Susan Flannery (born July 31, 1939) is an American actress and director. She made her screen debut appearing in the 1965 Western filmGuns of Diablo and later appeared in some television series. From 1966 to 1975, Flannery starred asLaura Horton on the NBC daytime soap opera,Days of Our Lives for which she received her firstDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

Susan Flannery
Flannery at the 39th Daytime Emmy Awards, 2009
Born	(1939-07-31)July 31, 1939 (age 85) Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.[1][2]
Alma mater	Stephens College (BA)
Occupation(s)	Actress, director
Years active	1963–2018
Known for	Laura Horton onDays of Our Lives Stephanie Forrester onThe Bold and the Beautiful
Children	1

Flannery receivedGolden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress for her performance in the 1974 disaster film,The Towering Inferno. For her starring role in the 1976 miniseriesThe Moneychangers, she receivedPrimetime Emmy Award nomination forOutstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series. Flannery later acted on prime-time shows and made-for-television movies, before returning to daytime with the role ofStephanie Forrester on the CBS soap opera,The Bold and the Beautiful (1987–2012, 2018), receiving threeDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2000, 2002 and 2003.

Flannery was born inJersey City, New Jersey, on July 31, 1939, and attended school in Manhattan.^[3] She received herBA degree fromStephens College, a women's college in Columbia, Missouri, in 1962.^{[citation needed]}

Flannery made her television debut appearing in an episode ofBurke's Law in 1963. The following year she made her big screen debut playing a supporting role in the Western filmGuns of Diablo. She made guest appearances on prime time dramasSlattery's People,Death Valley Days,Ben Casey,The Felony Squad and most notable three-episode act onVoyage to the Bottom of the Sea.^[4] In 1966, Flannery was cast as Dr.Laura Spencer Horton on the NBC daytime soap opera,Days of Our Lives, where she met writer William J. Bell (who later cast her inThe Bold and the Beautiful in 1987). She played the role until 1975, winning her firstDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her final year on the soap.^[5]

In 1974, Flannery starred in the disaster filmThe Towering Inferno directed byJohn Guillermin and starringPaul Newman andSteve McQueen. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, and earned around $203.3 million, making itthe highest-grossing film of 1974. For her performance, Flannery wonGolden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress.^[6] The following year, she starred in the comedy filmThe Gumball Rally. Also that year, Flannery starred alongsideKirk Douglas,Joan Collins andChristopher Plummer in the NBC miniseries,The Moneychangers. For this role, she receivedPrimetime Emmy Award nomination forOutstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series.^[7] She starred in an episode "A Nightmare for a Nightingale" of British anthology seriesThriller in 1976 and was lead actress in the 1979 miniseriesWomen in White based on novel byFrank G. Slaughter. Also in 1979 she played the leading role in the made-for-television romantic drama,Anatomy of a Seduction.^[8] In 1981, Flannery joined the cast of CBS prime time soap opera,Dallas, playing Leslie Stewart appearing in 11 episodes during thefourth season. She later appeared in the made-for-television moviesMoney on the Side (1982) andShaft of Love (1983).

Flannery became best known worldwide for portrayingStephanie Douglas Forrester on the CBS soap operaThe Bold and the Beautiful (1987–2012). She was one of the original cast members of the series, only two of whom still appear (Katherine Kelly Lang andJohn McCook). She received nine Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series nominations winning in 2000, 2002, and 2003. Flannery was also a regular director on the show and was twice nominated for aDirectors Guild of America Award for her work. After 25 years, she decided to leave the show in 2012. In her final storyline, Stephanie Forrester died from lung cancer.^[9][10] Flannery came in at #1 in the Top 50 Soap Actresses of All Time poll on the internet blog We Love Soaps in 2010. Flannery took an active role in the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), and advocated for securing cable rights and foreign residuals for actors when their work appears in other media. Her efforts have had a positive impact on howThe Bold and the Beautiful actors (and other soap actors) are paid when the show is televised in countries outside the United States.^[11]

Flannery appeared in two episodes ofABC's situation comedyHope & Faith in 2004 with other well-known actors from rival soaps. Flannery also appeared as a special guest onGood News Week. She appeared in a special episode ofWheel of Fortune withDeidre Hall (Marlena,Days of Our Lives) andPeter Bergman (Jack,The Young and the Restless) in 2006. Flannery also directed the October 13, 2008, episode ofGuiding Light. From 2010 to 2014 she directed 36 episodes ofVenice: The Series and in 2017 directed an episode ofThe Fosters.

Flannery has an adopted daughter, Blaise.^{[citation needed]}

Gay rights activistRita Mae Brown socialized with Flannery in Los Angeles in the mid-1970s. They met through their mutual friend writer and performerFannie Flagg, with whom Flannery had a multi-year relationship.^[12][13] Brown wrote the following about Flannery in her 1997 memoirRita Will:^[12]

She'd been a star in a long-running TV program and had left to take a prominent role in a film. Almost white-blonde, with a heart-shaped face, blue eyes, and a great figure, she appeared every inch a woman ready to become a major movie star. She had looks, talent, and drive. What she lacked was the ability to kiss ass. Just when her career should have rocketed, it began to drop to Earth. Approaching forty added to the tension.

She is a fundamentally honest person, a decent one.

Word got about [directors and screenwriters] that she was difficult. That was amended to "difficult dyke." It wasn't too long before she languished in her beautiful sharedMontecito, California home wondering what the hell had happened.

Were Susan at the same career fulcrum today [in 1996], she'd have a fifty-fifty chance of swinging up. In the mid-seventies, she had no chance. Today she's back on television [in supporting roles and character parts].

Because she didn't marry to play the game, she might as well have announced that she was gay. Other people announced it for her. She kept silent but stiff-armed any attempts to create a bogus heterosexual life. She and Fannie [Flagg] had been together for eight years. The cracks in their relationship widened under the pressure. Many of Susan and Fannie's friends knew they were lovers, but many didn't. The isolation, under the circumstances, had to have been extremely painful for Susan.

My heart went out to her. After my initial visit [to their Montecito home], the three of us palled around together. The more I knew Susan, the more I liked her.

If there had been a way for the three of us to live together, I would have tried it because I grew to respect Susan and value her for the generous and kind person she is. Like her Irish forebears, she engaged her crisis with good humor and the hope that she'd learn something.

• Susan Flannery atIMDb