Susan Dey
She evolved from America's favorite TV big sister into a sharp, Golden Globe-winning attorney who commanded the courtroom on 'L.A. Law'.
Born 1952 (age 74)·American actress·Birthday: December 10·Baby Boomers
Biography
Susan Dey presented two distinct, defining faces of American womanhood on television, separated by a decade of deliberate transformation. She first entered living rooms as Laurie Partridge, the earnest, guitar-strumming teenager on the smash hit 'The Partridge Family.' That role made her a star, but Dey, intent on being seen as more than a pop-culture phenomenon, deliberately stepped away from the spotlight. Her return in the mid-80s was a revelation. As Deputy District Attorney Grace Van Owen on 'L.A. Law,' she was all sophisticated poise and moral complexity, her performance earning critical acclaim and a Golden Globe. The shift from sunny sitcom sister to powerful legal drama lead was not just a career pivot but a statement about her depth as an actor, proving her ability to anchor one of television's most sophisticated series.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Susan was born in 1952, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Susan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1952
#1 Movie
The Greatest Show on Earth
Best Picture
The Greatest Show on Earth
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Susan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1952Born
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1957Started school
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1965Became a teenager
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Could drive
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1970Could vote
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Turned 21
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1982Turned 30
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1992Turned 40
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 50
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 60
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 70
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 74 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Drama Series in 1988 for her role as Grace Van Owen on 'L.A. Law'.
- Received six Golden Globe nominations and three Primetime Emmy Award nominations throughout her career.
- Starred as Laurie Partridge on the popular musical sitcom 'The Partridge Family' from 1970 to 1974.
Did You Know?
She began her career as a fashion model, appearing on the cover of 'Seventeen' magazine at age 16.
She turned down the role of Sandy in the film 'Grease', which later went to Olivia Newton-John.
After 'L.A. Law', she largely retired from acting to focus on her family and personal life.
“Laurie Partridge was a girl; Grace Van Owen was a woman. I needed to play that woman.”
