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Suzanne Grossmann

Suzanne Grossmann
Born
Marie Carolyn Suzanne Grossmann

(1937-12-21)December 21, 1937
Basel, Switzerland
DiedAugust 19, 2010(2010-08-19) (aged 72)
Los Angeles, California, US
Other namesSuzanne Grossman
EducationNational Theatre School of Canada
Alma materMcGill University, Montreal
Occupations
  • Actress
  • Playwright
  • Screenwriter
  • Translator
Years active1961–
SpouseRobert Ray Scales (1997–2010)

Suzanne Grossmann (December 21, 1937 – August 19, 2010) was a Swiss-American actress, playwright and television writer, born in Basel, Switzerland.[1]

Early life and education

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Grossmann lived and studied in Brazil, Canada, and the USA. Having first obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree at McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Grossmann was among the first graduates of the National Theatre School of Canada in 1963.[1]

Career

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Stage

Grossmann made her Broadway debut in James Goldman's The Lion in Winter, playing Alais. In 1968 she was Roxane to Robert Symonds' Cyrano in a revival of Cyrano de Bergerac. A revival of George Kelly's The Show-Off, starring Helen Hayes, followed later that year, and, in 1970, she played Sybil Chase in Private Lives opposite the Elyot and Amanda of Brian Bedford and Tammy Grimes.[1]

With Paxton Whitehead, a fellow actor, she translated and adapted Georges Feydeau's farce There's One in Every Marriage for the Broadway stage in 1971, followed by Feydeau's Chemin de Fer.[1] Other works she adapted include Alpha and Omega, La Vie Parisienne, Number Our Days, and A Flea in Her Ear. Her works were staged by theater companies such as Chelsea Theater Center in Manhattan, NYC, Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, and the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.[2]

Screen

Soon after, Grossmann turned her talents to writing for television, including Canadian Broadcasting Corporation teleplays for "Showstopper", "Nellie", and the Great Performances episode "Sarah" (1976).[2] She wrote more than 100 episodes for the popular, long-running television soap opera Ryan's Hope.[1]

On television, Grossmann had acting roles on the CBC anthology series Festival (1963–1964), and as Miep Gies in the ABC production of The Diary of Anne Frank (1967), and as Cleopatra in the three-part documentary series, Shaw vs. Shakespeare.[2]

Personal life and death

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Grossmann was married to Robert Scales, who was a dean of the theater school at University of Southern California. Grossmann died on August 19, 2010(2010-08-19) (aged 72) of chronic obstructed pulmonary disorder[2]

Filmography

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Suzanne Grossmann film and television acting credits
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1963 Festival Antigone Episode: "Antigone" (S4.E2) [3]
1964 Festival Jenny Hill Episode: "Major Barbara" (S4.E14) [4]
1964 Festival Brovic Episode: "The Master Builder" (S5.E5) [5]
1967 Il ne faut pas mourir pour ça Mary Theatrical Film. English: Don't Let It Kill You [6]
1967 The Diary of Anne Frank Miep Gies Television film [2]
1970 Shaw vs. Shakespeare Cleopatra Documentary shorts: "I. The Character of Caesar" & "III: Caesar and Cleopatra" [2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "LA Times obituary". Los Angeles Times. August 25, 2010. p. AA6.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Stage Actress, scribe Grossmann dies". Variety. August 24, 2010. Retrieved August 24, 2010.
  3. ^ "Festival - 1963-10-09 - Antigone". CBC Archive Sales. CBC / Société Radio Canada. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
  4. ^ "Festival - 1964-01-08 - Major Barbara". CBC Archive Sales. CBC / Société Radio Canada. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  5. ^ "Festival - 1964-10-31 - The Master Builder". CBC Archive Sales. CBC / Société Radio Canada. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  6. ^ "Il ne faut pas mourir pour ça (Don't Let it Kill You)". Canadian Film Encyclopedia. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
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