Susan Kohner Bio
Susanna “Susan” Kohner (born November 11, 1936) is an American retired actress whose career in film and television spanned the late 1950s and early 1960s. She is best known for her performance as Sarah Jane in Imitation of Life (1959), a role that earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and two Golden Globe Awards. Although she stepped away from acting in 1964 to focus on her family, her work in Imitation of Life remains a celebrated example of mid-century Hollywood drama and continues to be studied and screened at retrospectives decades later.
Early Life and Background
Susanna Kohner was born on November 11, 1936, in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of two figures connected to the entertainment industry. Her mother, Lupita Tovar, was a Mexican-born actress who built a career in Hollywood, while her father, Paul Kohner, was a film producer who had been born in Bohemia, then part of Austria-Hungary. The family was a blend of cultures and religions, with her mother raised Roman Catholic with Mexican and Irish heritage and her father of Bohemian Jewish descent.
Growing up in Los Angeles, Kohner was exposed to the film industry from an early age through her parents’ work. That environment, along with the cultural mix of her family, helped shape the perspective she would later bring to roles that examined identity, race, and belonging. Her bilingual background and international upbringing gave her a distinctive presence in Hollywood, even as she was a young performer finding her way into the craft.
Path to Acting
Kohner began her professional career in the mid-1950s, transitioning from a privileged Hollywood upbringing into formal on-screen work. Her television debut came on February 4, 1956, in the “Long After Summer” episode of The Alcoa Hour, though a Billboard review at the time noted that she “failed to impress.” She continued to take on small television appearances, building her craft through guest roles on series such as Hong Kong, Going My Way, and Temple Houston.
Her film work expanded during the late 1950s, with co-starring roles alongside Sal Mineo in both Dino (1957) and The Gene Krupa Story (1959). These early projects allowed her to gain experience in front of the camera and refine her screen presence. The skills and visibility she developed through these performances would soon lead to the defining role of her career.
Susan Kohner Career
Early Career (1955-1958)
Susan Kohner’s earliest screen work began in 1955, marking the start of a brief but impactful Hollywood career. Her first major film appearances included a supporting role in Dino (1957), where she worked alongside Sal Mineo in a story about Italian-American life. The role offered her an early chance to demonstrate dramatic range and connect with audiences.
During this period, Kohner also ventured into television, taking on guest parts in a variety of popular anthology and adventure series. These appearances helped her gain experience in shorter formats and allowed her to work with a range of directors and actors across different productions. By the late 1950s, she had built a steady resume that positioned her for larger film opportunities.
Breakthrough (1959-1962)
The turning point of Susan Kohner’s career arrived in 1959 with Imitation of Life, directed by Douglas Sirk and produced by Ross Hunter. The film starred Lana Turner and featured Kohner in the role of Sarah Jane, a light-skinned African-American woman who attempts to “pass” as white. The performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and brought her two Golden Globe Awards, one for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture and another for Best New Actress.
Following this success, Kohner starred in All the Fine Young Cannibals (1960), sharing the screen with Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner in a story about ambition and romance in the early 1960s music scene. She continued her run of significant projects with Freud: The Secret Passion (1962), costarring with Montgomery Clift in a biographical drama about the early life of Sigmund Freud. Her final film appearance came in 1962, and she made the decision to retire from acting in 1964.
Notable Works and Milestones
Susan Kohner’s signature role remains Sarah Jane in Imitation of Life, a performance widely regarded as one of the standout supporting turns of 1950s Hollywood. Her portrayal earned her an Oscar nomination and two Golden Globe Awards, cementing her place in film history. Decades after her retirement, a new print of Imitation of Life was screened at the TCM Film Festival in Los Angeles on April 23, 2010, where Kohner appeared alongside co-star Juanita Moore for a question-and-answer session hosted by Robert Osborne. The two women received standing ovations, a reflection of the lasting impact of her work.
Susan Kohner Award Nominations
Throughout her brief but acclaimed career, Susan Kohner received recognition from major industry awards bodies for her work in film. Her most prominent nomination came from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which nominated her for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Imitation of Life (1959). The nomination reflected the strength of her performance and the wider acclaim that the film received upon its release.
Susan Kohner Awards Won
Susan Kohner won two Golden Globe Awards for her performance in Imitation of Life (1959). The Hollywood Foreign Press Association honored her with the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture and also recognized her as Best New Actress of the year, making her one of the most celebrated breakout performers of that awards season.
Susan Kohner Family
Susan Kohner was raised in a family deeply rooted in the entertainment industry. Her father, Paul Kohner, was a Bohemian-born film producer who worked in Hollywood, while her mother, Lupita Tovar, was a Mexican-born actress who had a successful career in American and Mexican cinema. This dual heritage gave Kohner a unique perspective on storytelling and performance, with influences drawn from both Hollywood and international film traditions.
Personal Life
In 1964, Susan Kohner married John Weitz, a German-born novelist and menswear designer. The couple remained married until his death in 2002 and had two sons together, Chris and Paul Weitz. Both sons went on to become film directors and producers in Hollywood, working together on projects such as American Pie (1999) and About a Boy (2002), and Chris Weitz later directed New Moon (2009) as part of The Twilight Saga. Susan Kohner retired from acting in 1964 to devote her time to her family.