One of soap opera’s most unforgettable leading ladies, who once turned heads as a Playboy Bunny in the ’60s, was spotted out in Los Angeles on Sunday – and fans barely recognized her.
The 83-year-old legend got her start hustling at the New York City Playboy Club, one of Hugh Hefner’s exclusive venues known for its costumed ‘Bunny’ waitresses, to put herself through college.
She later admitted that the job was all about survival, with Time reporting, ‘I had been a waitress before, and I felt I would rather show my legs and make $60 a night instead of $20.’
But this rising star wasn’t done dazzling audiences as she conquered both worlds of soap opera, delivering iconic performances as Lenore Curtin Delaney on daytime’s Another World and as Maggie Gioberti Channing in primetime’s Falcon Crest.
She later charmed a new generation of fans with a late-’90s turn on Dharma & Greg, and even made her mark on the big screen in the Julia Roberts rom-com My Best Friend’s Wedding.
So, can you guess which glamorous actress we’re talking about?
A famous soap actress who worked at the New York City Playboy club in the 60s was spotted out in Los Angeles on Sunday
The 83-year-old legend got her start hustling at the New York CityPlayboy Club, Hugh Hefner’s exclusive venues known for its costumed ‘Bunny’ waitresses, all to put herself through college
But this rising star wasn’t done dazzling audiences as she conquered both worlds of soap opera, delivering iconic performances as Lenore Curtin Delaney on daytime’s Another World and as Maggie Gioberti Channing in primetime’s Falcon Crest
The well-known actress in question is none other than Susan Sullivan.
Now an octogenarian, the star said she used to recite lines from Shakespeare plays to her customers at the Playboy Club.
At the time, she said she’d explain to them: ‘Well, I just didn’t want you to think I was just a Playboy bunny. I’m doing Hamlet at Hofstra College, where I go to school!’
Over the weekend the former soap star enjoyed an outing in a pair of jeans and a dark, cozy, patterned sweater.
Her graying bob haircut was arranged in a side part while falling at her shoulders with subtly flipped ends.
Two years ago in October 2023, Sullivan revealed she had undergone a ‘successful’ surgery to treat lung cancer.
‘Thanks for all the lovely comments and concerns. I had lung cancer,’ she wrote on X, days after sharing a photo of herself in the hospital.
She added: ‘The surgery was successful. The healing process is a struggle. Thanks, glad you’re out there!’
The well-known actress in question is none other than Susan Sullivan; (pictured in 1976)
Sullivan’s acting career spans over six decades and includes roles on Broadway and television; (pictured in Falcon’s Crest with Lorenzo Lamas, Ana Alicia, Chao Li Chi, Abby Dalton, Robert Foxworth, Margaret Ladd, William R. Moses, Cliff Robertson, David Selby and Jane Wyman)
Her lead role in the medical drama Julie Farr, M.D. — which aired on ABC from 1978 to 1979 — earned her an Emmy nomination; (pictured Falcom Crest)
Sullivan played Lois Adams on the ABC sitcom It’s a Living from 1980 to 1981; (Ann Jillian, Wendy Schaal, Sullivan, Marian Mercer, Barrie Youngfellow, Gail Edwards in 1980)
Sullivan played Martha Rodgers on Castle; (Nathan Fillion and Sillivan in Castle)
Two years ago in October 2023, Sullivan revealed she had undergone a ‘successful’ surgery to treat lung cancer; (pictured 2019)
Sullivan’s acting career spans over six decades and includes roles on Broadway and television.
Her lead role in the medical drama Julie Farr, M.D. — which aired on ABC from 1978 to 1979 — earned her an Emmy nomination.
She became a Golden Globe nominee in 1999 for her supporting role in the hit ABC sitcom Dharma & Greg.
She played Kitty Montgomery, the aristocratic mother of Greg Montgomery (played by Thomas Gibson).
Sullivan is most recognized for her role as Maggie Gioberti in the primetime drama Falcon Crest, which aired on CBS for nine seasons from 1981 to 1990.
She also played a ‘Maggie’ while starring as Maggie Porter in the TV miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man Book II.
It ran from September 1976 to March 1977, with each one-hour episode released weekly Tuesday nights on ABC.
