Susan Lanier-Bramlett better known as Susan Lanier, is an American actress.

Early life

Born as Susan Jean Engledow in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County wi ...

to Gene and Dorothy Lanier Engledow, she moved to New York City to pursue an acting career in 1967 where she attended

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, ...

. After appearing in numerous off Broadway productions, TV commercials, and indie films in which she appeared as Jean Lanier, she relocated to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

in 1974.

Career

Lanier had a guest appearance on '' Welcome Back, Kotter'' where she played a flirtatious student named Bambi, who initially makes a move on Gabe. During the 1970s, she guest starred on shows such as ''

Barnaby Jones ''Barnaby Jones'' is an American detective television series starring Buddy Ebsen as a formerly retired investigator and Lee Meriwether as his widowed daughter-in-law, who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles, California. The show was or ...

'', '' Electra Woman and Dyna Girl'', ''

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

'', ''

Police Woman The integration of women into law enforcement positions can be considered a large social change. A century ago, there were few jobs open to women in law enforcement. A small number of women worked as correctional officers, and their assignment ...

'' and ''

Eight is Enough ''Eight Is Enough'' is an American television comedy-drama series that ran on ABC from March 15, 1977, until May 23, 1981. The show was modeled on the life of syndicated newspaper columnist Tom Braden, a real-life parent with eight children, w ...

''. In 1976, she starred alongside John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt in the second pilot for '' Three's Company'' on ABC. Lanier, who served as the original choice by the producers to portray the newly created character

Chrissy Snow ''Three's Company'' is an American sitcom television series that aired for eight seasons on ABC from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984. It is based on the British sitcom ''Man About the House''. The story revolves around three single roomma ...

, replaced

Susanne Zenor Susanne Zenor (born November 26, 1947) is an American actress best known for the role of Margo Anderman Horton on '' Days of Our Lives''. Zenor's career began in 1970 with the movie ''The Moonshine War'' (1970) in which she portrayed Miley Mitch ...

in the cast when the characters, that were directly based from the original British sitcom '' Man About The House'' were done away with, but Lanier herself was then replaced by

Suzanne Somers Suzanne Marie Somers (née Mahoney; born October 16, 1946) is an American actress, author, singer, businesswoman, and health spokesperson. She appeared in the television role of Chrissy Snow on '' Three's Company'' and as Carol Foster Lambert on ...

. In 1977, Lanier starred in the original cult classic, '' The Hills Have Eyes''. She also starred as Sandi Chandler on the television series '' Szysznyk'' from 1977 – 1978. She was a series regular on '' Tony Orlando and Dawn's Rainbow Hour'' for a season on CBS doing stand-up and comedy sketches with the show's guests. In the late 1970s, Lanier starred at The Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles in a production of

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...

' (né Thomas Lanier Williams, to whom, like actress Diane Ladd, she is related) '' The Night of the Iguana'', which starred

Richard Chamberlain George Richard Chamberlain (born March 31, 1934) is an American actor and singer, who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show '' Dr. Kildare'' (1961–1966). He subsequently appeared in several TV mini-series, such as ''Shō ...

. In the 1980s, Lanier had her own country-blues band and performed in the LA club scene. She wrote music with her future and now late husband, legendary rock/blues artist,

Delaney Bramlett Delaine Alvin "Delaney" Bramlett (July 1, 1939 – December 27, 2008) was an American singer and guitarist. He was best known for his musical partnership with his wife Bonnie Bramlett in the band Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, which included a w ...

, writer of "Superstar" and "Never Ending Song of Love" fame. She continued to act in movies of the week such as '' Madame X'' (1981), ''

The Night the Bridge Fell Down ''The Night the Bridge Fell Down'' is an American disaster film starring James MacArthur, Desi Arnaz Jr., and Leslie Nielsen. The movie was produced by Irwin Allen in 1979 in association with Warner Bros. Television for NBC but was not aired in ...

'' (1983) and ''Her Life As A Man'' (1984), and had recurring roles on TV in the soap, ''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. The soap, which aired on ...

'', and the sitcom, ''

So Little Time ''So Little Time'' is an American sitcom starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in their third television series. It aired on Fox Family: the first half of the series aired from June 2 to August 15, 2001, and the series then went on a four-month ...

'' with the Olsen twins. She starred in 2003 in the Los Angeles stage production of ''Last of The Honkey Tonk Angels''.

Personal life

Lanier was married to musician

; she was Bramlett's third wife, following his divorce from

Bonnie Bramlett Bonnie Bramlett (born Bonnie Lynn O'Farrell, November 8, 1944) is an American singer and occasional actress known for performing with her husband, Delaney Bramlett, as Delaney & Bonnie. She continues to sing as a solo artist. Life and career ...

and Kim Carmel Bramlett. Delaney died in 2008 from complications of

gall bladder In vertebrates, the gallbladder, also known as the cholecyst, is a small hollow organ where bile is stored and concentrated before it is released into the small intestine. In humans, the pear-shaped gallbladder lies beneath the liver, althoug ...

surgery. Lanier is the parent of

Dickies Williamson-Dickie Mfg. Co. is an apparel manufacturing company primarily known for its largest brand, Dickies. The company was founded in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1922 by C. N. Williamson and E. E. "Colonel" Dickie, who began a denim bib overall co ...

and 45 Grave guitarist Dylan Thomas.

Photographer

Lanier became a portrait photographer for magazines, book covers, and album covers, and in 2005 was voted one of LA's top ten photographers by Backstage West.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lanier, Susan Living people American film actresses American photographers American television actresses Actresses from Dallas American women photographers 21st-century American women Year of birth missing (living people)