Sue Casey (born Suzanne Marguerite Philips; April 8, 1926 – February 21, 2019) was an American actress and Hollywood extra who appeared in over 85 productions between 1945 and 2002.

Sue Casey
Casey in 1956
Born
Suzanne Marguerite Philips

(1926-04-08)April 8, 1926
DiedFebruary 21, 2019(2019-02-21) (aged 92)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1946–2002
SpouseJohnny Durant
Children4

Early life and career

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Casey was born in Los Angeles to Burke and Mildred Philips. A talent agent noticed her while she was in high school, and began interviewing her at studios. Still a teenager, now known as Sue Casey, she appeared in her first film, Holiday in Mexico (1945).[1] Some of her more famous films include The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947), Neptune's Daughter (1949), Annie Get Your Gun (1950), Show Boat (1951), Rear Window (1954), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), Camelot (1967) and Paint Your Wagon (1969). Casey appeared in two Academy Award for Best Picture winners: An American in Paris (1951) and American Beauty (1999).

On television in 1962, she appeared on Gunsmoke as “Martha” in S8E10’s “The Hunger”. She also appeared in Season 3 Episode 9 as Mrs. Calvada opposite Sheldon Leonard on the Dick Van Dyke Show (1963). She had a lead guest role on Family Affair (1969). Casey also appeared in a season five episode of Boy Meets World (1997).[1]

Casey was also a model and in the late 1950s she temporarily transitioned from films to television commercials so she could spend more time with her family. She appeared in over 200 commercials including ads for Chrysler, Maxwell House and Kelloggs. To fans of 1960s B-movie "beach party cinema," Casey is known as the female lead in the 1965 cult classic The Beach Girls and the Monster, which Casey described as "one of the worst movies ever made", and the notorious 1968 film, Catalina Caper.[1] Her last role was on television in 2002.

In the 1960s, Casey obtained a real estate broker's license and sold properties in Beverly Hills.[2]

Personal life and death

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In 1950, she married Johnny Durant.[3] Casey's husband was in the United States Navy, then became a film editor. They had four children.[1]

Casey died on February 21, 2019 [where?] at the age of 92.[4]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Lisanti, Tom (2003). Drive-in dream girls : a galaxy of B-movie starlets of the sixties. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland. pp. 3–14. ISBN 0-7864-1575-4. OCLC 52121260.
  2. ^ "Celebs: Actors, Athletes in Real Estate Careers". The Los Angeles Times. August 6, 1989. p. 149.
  3. ^ "In The News". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. August 14, 1950. p. 14.
  4. ^ Suzanne Casey obituary, legacy.com; accessed March 4, 2019.
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