turning it into the stage name she'd later make famous worldwide. Susan never married again, and when asked by journalists, she consistently replied:

I believe in love and trust – but I don't believe in marriage. Marriage is for lawyers, not for lovers. I don't like how marriage feels – like people are taking on some official role and becoming subordinate to each other. I just like waking up with the person I choose.

In 1977, before her divorce from Chris, the actress met French director Louis Malle. She starred in his films ("Atlantic City" and "Pretty Baby"), moved to the south of France, and helped her new partner raise his two children from previous relationships.

After three years, they parted ways: despite Susan's divorce, Louis was in no hurry to propose. And when she left to film in New York, he married actress Candice Bergen.

After being let down, Sarandon later preferred no-strings-attached flings. During this time, one of her beaus was David Bowie. Their relationship could have become something more, but the musician wanted a family and children, while Susan believed she was infertile due to an endometriosis diagnosis.

She was 38 when she met Italian heartthrob-director Franco Amurri on the set of "Mussolini and I". While their romance was at its peak, Sarandon realized she was pregnant and decided to have the baby. She didn't want to marry, but lived in Rome for a while after daughter Eva was born, then moved back to America.

In 1988, Susan, along with Kevin Costner and up-and-coming Tim Robbins, formed a love triangle in the movie "Bull Durham". Tim was 13 years younger, but their undeniable chemistry brought them together, and they lived together for more than twenty years.

Despite having two sons – Jack Henry and Miles – with Robbins, Sarandon never married him, though their family was considered one of Hollywood's most exemplary for years.

That's why it was all the more shocking when Tim and Susan announced their separation in 2009. A year later, the actress began dating Jonathan Bricklin, the son of a famous entrepreneur. He was 31 years younger, but that didn't stop them from living together for six years and launching their own business: a chain of ping-pong clubs.

Susan is currently single, though she's open to new relationships.

Susan Sarandon Now

In 2023, Sarandon starred in the comedy "Maybe I Do," reuniting with Richard Gere alongside Diane Keaton and William H. Macy. Sarandon also starred in "The Fabulous Four," a wedding comedy directed by Australian filmmaker Jocelyn Moorhouse.

Susan Sarandon in the movie 'Meeting the Parents'

She also joined the adventure thriller "Blue Beetle" as supervillain Victoria Kord. The character was created specifically for the adaptation. Sharon Stone was originally attached to the role before Sarandon took over.

Susan Sarandon in the movie 'The Blue Beetle'

Interesting Facts

Once at the Toronto Film Festival, a woman approached Susan Sarandon with her daughter and said she named her daughter after the actress. When the child was nudged forward, Sarandon expected to hear "Hi, I'm Susan." Instead, the mother announced, "Meet Sarandon."
Eva Amurri also became an actress and has given her mother three grandchildren: Marlowe Mae, Mateo Antoni, and Major James. While pregnant with her third child, Eva divorced her husband, soccer player Kyle Martino.
Susan describes herself as a true Luddite. She has little interest in technical innovations, dislikes using the internet, and even struggled to learn how to send text messages when mobile phones first appeared.
The actress's hobbies include yoga, Pilates, boxing, and ping-pong. She follows a raw food, plant-based diet.

Photos: Susan Sarandon