Suzanne Pleshette

Suzanne Pleshette was one of the most famous and beautiful celebrities of the American Entertainment Industry. She was known for being a voice actress and an actress, both in television series as well as movies. She was born on 31st of January, in the year 1937 to Geraldine, who was a dancer of her times and also a stage artist, and Eugene Pleshette, a stage manager. She took birth in Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, New York City. She had, all throughout her life, followed Judaism as her religion and had attended several educational institutions like Manhattan’s High School of Performing Arts. She also attended Syracuse University before getting transferred to Finch College and had also taken up training for theater from The Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theater. Suzanne made her debut, in the field of acting, as a stage actress. She appeared in various Broadway shows, one of the many being ‘Compulsion’, that came out in the year 1957.

She, however, became a household name after appearing in a sitcom by CBS named ‘The Bob Newhart Show’. It was this show that won her the fame that she deserved. She also received a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series by the Emmy Awards.

She has also done several movies like ‘Rome Adventure’, which came out in the year 1962. She made her appearance in this film opposite her first husband, Troy Donahue. Another movie that helped her increase her fame and craze among the audience was ‘The Bird’ by Alfred Hitchcock, and it was released in the year 1963.

Suzanne married thrice in her lifetime. Her first marriage was in the year 1964 with Troy Donahue, who was her co-star in several movies including ‘A Distant Trumpet’. They, however, broke apart after a period of 8 months. She gave her life another chance and married Tom Gallagher in the year 1968. However, in the year 2000, he died of lung cancer. Suzanne thought of marrying the third time, and her third husband was Tom Poston and they married in the year 2001. Tom died on 30th April 2007 of respiratory failure. Suzanne, in the year 2006, was diagnosed with lung cancer, a consequence of her habit of chain smoking. She, however, got cured after undergoing chemotherapy. She died of respiratory failure on 19th of January 2008.

Another Version of this Bio…

Suzanne, an actress, and a voice artist, was born to Jewish parents in Brooklyn Heights, New York City. Her parents were also a part of the acting and dance industry – her mother was a dancer, and her father was a stage manager of the Paramount Theater, Brooklyn. Her qualifications and experience of her field made her more polished since she graduated from Manhattan’s High School of Performing Arts. She also graduated from the prestigious Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. She was under the guidance of the famous and respected acting teacher Sanford Meisner. 

Her career began in 1957 when she made her Broadway debut in a play called ‘Compulsion’. Her career graph only moved up from there. She did several plays, comedies and was one of the two finalists for the role of Gypsy or Louise in the original version of ‘Gypsy’.

Her first screen role was in the CBS drama series called ‘Harbormaster’ in the episode Night Rescue. All admired her voice. She gave her voice to several characters like Yubaba and Zeniba in ‘Spirited Away’ and Zira in Disney’s ‘The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride’. She also sang the song ‘’My Lullaby’’.

She appeared on several television shows including ‘Dr. Kildare’ for which she was even nominated for the Emmy Award. She got to co-star in the popular CBS sitcom ‘The Bob Newhart Show’ for six seasons (1972-1978). She got nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series twice. Her 1990 television movie ‘Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean’ got her Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominations.

Suzanne was a part of three marriages. Her marriage with her first husband, Troy Donahue, ended after just eight months. She then got married to an oilman, Tom Gallagher. She married to him until he died from lung cancer. She later married her Newhart co-star Tom Poston.

She died on January 19, 2008, after being in treatment for lung cancer since 2006. She was buried next to her last husband, Tom Poston.

She got acknowledged for her contribution on January 31, 2008, when she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.