An American film actress who was nominated 4 times for an Academy Award before winning it in 1995. She was also nominated several times for a Golden Globe Award. She began her artistic career in the early 1970s, and was known for her support of human rights issues, especially the Palestinian cause.
Birth and upbringing
Susan Abigail Tomalin Sarandon was born on October 4, 1946 in New York City, USA. Her mother, Noora Marie, is of Italian origins from the regions of Tuscany and Sicily, and her father, Philip Leslie Tomalin, is of English, Irish, and Gaul origins. He worked as an advertising executive and television producer, in addition to being a former singer in hotels and cafes.
Study and scientific training
Susan Sarandon graduated from Edison High School in 1964, and received her undergraduate degree from The Catholic University of America in Washington in 1968, majoring in drama.
Artistic experience
Sarandon did not plan to be an actress, as she started out as the face of an advertisement for a company, but while she was accompanying her then-husband (Chris Sarandon) to casting tests for the movie (Joe), she was chosen instead of him. Thus, the beginning of her artistic career was in the early seventies, and after a few Small film roles. In 1975, she participated in the movie (The Rocky Horror Picture Show). After that, she presented 167 films for international cinema.
She made her Broadway debut in An Evening with Richard Nixon in 1972, and continued there until she received Drama Desk Award nominations for the plays she performed on that stage.
She received her first Academy Award nomination in 1980 for the film (Atlantic City), and her role in the film (Lorenzo Oil) was described as an unforgettable performance, as she co-starred with Geena Davis, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award again (1992). In 1995, she won her first Oscar for the film (The Dead Man Walking).
She returned to the Broadway stage in 2009 to participate in the revival of Exit the King. She was also nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe in 2017 for her co-starring in the television series (Feud), which focused on the rivalry between two Hollywood personalities (Pat Davis and Jessica Lange), in which Sarandon played the role of actress (Pat Davis).
Susan Sarandon in 2019 during her visit to the Burj el-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon (Reuters)
Its support for the Palestinian cause
Sarandon participated in a demonstration that included thousands in the streets of New York City on November 18, 2023, during which she raised banners demanding an end to the war on the Gaza Strip, and said, “There are many people who taste the feeling of being Muslim at this time, and in this country.”
She was active in her support of Palestine on social media platforms, and had written next to a picture with members of the Palestinian Women’s Gathering, “You do not have to be Palestinian to care about what is happening in Gaza. I stand with Palestine. No one is free until everyone is free.”
She was one of the figures who signed a petition calling on US President Joe Biden to pressure the Israeli occupation to stop the aggression on the Gaza Strip in 2023.
As a result of this support, the talent agency UTA canceled its contract with actress Sarandon on November 21, after she had been managing its business since 2014.
The history of the Hollywood actress is full of positions supporting the rights of minorities in the United States of America and the world, as she defended many causes during her career, and previously worked as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and she was also honored with the Action Against Hunger Humanitarian Award in 2006.
In December 2021, Sarandon shared a post on her account on the X platform (formerly Twitter), “Israel will never achieve true security and safety by oppressing another people. True peace can ultimately only be built on justice.”
She also interacted prominently with the Israeli occupation’s assassination of Al Jazeera network correspondent Sherine Abu Aqla in May 2022, and she also expressed her sympathy for the Palestinian refugee issue by visiting the Palestinian camps in Lebanon in 2019.
Awards and nominations
She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress four times, before receiving it in 1995 for her role in the movie (Dead Man Walking). She also won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress for the same role in the same year. She won the BAFTA Award in 1995 as best actress for her role in the movie (The Client). She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the years (1989-1991-1992-1993-1996-1999-2009) as best actress, and in 2003 as best supporting actress. She received the Amnesty International USA Leadership Media Spotlight Award. She was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF in 1999. She was nominated 6 times for an Emmy Award for her guest appearances in the series (Friends, Malcolm in the Middle), and some of her films. Also as an executive producer of the film (Cool Woman in History) in 2002. Susan Sarandon participated in many demonstrations in 2023 in support of stopping the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip (Getty)
Cinematic works
Susan Sarandon has performed in many cinematic works, including:
Pretty Baby (1978). The Hunger (1983). The Witches of Eastwick (1987). Paul Duram (1988). White Palace (1990). Little Woman (1994). Stepmom (1998). Enchanted (2007). The Lovely Bones (2009). Tammy (2014). The Midler (2015). Bad Moms Christmas (2017).
