Susan Anton


Susan Anton is an American actress and singer. 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.
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

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 and tied as second runner-up in the 1969 Miss America Scholarship Pageant held September 6 that year.

Career

Starting in 1976, Anton developed a following for her Muriel Cigars commercials 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. 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; nevertheless, she was later chosen as one of Time Magazines "Most Promising Faces of 1979".
She later starred in her own variety show, Presenting Susan Anton, in Stop Susan Williams, and in the films Goldengirl, ''Spring Fever, 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 market paperback edition of Goldengirl, written by Peter Lovesey. She had appeared as the title character in the film version which starred James Coburn 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.
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, The Larry Sanders Show and It's Garry Shandling's Show, 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.
In 2020, Anton starred in the feature psychological thriller film Painter''.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1977WizardsPrincess Elinore / The Balladeersinging voice
1979GoldengirlGoldine Serafin
1982Spring FeverStevie Castle
1984Cannonball Run IIJill, Lamborghini Babe
1987Making Mr. RightSoap Opera Actress
1989OptionsPrincess Nicole
1991Lena's HolidaySara
1999New Jersey Turnpikes
2004Whistlin' DixieDixie Dawson
2008Playing with FireSandra Nevell
2020PainterCarree ToleIndie feature film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1973The Great American Beauty ContestBetty Sue Allen – Last Year's QueenTV movie
1976SerpicoModelEpisode: "Strike!"
1976Police StoryParty Girl #2Episode: "Monster Manor"
1977HunterCissyEpisode: "The Costa Rican Connection"
1977SwitchMarcyEpisode: "Go for Broke"
1978The Jim Nabors ShowHerself
1978Hollywood SquaresGuest Appearance3 episodes
1978The Mike Douglas ShowHerself – Vocalist
1979American Music Awards of 1979Herself – Presenter
1979The Mike Douglas ShowHerself – Vocalist
1979Stop Susan WilliamsSusan Williams10 episodes
1979Presenting Susan AntonHerself – Host4 episodes
1979The Girls Who Saved the WorldSusan WilliamsTV movie
1980American Movie AwardsHerself – PerformerTV special
1982American Music Awards of 1982Herself
1982Golden Globe AwardHerself
1982Academy AwardsHerself
1983The Love BoatLeslie WebbEpisode: "The Pledge/East Meets West/Dear Roberta/My Dumplings: Part 1"
1983The Love BoatLeslie WebbEpisode: "The Pledge/East Meets West/Dear Roberta/My Dumplings: Part 2"
1984The Boy Who Loved TrollsKalotteTV movie
1984Mike HammerNoelle RobertsEpisode: "The Deadly Prey"
1985Placido Domingo: Stepping Out with the LadiesHerselfTV special
198539th Tony AwardsHerself – Presenter & PerformerTV special
198640th Tony AwardsHerself – Performer & Presenter: Best Book of a MusicalTV special
1986Super PasswordHerself5 episodes
1986Hardesty HouseCharlotte MontgomeryTV movie
1986Murder, She WroteChristine CliffordEpisode: "Corned Beef and Carnage"
1987Making Mr. RightSoap Opera Actress
1987Mr. BelvedereHerselfEpisode: "Separation"
1987HotelLinda DavisEpisode: "All the King's Horses"
1987Jonathan Winters: On the LedgeTV movie
1987It's Garry Shandling's ShowHerselfEpisode: "No Baby, No Show"
1988Alfred Hitchcock PresentsDiane LewisEpisode: "Animal Lovers"
1988My Secret IdentitySusan AndersonEpisode: "Memories"
1989The Pat Sajak ShowHerself
1989The Home ShowHerself – Co-Host
1989Murder, She WroteCelia JamesEpisode: "Jack and Bill"
1989The Famous Teddy ZEsther LunaEpisode: "Baking with Esther Luna"
1990Night CourtMargo HunterEpisode: "The Talk Show"
1990Quantum LeapHelen Le BaronEpisode: "One Strobe Over the Line – June 15, 1965"
1990Out of This WorldSandy MartinEpisode: "Best Friends"
1991BlossomSuzyEpisode: "Expectations"
1992Dangerous CurvesEllen TarbuckEpisode: "Deadlier Than the Male"
1992The Ben Stiller ShowSusan AntonEpisode: "With Dennis Miller"
1993Civil WarsCassie StraitEpisode: "Dances with Sharks"
1993The Larry Sanders ShowSusan AntonEpisode: "The Breakdown: Part 2"
1992–1994BaywatchJackie Quinn13 episodes
1997City GuysMrs. AndersonEpisode: "For the Love of Mother"
1997City GuysMrs. AndersonEpisode: "Red Ferrari"
2002Hollywood SquaresGuest Appearance
2002TVography: Suzanne Somers – Mastering SuccessHerselfTV movie documentary
2006CMT: Greatest Miss America MomentsHerselfTV special
2006Queer Eye for the Straight GuyHerselfEpisode: "Turn a Poker Dud Into a Five Card Stud: Ed M"
2009Sex in '69: The Sexual Revolution in AmericaHerselfTV special
2010Law & Order: Special Victims UnitJenny CoswoldEpisode: "Bedtime"
2016Sharknado: The 4th AwakensBettyTelevision film
2022The Cleaning LadyGinger ClineEpisode: "The Brit"