Susan Anton Bio
Susan Anton is an American actress and singer whose career has spanned film, television, stage, and music. She first gained widespread attention through her debut film, Goldengirl, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination and led to an NBC contract for her variety series Presenting Susan Anton. Across decades, Anton has built a versatile resume that includes Broadway roles, Las Vegas residencies, charting country and pop recordings, and recurring television work. She is based in Las Vegas, where she lives with her husband, director Jeff Lester.
Best known today for Goldengirl, Cannonball Run II, and a recurring stint on Baywatch, Anton has remained active as a performer and as an executive producer through Big Picture Studios. Her career reflects a blend of mainstream Hollywood projects, Broadway and Las Vegas showrooms, and live touring with major entertainers of the twentieth century.
Early Life and Background
Susan Anton attended Yucaipa High School in Yucaipa, California, and graduated in 1968. After completing high school, she went on to study at San Bernardino Valley College, continuing her education in Southern California. Her entry into public life began through local beauty pageants, where she won the Miss Redlands title before capturing the Miss California crown in 1969.
That same year, Anton competed in the 1969 Miss America Scholarship Pageant, held on September 6, where she tied as second runner-up. The experience introduced her to a national audience and helped launch her career in entertainment in 1969. Growing up in the Inland Empire region of California, she had early exposure to performance through pageants, local showcases, and television, which shaped her path toward a professional career in acting and singing.
Path to Acting
Anton’s first taste of commercial fame came in 1976, when she began appearing in Muriel Cigars advertisements. In these spots, she sang the now-recognizable line, “Let Muriel turn you on / That is my desire / Muriel lights a flame in me / Where there’s Muriel smoke, there’s fire.” The campaign gave her a recurring television presence throughout the late 1970s. She was also a frequent guest on The Merv Griffin Show, appearing roughly thirty times, and became a familiar voice in Serta Perfect Sleeper mattress commercials.
In 1978, ABC paired her with country singer Mel Tillis for a summer variety series titled Mel and Susan Together, produced by the Osmond Brothers. Although the show ended after four weeks, Anton’s visibility continued to grow, and Time Magazine later named her one of the “Most Promising Faces of 1979.” This momentum set the stage for her Golden Globe-nominated film debut in Goldengirl.
Susan Anton Career
Early Career (1969–1979)
Susan Anton began her professional career in 1969, the same year she was crowned Miss California and competed at the Miss America pageant. Through the early and mid-1970s, she built her profile through beauty pageants, regional performances, and a growing list of commercial endorsements, including the high-profile Muriel Cigars campaign that began in 1976. These appearances positioned her as a marketable on-camera talent.
Her career advanced rapidly in 1978 and 1979. ABC gave her a summertime variety show alongside Mel Tillis, and shortly afterward she landed the lead role in the feature film Goldengirl. Her performance in Goldengirl earned her a Golden Globe nomination, validating her transition from commercial work to dramatic film. This recognition led to an NBC deal that produced the variety series Presenting Susan Anton and the dramatic serial Stop Susan Williams, part of the Cliffhangers anthology.
Breakthrough (1979–1990s)
Anton’s breakthrough arrived with Goldengirl in 1979, a film that starred James Coburn and was directed by Joseph Sargent. Anton appeared on the cover of the mass-market paperback edition of the source novel by Peter Lovesey, written under the pen name Peter Lear. The film’s success brought her a Golden Globe nomination and opened the door to wider Hollywood opportunities, including the comedy feature Cannonball Run II.
She also expanded into music during this period. In 1980, she recorded “Killin’ Time,” a duet with country singer Fred Knoblock, which reached the Top 10 on the country charts and climbed to number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. Internationally, she achieved further recognition with the Gold record “Foxy.” Throughout the 1980s, Anton toured with major entertainers including Kenny Rogers, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Tom Jones, and she released four exercise videos in 1989 under the Slimatics brand.
On television, she joined the cast of Baywatch from 1992 to 1994 in a recurring role, and she made guest appearances on series including Night Court, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, and The Larry Sanders Show. She also starred on Broadway in The Will Rogers Follies and Hurlyburly, directed by Mike Nichols, and appeared in the national tour of All Shook Up.
Notable Works and Milestones
Susan Anton’s signature works include the Golden Globe-nominated Goldengirl, the comedy hit Cannonball Run II, and her recurring role on Baywatch. She also became closely associated with the “Great Radio City Music Hall Spectacular” at the Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas, where she hosted more than 5,000 performances until July 31, 2000. In 2016, she appeared in Sharknado: The 4th Awakens, and in 2020 she starred in the psychological thriller Painter.
Susan Anton Award Nominations
Susan Anton earned early industry recognition through her Golden Globe nomination for her debut film role in Goldengirl, a nomination that marked her arrival as a film actress in 1979. That single nomination stands as a verified career highlight in major awards competition, reflecting the impact of her first major film performance alongside James Coburn. Beyond the Golden Globe nomination, her career has been shaped more by popular recognition, commercial success, and long-running stage and Las Vegas engagements than by additional verified major award nominations.
Susan Anton Awards Won
Verified competitive awards wins for Susan Anton are not documented in the available verified sources. Her career achievements have instead been recognized through industry publications, including Time Magazine’s “Most Promising Faces of 1979” designation, and through public honors tied to her entertainment work. As a result, no summary table of verified award wins has been included for this page.
Susan Anton Family
Susan Anton has been married to director Jeff Lester, and the couple has made their home in Las Vegas, Nevada, for more than twenty years. Together, they founded Big Picture Studios in 1997, a production company through which Anton has executive produced projects including The Last Real Cowboys with Billy Bob Thornton and the documentary Speed of Life featuring Amy Purdy. Their partnership has extended into creative collaboration, with Anton contributing as both performer and producer.
Personal Life
Susan Anton lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her husband, director Jeff Lester. She has built a long-running personal and professional base in the city through her residency in the “Great Radio City Music Hall Spectacular” at the Flamingo Hilton, her role as Velma Von Tussle in the Las Vegas production of Hairspray, and her continued work with Big Picture Studios. Her Las Vegas years have also included reprising her Hairspray role at the Hollywood Bowl and touring nationally with All Shook Up, reflecting a career deeply tied to live performance.