40 Facts About Susan Peters

Susan Peters appeared in numerous bit parts before earning a minor supporting role in Santa Fe Trail.

In 1942, Susan Peters appeared in a supporting role in Tish, which resulted in her signing a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Susan Peters went on to appear as the lead in numerous films for MGM, including roles in the romantic comedy Young Ideas, and several war films: Assignment in Brittany, Song of Russia, and Keep Your Powder Dry.

Susan Peters returned to film, portraying a villainess who used a wheelchair in The Sign of the Ram.

Susan Peters then transitioned to theater, appearing as Laura Wingfield in a critically acclaimed 1949 production of Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie, which was slightly altered to allow Susan Peters to perform in a wheelchair.

Susan Peters followed this with a production of The Barretts of Wimpole Street, in which she portrayed physically disabled poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

Susan Peters died of ensuing health complications that year at age 31.

Susan Peters was born Suzanne Carnahan on July 3,1921, in Spokane, Washington, the elder of two children born to Robert and Abby Carnahan.

Susan Peters's father was a civil engineer of Irish descent, while her mother was of French descent, and a grand-niece of Robert E Lee.

In 1928, her father was killed in a car accident in Portland, after which the family relocated to Seattle, Washington, and later to Los Angeles to live with Susan Peters' maternal French-born grandmother, Maria Patteneaude, a dermatologist.

Susan Peters was educated at Laird Hall School for Girls, the LaRue School in Azusa, California, and Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy in Los Angeles.

Susan Peters' mother supported herself and her two children by working in a dress shop and managing an apartment building.

Susan Peters was an avid swimmer and tennis player, and grew up riding horses; her talent as an equestrian allowed her to earn additional income by breaking and showing other people's horses.

Susan Peters transferred to Hollywood High School during her senior year, and began taking drama classes in which she opted to enroll in place of cooking courses: "I took a drama course instead of a cooking course because I thought it was easier," Susan Peters said.

Susan Peters graduated from Hollywood High School in June 1939, along with Jason Robards, Sheila Ryan, and Dorothy Morris as members of her graduating class.

Susan Peters had her first credited role in the big-budget Western film Santa Fe Trail, opposite Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland.

Susan Peters then had a lead role as an ingenue in the comedy Three Sons o' Guns, followed by a dramatic part playing the girlfriend of a convict in The Big Shot, opposite Richard Travis and Humphrey Bogart.

Susan Peters was in shorts such as Young America Flies and Sockaroo.

Susan Peters won the role and signed a contract with the studio.

At the time, Susan Peters was one of the most screen-tested actresses in Hollywood.

Quine and Susan Peters later married on November 7,1943, at Westwood Community Church in West Los Angeles.

The film was one of the top 25 highest-earning films of the year, and Susan Peters' performance garnered her critical acclaim, earning her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Susan Peters was cast as the female lead in Song of Russia opposite Robert Taylor.

In early 1944, Susan Peters was one of ten actors and actresses who were elevated from "featured player" status to the studio's official "star" category; the others included Esther Williams, Laraine Day, Kathryn Grayson, Van Johnson, Margaret O'Brien, Ginny Simms, Robert Walker, Gene Kelly, and George Murphy.

In late 1944, Susan Peters filmed Keep Your Powder Dry, a war drama co-starring Lana Turner and Laraine Day, in which she portrayed the humble wife of a soldier.

Susan Peters was rushed to Mercy Hospital, roughly 65 miles away, and underwent emergency surgery.

The film's producers considered completing the project with stand-ins and refitting the script to allow Susan Peters to appear in a wheelchair, but the project was ultimately shelved.

Susan Peters guest-starred on a December 11,1945, episode of Seventh Heaven opposite previous film co-star Van Johnson.

Ball and Arnaz urged Susan Peters to continue seeking acting work.

The play was slightly altered under Williams's supervision in order for Susan Peters to be allowed to perform the part in a wheelchair.

Susan Peters received a standing ovation during the play's opening night, and the production toured throughout the East Coast.

In March 1951, Peters signed onto the live NBC-TV television drama Miss Susan, in which she played an attorney who used a wheelchair.

Susan Peters shot the series live five days per week in Philadelphia from March 12 to December 28,1951, after which it was canceled when her health began to decline.

Susan Peters relocated to Lemon Cove, California, to live on her brother's cattle ranch, and her health began to steadily decline.

In mid-1952, Susan Peters was admitted to a hospital in Exeter, California, to undergo a skin graft procedure, after which she returned to her brother's home and lived in seclusion.

Susan Peters had plans to resume another touring stage production of The Barretts of Wimpole Street the following year, but her strength had dwindled and she struggled to put on weight.

Susan Peters died on October 23,1952, at Memorial Hospital in Visalia, California, at the age of 31.

Susan Peters's doctor attributed her death to a chronic kidney infection, a complication caused by her paralysis, and bronchial pneumonia.

Susan Peters noted that her death was hastened by self-induced dehydration and starvation because, in the last few weeks of her life, Peters had "lost interest" in eating and drinking and had "lost the will to live".

Much of the public assessment and discussion of Susan Peters has hinged on her paralysis and its impact on her life and career: Media historian Hal Erickson considered Susan Peters "one of Hollywood's most promising young actresses" of the 1940s, who "courageously attempted a comeback" despite her health problems.