Actress. Born Susan Abigail Tomalin, on October 4, 1946, in New York City. Expressive, sad-eyed leading lady of the American screen. The eldest of nine children in a Catholic family, she grew up in Metuchen, New Jersey. While studying English at Catholic University, she met aspiring actor Chris Sarandon and soon switched her major to drama. They married in 1967 (divorced in 1979) and later moved to New York, where she promptly landed her first movie role in Joe (1970) while accompanying her husband to an audition. She became a cult favorite after appearing in the midnight movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) and gained affirmation of her rising status as a capable actress with an Oscar nomination for Atlantic City (1980) and a prize at Venice for Tempest (1982). She has since become established as one of the American screen's most dependable and versatile leading ladies. Known off-screen for her outspoken independence and liberal activism, she bore a daughter to Italian director-screenwriter Franco Amurri and two sons to actor Tim Robbins.
