A former model who transitioned into a film icon thrilled fans of 1970s cinema with a rare appearance in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
The actress, renowned for her breakout role in one of television’s pioneering blockbuster miniseries, Rich Man, Poor Man, appeared remarkably youthful at 77 as she enjoyed her day out.
Paired alongside Nick Nolte in the celebrated series, she secured a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Series Drama and received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie.
Opting for a laid-back wardrobe, she donned a black top and faded jeans, embodying the elegance reminiscent of her red carpet appearances during her prominent stint in 1970s disaster films.
She graced the screen in The Towering Inferno alongside legends Paul Newman and Steve McQueen, solidifying her status in Hollywood’s golden era of disaster movies.
Continuing her affinity for disaster films, she later featured in The Concorde… Airport ’79, further affirming her place in the popular genre of that time.
A former model turned screen star delighted fans of 70s cinema as she stepped out for a rare outing in Los Angeles on Tuesday
The actress, who became a household name for her role in one of television’s earliest blockbuster miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man, looked strikingly youthful at 77 as she enjoyed her public appearance
Dressed casually in a black top and faded jeans , the former cover girl still cut a chic figure, reminiscent of her red carpet days during a run of disaster films in the 1970s
If you guessed Susan Blakely, you’re spot on!
Back in 2021, Blakely got candid about the surprising way she landed her breakout role in Rich Man, Poor Man.
‘I had done a movie called Report to the Commissioner. Carol Burnett saw the film. She was friends with [producer] Harve Bennett, and she told him he should cast me,’ she told Closer.
‘I never knew until later. Carol is an idol of mine, but she never told me because she’s so humble. She didn’t want to take credit.’
Reflecting on her time with her co-stars Nick Nolte and Peter Strauss, she said, ‘Oh, I love Nick. He is such a consummate actor, but also a nice, fun guy. And Peter was fabulous – we’ve reconnected recently.
‘There were other leading men in that show who were fabulous, too: Bill Bixby, who my character married, Ed Asner and Robert Reed.’
Blakely also shared how she came to appear in the Newman disaster film The Towering Inferno.
‘I probably wouldn’t have said yes to Towering Inferno if I had read the script! But I was on another shoot, and my agent told me who else was doing it. I was just in love with Paul Newman. He was my biggest crush. So when I heard Paul Newman was in it, I said if he was doing it, I was doing it.’
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Susan Blakely, born on September 7, 1948, in Frankfurt, Germany, the daughter of an Army colonel, attended the University of Texas at El Paso before moving to New York to study acting; Above, in 1977
Starring opposite Nick Nolte and Peter Strauss in the hit series Rich Man, Poor Man, Blakely went on to win the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Series Drama and earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
Back in 2021, Blakely got candid about the surprising way she landed her breakout role in Rich Man, Poor Man, telling Closer: ‘I had done a movie called Report to the Commissioner. Carol Burnett saw the film. She was friends with [producer] Harve Bennett, and she told him he should cast me’
Blakely in 1980’s Make Me an Offer
Blakely and Sharon Stone attend the 2026 Annual Movies for Grownups Awards
When asked if she spent much time with Newman on set, she said, ‘Yes, but we weren’t in a lot of scenes together. When William Holden said, “Susie, I want you to meet Paul Newman,” I looked at him and my heart started to race! He was the sexiest man, the best actor, and he turned out to be the kindest man, too.’
‘I also got to know Joanne Woodward. They had a bunch of us actors out to Malibu. They were just such down-to-earth people.’
She continued, ‘I had a fabulous time. I got to hang out with William Holden, who was a wonderful man, and Fred Astaire, who was amazing. I was such a novice and so nervous, but he was just so humble and sweet.
‘I also met my husband on that set, but we didn’t hit it off then. I remembered him when we met again later.’
That chance meeting would prove more significant in later years, with Blakely eventually marrying media expert, public relations consultant and filmmaker Jaffe in 1982.
She had previously been married to lawyer Todd Merer, with the couple divorcing in 1981.
Beyond her breakout TV and disaster film roles, Blakely enjoyed a varied and prolific career in both television and cinema.
She took on leading roles in made-for-TV movies throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including Will There Really Be a Morning?, portraying Frances Farmer.
She also appeared in Over the Top, My Mom’s a Werewolf and Hate Crime, while guest-starring on hit series such as This Is Us, NCIS, Murder, She Wrote and Cougar Town.
