Suanne Braun (born 29 February 1968) is a South African born actress. She lives in London, England.

Early life

Braun made her professional debut in 1988 working as a TV presenter in her native South Africa for the channel

M-net M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

. She hosted her own travel series, ''Bon Voyage'', which afforded her the opportunity to travel all over the world. She was nominated for a Star Tonight Award for Excellence in Television for ''Bon Voyage''. During her time as a television host Braun co-presented

Miss South Africa Miss South Africa is a national beauty pageant in South Africa that selects South African representatives to compete in one of the Big Four international beauty pageants Miss Universe. The Miss South Africa organisation resorted to a contempo ...

and

Miss World Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe, Mi ...

for several years in the early 1990s. During this time, Braun continued her stage and screen work starring in two of South Africa's seminal series, ''The Big Time'' (1 and 2) and the Afrikaans award-winning drama, Konings

SABC The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the public broadcaster in South Africa, and provides 19 radio stations (Amplitude modulation, AM/Frequency modulation, FM) as well as 6 television broadcasts and 3 OTT Services to the general ...

. She had lead roles in both. Her stage work included plays and musical theatre. After a brief visit to the US, Braun was granted a green card. She spent the next 10 years living and working in LA. She has appeared in a number of American television shows and theatre productions including ''Wings'', ''

Just Shoot Me ''Just Shoot Me!'' is an American sitcom television series originally aired on NBC from March 4, 1997, to November 26, 2003, with a total of 145 half-hour episodes spanning seven seasons, including 3 episodes aired on syndication. The show, cre ...

'', Prowler opposite

Scott Bakula Scott Stewart Bakula (; born October 9, 1954) is an American actor. He played Sam Beckett on ''Quantum Leap'' – for which he was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards (winning one) – and Captain Jonathan Arc ...

and directed by

Peter Bogdanovich Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022) was an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian. He started out his career as a young actor studying under Stella Adler before working as a film critic for ''Fi ...

, '' F/X: The Series'' and the popular sci fi series ''

Stargate SG-1 ''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction Adventure fiction, adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate, ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wrig ...

'' in which Braun played goddess

Hathor Hathor (, , , Meroitic language, Meroitic: ') was a major ancient Egyptian deities, goddess in ancient Egyptian religion who played a wide variety of roles. As a sky deity, she was the mother or consort of the sky god Horus and the sun god R ...

. Theatre credits during this time include ''

Private Lives ''Private Lives'' is a 1930 comedy of manners in three acts by Noël Coward. It concerns a divorced couple who, while honeymooning with their new spouses, discover that they are staying in adjacent rooms at the same hotel. Despite a perpetuall ...

'' for which she was nominated for Best Actress

Fleur Du Cap Theatre Awards The Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards are a set of annual awards that recognize prominence in professional theatrical productions held within the vicinity of Cape Town, South Africa. These awards encompass 20 categories in total. History The Three ...

, '' Things We Do For Love'', ''The Secret Lives of Henry And Alice'', ''Offbeat Broadway'' (Nominated for Best Actress in a Musical) and ''Easy To Love – The Cole Porter Story'' in which Braun played

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became Standard (music), standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway the ...

's wife, Linda Porter. Braun returned to her presenting roots during this time, hosting at the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

for South African television

and at the Spirit Awards celebrating Independent Film. Additionally Braun hosted

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where t ...

City Live event for

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

and the Weingart Foundation.

Leaving South Africa

Braun has resided in London since 2002. Braun has continued to work in theatre and television. West End credits have included the role of Tanya in '' Mamma Mia'' at

The Prince of Wales Theatre The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre in Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in London. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner. The theatre ...

, returning in 2019 for the Mamma Mia 20th Anniversary Show at

Novello Theatre The Novello Theatre is a West End theatre on Aldwych, in the City of Westminster. It was known as the Strand Theatre between 1913 and 2005. History The theatre was built as one of a pair with the Aldwych Theatre on either side of The Waldo ...

, Fraulein Kost in

Rufus Norris Sir Rufus John Norris (born 16 January 1965) is a British theatre and film director, who was the artistic director and chief executive of the National Theatre from 2015 to 2025. He received the Society of London Theatre Special Award in 2025 f ...

' production of ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

'' and '' Onassis'' starring Robert Lindsay. Braun appeared in the UK premiere of the musical ''Bernada Alba''. Other theatre work includes:

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' () is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by '' Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate edition later that year in Saint Petersburg, via A.F. Marks Pu ...

and the world premiere of I Have Life based on the book about Alison Botha's rape and abduction in South Africa. In 2019 Braun appeared in the one woman show "Sailing Somewhere" by Matthew Hurt and featuring original songs by

Conor Mitchell Conor Mitchell is a Northern Irish composer, librettist and theatre-maker. His play, ''The Dummy Tree'', was commissioned by the Royal National Theatre for their 2009 New Connections series. Conor has been a great supporter of Youth Music Theatr ...

. Recent film and television work includes '' The Princess Switch'' (

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

Stephen Poliakoff Stephen Poliakoff (born 1 December 1952) is a British playwright, Film director, director and screenwriter. In 2006 Gerard Gilbert of ''The Independent'' described him as the UK's "pre-eminent TV dramatist" and that he had "inherited Dennis Po ...

's ''

Summer of Rockets ''Summer of Rockets'' is a six-episode British Cold War television miniseries, which premiered on BBC Two in the United Kingdom on 22 May 2019. The series was written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff and stars Keeley Hawes, Linus Roache, Timot ...

'', ''

Red Dwarf A red dwarf is the smallest kind of star on the main sequence. Red dwarfs are by far the most common type of fusing star in the Milky Way, at least in the neighborhood of the Sun. However, due to their low luminosity, individual red dwarfs are ...

'' XI (

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

), the short film ''Sight'', and ''

All The Things You Are "All the Things You Are" is a song composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics written by Oscar Hammerstein II. The song was written for the musical '' Very Warm for May'' (1939)Lipton Tea Lipton is a brand named after its founder, Sir Tom Lipton, who started an eponymous grocery retail business in the United Kingdom in 1871. The brand was used for various consumer goods sold in Lipton stores, including tea from 1890 for which ...

Confused.com Confused.com is a UK based financial services comparison platform launched in 2001 and specialising in comparison of insurance and financial services, including car insurance, home insurance, energy, van insurance and life insurance. Confused.com ...

and ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. As a singer, Braun can be heard singing lead vocals on the hit song, "All Night" for the South African band

Goldfish The goldfish (''Carassius auratus'') is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of the order Cypriniformes. It is commonly kept as a pet in indoor aquariums, and is one of the most popular aquarium fish. Goldfish released into the w ...

Personal life

Braun married Christopher Garner, son of South African actor

Rex Garner Rex Garner (1921 – 17 May 2015) was a British born actor and director. He was born in 1921 in Wolverhampton, England. He died 17 May 2015 at the age of 94. Garner was survived by his seven children: Nicholas Garner, Lindsey Garner, Christopher ...

, in 2002.

Television

* '' Starhyke'' * '' No Signal!'' * ''

Just Shoot Me! ''Just Shoot Me!'' is an American sitcom television series originally aired on NBC from March 4, 1997, to November 26, 2003, with a total of 145 half-hour episodes spanning seven seasons, including 3 episodes aired on syndication. The show, cre ...

'' * ''

'' * '' F/X: The Series'' * ''

Wings A wing is a type of fin that produces both lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-drag ratio, which compares the bene ...

'' * ''

Silk Stalkings ''Silk Stalkings'' is an American crime drama television series that premiered on CBS on November 7, 1991, as part of the network's late-night '' Crimetime After Primetime'' programming package. Broadcast for two seasons until CBS ended the '' ...

'' * ''The Big Time'' (South African) * ''

Red Dwarf XI ''Red Dwarf'' is a British comedy TV series which primarily comprises twelve series and a feature-length special of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1993 and from 1997 to 1999, and on Dave in 2009 and 201 ...

'' *''

Summer Of Rockets ''Summer of Rockets'' is a six-episode British Cold War television miniseries, which premiered on BBC Two in the United Kingdom on 22 May 2019. The series was written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff and stars Keeley Hawes, Linus Roache, Timot ...

'' *'' UnPacking''

Film

*''All the Things You Are'' *''The Last Warrior'' *''Sight'' *''

Survivor Survivor(s) may refer to: * one who survives Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Survivors, characters in the 1997 KKnD series#Armies, ''KKnD'' video-game series * ''The Survivors'', or the ''New Survivors Foundation'', a fictional ...

'' (2015) *''A Royal Winter'' (2017) *'' The Princess Switch'' (2018) *'' The Princess Switch: Switched Again'' (2020) * '' The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star'' (2021) * ''

A Castle for Christmas ''A Castle for Christmas'' is a 2021 American Christmas by medium, Christmas romantic comedy film directed by Mary Lambert (director), Mary Lambert. The film was released on November 26, 2021, by Netflix. Plot Best-selling American author Sophi ...

'' (2021) as Mrs. Donatelli (referencing herself from Princess Switch film series) As herself: *''Revealing Mr. Maugham'' (2012) (

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

nomination)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Braun, Suanne 1968 births White South African people South African expatriates in the United Kingdom Living people South African television presenters South African stage actresses South African television actresses South African women television presenters South African film actresses