Susan Kohner

Susanna "Susan" Kohner (born November 11, 1936) is an American actress who worked in film and television. She played Sarah Jane, a young African-American woman, in Imitation of Life (1959), for which she was nominated for an Oscar as Best Supporting Actress. She won two Golden Globe awards for her performance.

After Kohner married menswear designer and writer John Weitz in 1964, she retired from acting to devote time to her family. Their two sons, Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz, both became film directors and producers, screenwriters, and occasional actors.

Early life
Kohner was born in Los Angeles, California, daughter of Lupita Tovar, a Mexican-born actress who had a career in Hollywood, and Paul Kohner, a film producer who was born in Bohemia, Austria-Hungary. Her mother was Roman Catholic, and of Irish and Mexican descent; her father was Czech Jewish.

Career
Most of Kohner's film roles came during the late 1950s and early 1960s, including co-starring with Sal Mineo in both Dino (1957) and The Gene Krupa Story (1959).

In her best-known role, Kohner played Sarah Jane in Imitation of Life, portraying a light-skinned Black woman who "passes" as white. The 1959 film was the second film adaptation of the 1933 book of the same name. The plot had major changes to better reflect its own time. The first film adaptation was released in 1934.

The expensive, glossy Ross Hunter production, directed by Douglas Sirk and starring Lana Turner, was a box-office hit. In addition, Kohner was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her role in the film. She won a Golden Globe as Best Supporting Actress and another as Best New Actress. Following her role in Imitation of Life, Kohner appeared in All the Fine Young Cannibals opposite Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner.

Kohner's TV debut was on February 4, 1956, in the "Long After Summer" episode of The Alcoa Hour. A review in the trade publication Billboard said that she "failed to impress." She later had guest roles on various television series, including Hong Kong, Going My Way, and Temple Houston. She made her last film appearance in 1962, costarring with Montgomery Clift in Freud: The Secret Passion. She retired from acting in 1964.

Personal life
In 1964, Kohner married John Weitz, a German-born novelist and fashion designer. She retired from acting to devote time to her family. The couple had two sons together, Chris and Paul Weitz, who both became film directors and producers in Hollywood. Together they produced films such as American Pie (1999) and About a Boy (2002). Chris Weitz is also known for directing New Moon (2009), part of The Twilight Saga.

On April 23, 2010, a new print of Imitation of Life (1959) was screened at the TCM Film Festival in Los Angeles, California, to which Kohner and co-star Juanita Moore were invited. After the screening, the two women appeared on stage for a question-and-answer session hosted by TCM's Robert Osborne. Kohner and Moore received standing ovations.

Theater

 * 1958: Love Me Little by John G. Fuller at Helen Hayes Theatre. Role: Emily Whittaker. Broadway debut.
 * 1962: Pullman Car Hiawatha by Thornton Wilder at Circle in the Square Theatre. Role: Harriet Milbury.
 * 1963: Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw at Vancouver Theater Festival. With Mike Nichols.