Susan Saint James was an Emmy Award-winning American actress whose warmth, humor, and natural screen presence made her one of television's most recognizable personalities during the 1970s and 1980s. Best remembered for The Name of the Game, McMillan & Wife, and Kate & Allie, she built a successful career portraying intelligent, independent women while maintaining a deep commitment to family and charitable work.
Born Susan Jane Miller on August 14, 1946, in Los Angeles, California, she grew up in Rockford, Illinois, after her father's work brought the family to the Midwest. She attended Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart and later Connecticut College. As a teenager, she pursued modeling, including work in Paris, before returning to Los Angeles to establish herself as an actress.
At age 20, Saint James secured a seven-year contract with Universal Studios. One of her earliest appearances was in the 1966 television film Fame Is the Name of the Game, which eventually developed into the NBC series The Name of the Game. Beginning in 1968, she portrayed Peggy Maxwell, a resourceful research assistant working alongside characters played by Tony Franciosa, Gene Barry, and Robert Stack. Her performance earned her the 1969 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
Her career reached another level in 1971 when she began starring opposite Rock Hudson in McMillan & Wife. Playing Sally McMillan, the lively and perceptive wife of a San Francisco police commissioner, she helped make the detective series a television favorite. Her easy chemistry with Hudson and talent for blending comedy with mystery established her as a leading television actress.
After leaving the series in 1976, Saint James pursued film roles, appearing alongside Peter Fonda in Outlaw Blues (1977), George Hamilton in Love at First Bite (1979), and Jessica Lange and Jane Curtin in How to Beat the High Cost of Living (1980). She also appeared in Carbon Copy (1981), which marked Denzel Washington's feature-film debut.
In 1984, Saint James returned to series television with Kate & Allie, reuniting with Jane Curtin. The CBS comedy followed two divorced women raising their children together in a shared New York City home. Saint James played Kate McArdle, the more spontaneous and unconventional of the two friends. The series ran for six seasons, through 1989, and became one of the defining roles of her career.
Away from acting, Saint James was a mother of five. Her marriage to makeup artist Tom Lucas brought two children, Sunshine and Harmony. In 1981, while guest-hosting Saturday Night Live, she met the show's executive producer, Dick Ebersol. They married approximately six weeks later and had three sons, Charlie, Willie, and Teddy.
Following the conclusion of Kate & Allie, she stepped away from regular television work to concentrate on raising her younger children in Litchfield, Connecticut. She continued occasional acting appearances, participated in community activities, and devoted considerable time to charitable causes, particularly Special Olympics.
In November 2004, the family experienced a devastating loss when her youngest son, Teddy, died at age 14 in a private plane crash in Colorado. Her husband and son Charlie survived the accident. Saint James spoke publicly about the loss and remained committed to her family and the people around her.
Her later years included occasional television appearances, community theater, and charitable involvement. In 2008, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in recognition of her television career.