Susan Sarandon

Susan Sarandon – Life, Career, and Memorable Quotes

Susan Sarandon (born October 4, 1946) is an American actress whose career spans over five decades—known for her versatility, activism, and iconic performances. Discover her life, work, philosophy, and powerful quotes in this deep dive.

Introduction

Susan Abigail Sarandon (born October 4, 1946) is a celebrated American actor (she prefers “actor” over “actress”) known for her emotional range, daring role choices, social activism, and longevity in Hollywood.

From early breakout roles like The Rocky Horror Picture Show to her Oscar-winning performance in Dead Man Walking, Sarandon has left an indelible mark on film and culture. Beyond acting, she is also known for her outspoken political views and humanitarian work.

In the following, let’s explore her early life, career evolution, activism, personality traits, standout quotes, and the lessons one can take from her journey.

Early Life and Family

Susan Sarandon was born Susan Abigail Tomalin on October 4, 1946, in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York City. Phillip Leslie Tomalin (an advertising executive, television producer, and former nightclub singer) and Lenora Marie (née Criscione).

When she was four years old, the family relocated to Stephenville, a community in Edison Township, New Jersey. Roman Catholic in Susan’s upbringing, and she attended Catholic schools, including Saint Francis Grammar School for girls.

In high school (Edison High School), Sarandon displayed early engagement in performance arts — she starred in plays, participated in musicals, and was inducted into the National Honor Society in her senior year.

After high school, Susan enrolled at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where she studied drama under Gilbert V. Hartke and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

During her college years, she supported herself with odd jobs—emptying bedpans, cutting hair, cleaning houses, working switchboards—to make ends meet.

This combination of a large family, early performance interest, and working through modest jobs helped ground Sarandon’s future resilience and connection to social issues.

Career and Achievements

Early Career & Breaking into Film

Sarandon’s early acting work included stage performances. Soon after college, she and her then-husband Chris Sarandon appeared in local theater at the Wayside Theatre in Virginia.

Her feature film debut came in Joe (1970), where she played a troubled young woman. A World Apart (1970–1971) and Search for Tomorrow (1972).

In 1975, she gained cult fame as Janet Weiss in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a film that would become a midnight-showing phenomenon and a touchstone in pop culture.

She also secured roles in The Great Waldo Pepper (1975), and by the late 1970s appeared in Pretty Baby (1978).

Rise to Critical Acclaim & Awards

Over the 1980s and 1990s, Sarandon’s career increasingly centered on dramatic, emotionally charged, socially aware roles. Some milestones:

• She earned her first Academy Award nomination for Atlantic City (1980), in which she was directed by Louis Malle.

• In 1991, she received a nomination for Thelma & Louise.

• She was nominated for Lorenzo’s Oil (1992).

• A nomination followed for The Client (1994).

• Her crowning moment came in 1995 when she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Sister Helen Prejean in Dead Man Walking (1995).

Beyond that, her filmography includes Bull Durham (1988), The Witches of Eastwick (1987), Little Women (1994), Stepmom (1998), Enchanted (2007), The Lovely Bones (2009), Cloud Atlas (2012), The Meddler (2015), Blue Beetle (2023), and Nonnas (2025).

On television, she has appeared in guest roles (e.g. Friends, Malcolm in the Middle) and in more substantial roles such as Bette Davis in Feud.

She has also narrated documentaries, presented lecture series (such as Mythos), and participated in many socially relevant media projects.

In recognition of her accomplishments, she’s earned an Academy Award, a BAFTA, many Golden Globe and Emmy nominations, and lifetime honors like the Swedish Stockholm International Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award.

Activism & Public Life

Susan Sarandon is as well-known for her activism as her acting. Her advocacy includes:

• Serving as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador (appointed 1999).

• Advocacy for human rights, women’s rights, reproductive rights, opposition to the death penalty, and calls for social justice.

• Anti-war activism, including opposition to the 2003 Iraq invasion.

• Work with organizations like Action Against Hunger (she received the human rights award in 2006).

• In recent years, she has publicly engaged in debates around geopolitical issues and human rights.

More recently, in 2025, she is set to make her UK theatrical debut in Mary Page Marlowe at London’s Old Vic—marking a return to live stage performance after decades in film.

Her political voice has sometimes been controversial; she has faced backlash and consequences (e.g., agency dropping her) for statements and protest work.

Personality, Strengths & Challenges

Strengths & Traits

1. Versatility
   Sarandon has moved fluidly across genres—musical, horror, drama, fantasy—and played roles that demand both emotional strength and nuance.

2. Courage to tackle difficult themes
   She often selects roles that engage with social, political or moral dilemmas, such as Dead Man Walking or Thelma & Louise.

3. Commitment to purpose
   Her activism is not token: she has long persisted in speaking out and aligning her public persona with causes she believes in.

4. Resilience & longevity
   Maintaining relevance for over five decades in film and media requires adaptability and perseverance.

5. Empathy, imagination & authenticity
   She sometimes says she never formally studied acting, but that qualities like empathy and imagination are central to both her craft and her activism.

Challenges & Tensions

• Criticism for activism
  Her outspoken political stances have sometimes drawn criticism, career risks, or professional fallout.

• Balancing fame and cause
  As an actor known for her celebrity, she continually navigates how much to leverage her platform and when to stand back.

• Aging and image in Hollywood
  As she has grown older, she has addressed the pressures around appearance and roles in a youth-obsessed industry. Some of her quotes reflect this awareness.

• Public and private overlap
  Her personal history—relationships, family, identity—has sometimes intersected with her public persona, posing complexities.

Memorable Quotes by Susan Sarandon

Susan Sarandon’s public statements often reflect her spirit, convictions, and philosophical outlook. Below are a selection of quotes that stand out:

“When you start to develop your powers of empathy and imagination, the whole world opens up to you.”

“I look forward to being older, when what you look like becomes less and less an issue and what you are is the point.”

“I try to live my life every day in the present, and try not to turn a blind eye to injustice and need.”

“I believe in using words, not fists.”

“It will be great when it's not such a big deal when a woman gets a good job.”

“I never studied acting, but those two qualities (empathy and imagination) are exactly the qualities that make for an activist.”

“The things that are done in her name or his name are horrible.” (From reflections on religion and institutions)

“Every relationship starts out with a dream of what you think it’s going to be … you either have the tool kit when you get to the hard spots … or you need to move on.”

These quotes reveal her concern with empathy, justice, authenticity, and integrity.

Lessons from Susan Sarandon’s Journey

1. Let purpose guide your choices
   Sarandon’s selection of roles and public activism show that aligning projects with deeper values can enrich a career.

2. Empathy makes art and activism stronger
   She emphasizes that empathy and imagination are foundational—both for performing and for pushing for change.

3. Embrace aging, shift identity
   Her views on appearance, aging, and substance over surface challenge norms of celebrity and beauty.

4. Use your voice responsibly
   Her boldness in speaking on contentious issues illustrates both the power and risk of public advocacy.

5. Stay adaptable and persistent
   Over five decades, she has reinvented, taken risks, and persevered through changing times and cultural expectations.

Conclusion

Susan Sarandon’s life is a testament to what can be achieved when artistry, conviction, and resilience intersect. She has not merely been a film icon—she has worked to bring social conscience to her public identity, to live according to her beliefs, and to keep reinventing her craft.

Her quotes serve as reminders that empathy, imagination, integrity, and action matter deeply. And her career offers a roadmap for anyone seeking to blend creative expression with purpose, to stay true over time, and to use one’s platform to meaningfully engage with the world.