Susan Saint James was a charming and slightly quirky television successor to Shirley MacLaine. Her endearing and accident-prone free spirit became popular during the "free love" era of the late 1960s.
Born Susan Jane Miller on August 14, 1946, in Los Angeles, she was of German, Irish, and English ancestry. Her mother and grandmother were both schoolteachers, and she was raised in Rockford, Illinois. Susan modeled briefly during her teenage years in both the US and France, and later attended the Connecticut College for Women.
Her luck in Hollywood arrived quickly, with a seven-year contract at Universal Studios. Her first TV job was a plum "girl Friday" role on a TV movie pilot starring Anthony Franciosa and Jill St. John.
As an eager but awkward amateur sleuth in the whodunnit crime mystery "Fame Is the Name of the Game" (1966),audiences immediately took to Susan as the editorial assistant to investigative reporter Franciosa, who often found herself in life-threatening circumstances. She continued her role as Peggy Maxwell when the series was picked up.
The "Name of the Game" (1968),with its revolving trio of stars Anthony Franciosa, Robert Stack, and Gene Barry, became a hit, and Susan earned three Emmy nominations, winning the trophy on her first try during the 1968-69 season.
Cleverly downplaying her sexy allure and model good looks for a more down-to-earth appeal, Susan also had a fun recurring role as an equally klutzy thief who complicates things for Robert Wagner's suave cat burglar in "It Takes a Thief" (1968). She hit her TV peak as Police Commissioner Rock Hudson's plucky wife in "McMillan & Wife" (1971) from 1971 to 1976, still managing to get into her usual share of danger and trouble. She earned three more Emmy nominations.
Having gotten her feet wet on the big screen with a few featured/co-star roles in the private eye drama "P.J." (1967),the convent comedy "Where Angels Go Trouble Follows!" (1968),and the crime thriller "Jigsaw" (1968),Susan earned particular notice in the '70s with the action comedy "Outlaw Blues" (1977) opposite Peter Fonda, the cult Dracula spoof "Love at First Bite" (1979) opposite George Hamilton, and the female buddy crime caper "How to Beat the High Cost of Living" (1980) with Jane Curtin and Jessica Lange.
Wisely, Susan returned to her comfy TV series format co-starring with Jane Curtin in the liberal-minded sitcom "Kate & Allie" (1984),which lasted five seasons. She earned two additional Emmy nominations playing an adventurous libber versus Curtin's more conservative character.
Susan Saint James chose to back away from the limelight following the cancellation of "Kate & Allie" (1984). Moving to Connecticut, she devoted her time to raising a family and dedicating herself to charity work, notably the Special Olympics, for which she served on the board of directors. Since then, she has received several honors as a spokesperson for volunteerism.
In later years, Susan appeared infrequently on talk shows and in rare guest star parts on such shows as "M*A*S*H." She went on to grace the first episode of "The Drew Carey Show" (1995),in which niece Christa Miller was a co-star. More recently, she has been seen on episodes of the TV series "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "Suits" and had a recurring role on several 2020 episodes of "Upland."
