Actress and dancer Susan Buckner has died at the age of 72. In an official statement sent and confirmed to People magazine, Buckner passed away on May 2 “surrounded by loved ones.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Buckner started to gain attention in the entertainment industry during the 1970s, with one of her first big performances being on the television biographical film The Amazing Howard Hughes, which starred Tommy Lee Jones as Hughes. She would play actress Jean Harlow in the film, who was considered a bombshell during her time in the film industry from the late 1920’s to 30’s.
It would then be the following year that she would play Patty, the captain of the cheerleading squad in the musical film Grease. Although she would be the butt of almost every joke, she would interact with the main character Sandy, who Olivia Newton-John played.
Buckner also took part in comedy during the height of her career. One of her first-ever performances on television was in 1973 as a sketch performer on The Dean Martin Show. She was also a dancer in the variety show The Brady Bunch Hour and appeared in nine episodes during the show’s run, according to IMDb.
She also had her fair share of guest appearances on television, having one-offs in episodes of Police Woman, Switch, Starsky and Hutch, B.J and the Bear, and The Love Boat.
But she would also have a few titular roles in multiple series, one of them being the comedy When the Whistle Blows, which followed the lives of construction workers and what they do both in and outside of work. The series would only be one season, but she would appear in every episode. She also played in The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, appearing in three episodes of their second season as Georgia “George” Fayne.
Her final performance would be in the slasher film Deadly Blessing, playing one of the main characters’ friends and eventually would be one of the kills of the film. Buckner would then eventually retire from Hollywood, focusing on raising her family. However, she didn’t necessarily leave the performance world as she would direct kids’ theater and teach dance.
In a statement with People, Buckner’s daughter Samantha talked about who her mother was. “The light she brought into every room will be missed forever. She was magic, and I was very lucky to call her my best friend.”
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