Susan Zelinsky is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, musical theater director, and humanitarian born to parents Michael and Linda (née Anderson) Zelinsky in

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. She has performed and recorded with such recording artists as Eric Martin,

Eddie Money Edward Joseph Money ( Mahoney; March 21, 1949September 13, 2019) was an American singer and songwriter who, in the 1970s and 1980s, had eleven Top 40 songs, including " Baby Hold On", " Two Tickets to Paradise", " Think I'm in Love", " Shakin' ...

Pablo Cruise Pablo Cruise is an American pop/ rock band from San Francisco currently composed of David Jenkins (guitar and vocals), Cory Lerios ( keyboards and vocals), Sergio Gonzalez (drums), Larry Antonino (bass and vocals), and Robbie Wyckoff (vocal ...

, Jeff Watson,

The Doobie Brothers The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in San Jose, California in 1970. Known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies, the band has been active for over five decades, with their greate ...

Vicki Randle Vicki Randle (born December 11, 1954)Hillgirlz, the les ...

, Joel Jaffe, Penny Framstad, Noelle Hampton, The Rowans, and more.

Early life

Zelinsky split her time growing up with her father in San Francisco, California and with her mother in

Carpinteria, California Carpinteria (; , meaning "Carpentry") is a small seaside city in southeastern Santa Barbara County, California. Located on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California, it had a population of 13,264 at the 2020 United States cens ...

. She began playing the piano and writing songs at the age of nine. Her father gave her a guitar when she was thirteen and she taught herself to play. She attended The

American Conservatory Theater The American Conservatory Theater (ACT) is a nonprofit theater company in San Francisco, California, United States, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions. It also has an attached acting school. History The American ...

, (ACT) Young Conservatory in San Francisco, California as well as studying acting at ''Jean Shelton Actor's Lab'' at Shelton Studios. She studied Shakespeare and theater at The

College of Marin The College of Marin, (known as Marin Junior College, 1926–1947) is a Public college, public community college in Marin County, California, with two campuses, one in Kentfield, California, Kentfield, and the second in Novato, California, Novat ...

and was a recipient of The

Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and comedie ...

Scholarship Award.

Acting career

Zelinsky began acting professionally since 1987 and has been featured in national television commercials, TV series, and films. She is also an award-winning musical theater actress and singer.

Film and television

* 2015 - Mermaids on Mars (Short) ''Mother'' * 2010 - Background (Short) ''Cafe Owner'' * 2001 -

Sweet November (2001 film) ''Sweet November'' is a 2001 American romantic drama film based in San Francisco directed by Pat O'Connor and starring Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron. The film is loosely based on the 1968 film written by Herman Raucher, which starred Anthon ...

''Waitress'' * 1997 -

Nash Bridges ''Nash Bridges'' is an American police procedural television series created by Carlton Cuse. The show stars Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as two Inspectors with the San Francisco Police Department's Special Investigations Unit (SIU). The seri ...

''Waitress'' * 1977 - Moving Target (1997) ... Waitress * 1988 - Chivalrous Deeds of a Nincompoop

Musical Theater

Zelinksy has performed in lead roles as a singer and actress in such musical productions as ''

Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * Hairspray (1988 film), ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** Hairspray (1988 soundtrack), ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundt ...

'', ''

The Sound Of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...

'', ''

Steel Magnolias ''Steel Magnolias'' is a 1989 American comedy drama film directed by Herbert Ross and starring Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, and Julia Roberts. The screenplay by Robert Harling is based on hi ...

'', and ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...

'' amongst others in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. She has performed in ten musicals at The Mountain Play Theater, an outdoor amphitheater on Mount Tamalpais in

Marin County Marin County ( ) is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is ac ...

, playing the lead role of ''Tanya'' in 2018 to a sold-out audience (seating 4,000) for four consecutive nights.

Theater Credits

* 2019 -

Spamalot ''Spamalot'' (also known as ''Monty Python's Spamalot: A Musical (Lovingly) Ripped Off from the Motion Picture ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail) is a musical theatre, stage musical with score by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, with lyrics and book ...

- Lady of the Lake -

Marin Shakespeare Company The Marin Shakespeare Company is a non-profit corporation that was established in 1989 at Dominican College’s Forest Meadows Amphitheatre in San Rafael, California San Rafael ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "Raphael (archangel), St. Rapha ...

* 2018 - Mamma Mia (musical) - Tanya - Mountain Play Association - Marin County * 2015 -

Into The Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1986 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

- as Wicked Step Mother and Cinderella's Mother - Theater at Large Novato * 2015 - Peter Pan (musical) - as Mrs. Darling - Ruby daughter/lost boy - Mountain Play Association - Marin County * 2013 -

Steel Magnolias (play) ''Steel Magnolias'' is a stage play by American writer Robert Harling, based on his experience with his sister's death. The play is a comedy-drama about the bond among a group of Southern women in northwest Louisiana. The title suggests the ...

- as M'Lynn - Novato Theater Company * 2013 -

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...

- Elsa von Schraeder - Mountain Play Association - Marin County * 2012 - The Music Man (musical) - Marian - Mountain Play Association - Marin County * 2011 -

Hairspray (musical) ''Hairspray'' is an American musical with music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, with a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, based on John Waters's 1988 film of the same name. The songs include 1960s-style ...

- Velma Von Tussle - Mountain Play Association - Marin County * 2010 -

Guys and Dolls (musical) ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical theater, musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Run ...

- Sarah - Mountain Play Association - Marin County * 2007 -

Beauty and the Beast (musical) ''Beauty and the Beast'' is a musical, with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and book by Linda Woolverton. Adapted from Walt Disney Pictures' animated film – which in turn was based on "Beauty and the Beast" by Je ...

- as Belle - Independent Artists of Marin (IAM) - San Alselmo Playhouse * 2007 -

Hair (musical) ''Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical'' is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado and music by Galt MacDermot. The work reflects the creators' observations of the hippie Counterculture of the 1960s, count ...

- Sheila - Mountain Play Association - Marin County * 2004 - My Fair Lady (musical) - Eliza Doolittle - Mountain Play Association - Marin County * 2000 -

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus (254–184 BC), specif ...

- as Philia - Mountain Play Association - Marin County * 1999 -

West Side Story (musical) ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...

- Maria - Mountain Play Association, Marin County * 1997 - 1998

The Birds (play) ''The Birds'' () is a comedy by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. It was performed in 414 BC at the City Dionysia in Athens where it won second place. It has been acclaimed by modern critics as a perfectly realized fantasy remarkable fo ...

- as Prokne - and band member for the birds - Berkeley repertory theater and south coast repertory orange county (5 month tour) Oct. - 2 * 1989 -

Brigadoon (musical) ''Brigadoon'' is a musical with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and score by Frederick Loewe. The plot features two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, a mysterious Scottish village that appears for only one day every 100 years; one ...

- Ensemble - Mountain Play Association - Marin County * 1985 - A Christmas Carol (play) - as Mrs. Christmas Past - American Conservatory theater (ACG) San Francisco - The Geary Theater

Musical Theater Awards

* 2013 - SFBATCC Award - Best Actress in a Play (M’lynn/Steel Magnolias/Novato Theater Company) * 2004 - San Francisco Bay Area Theater Critics Circle Award (SFBATCC) - Best Actress in a Musical (Eliza/My Fair Lady/The Mountain Play) * 1998 - SFBATCC Nominee - Best Actress in a Musical (Maria/West Side Story/The Mountain Play) * 1998 - Dean Goodman Choice Award (Bay Area) - Best Actress in a Musical (Maria/West Side Story/The Mountain Play)

Music career

Zelinksy began performing professionally in 1994 under the band name, ''Susan Z''. She performed regionally from the Marin Bay Area to Southern California and has released two albums, ''Believe'' in 1999 and ''Cautionary Tales'' in 2004. Her music, ''Justin Jones'' was featured in ''Hi Line'' in 1997 and ''California'' was featured in

in 1999.

Music In Video Games

* 2014 - Preston Castle (performer: "Your Revenge") / (writer: "Your Revenge") * 2008 - The Sims: Bustin' Out (Video Game) ''Female Voice Talent'' (voice, as Susan Zelinski) * 2007 -

Karaoke Revolution ''Karaoke Revolution'' and its sequels are music video games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, GameCube, Wii, Xbox, and Xbox 360, developed by Harmonix and Blitz Games and published by Konami in its Bemani line of music games. The original c ...

Presents: American Idol (video game) (performer: "Straight Up") * 2005 - Karaoke Revolution Party (Video Game) (performer: "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life", "Call Me", "Fly", "Material Girl", "Pieces Of Me", "That's Amore", "Time After Time") * 2004 -

Volume 3 (Video Game) (performer: "Come Clean", "Love Shack", "Oops!... I Did It Again", "Take My Breath Away", "Thank You", "Why Can't I") * 2004 -

Volume 2 (Video Game) (performer: "...Baby One More Time", "Cry", "Hot Stuff", "I'm With You", "It's My Life", "Papa Don't Preach", "The First Cut Is The Deepest", "Toxic", "We Are Family", "White Flag") * 2003 -

(Video Game) (performer: "All You Wanted", "Are You Happy Now?", "Believe", "Complicated", "Don't Know Why", "Girls Just Want To Have Fun", "Kiss Me", "Like A Virgin", "Waiting For Tonight", "When A Man Loves A Woman") * 2003 - SimCity 4: Rush Hour (Video Game) (voice, as Susan Zelinski) * 2001 - Star Wars Episode I: Battle for Naboo (Video Game) Adela Tyché / Female Farmer / Naboo Citizen (voice) * 2013 - Skiing Fran (Mobile/iOS) ''Fran Foofaraw'' (voice, as Susan Zelinski)

Wine, Women, & Song

Wine, Women & Song® is an annual benefit concert which raises money for the fight against breast cancer, founded by Susan Zelinsky, in 1998. As of 2018, over $350,000 has been raised and given to local charities: ''To Celebrate Life Breast Cancer Foundation'' and ''ZERO Breast Cancer of Marin''.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zelinsky, Susan 1967 births Living people American women singer-songwriters