Sarandon was born inJackson Heights, Queens in New York City.[3] She is the eldest of nine children of Lenora Marie (née Criscione; 1923–2020)[4][5] and Phillip Leslie Tomalin, an advertising executive, television producer, and one-timenightclub singer. She has four brothers: Phillip Leslie Jr., Terry (an outdoorsman, journalist, and community leader), Timothy, and O'Brian (owner of Building 8 Brewery in Northampton, Massachusetts); and four sisters: Meredith (or "Merry"), Bonnie Priscilla, Amanda, and Melissa (or "Missy").[6][7] Her father was of English, Irish, and Welsh ancestry.[8] His English ancestors came fromHackney in London and his Welsh ancestors fromBridgend. On her mother's side, she is of Italian descent, withancestors from the regions ofTuscany andSicily.[6][9][10] Her father worked forWOR-TV in New York City.[11]
When she was four years old,[11] the Tomalin family moved from New York City to the newly developedStephenville community, located in the northern area ofRaritan (now Edison) Township, New Jersey.[12][13] The family was raisedRoman Catholic and she and her sisters attended the all-girls Saint Francis Grammar School in nearbyMetuchen,[11][14][15] while her brothers attended the all-boys Saint Matthews Grammar School in Edison Township.[16][17] Her mother was a member and board director of the Stephenville Women's Club and the Terra Nova Garden Club.[18][13] The family was also member to the Woodside Swim Club, a private swimming club and park in the Stephenville community,[11] where Sarandon and her sisters won many swimming competitions.[11][19][20][21] Sarandon graduated from Saint Francis Grammar School in 1960.[22]
Sarandon attendedEdison High School, a public school located in Edison Township.[23][24][11] In 1962, while still in high school, she joined a band and dance group to entertain sick children at a nearby rehabilitation hospital.[25] As a high school junior, she performed the lead in the playLady Precious Stream.[11][26] As a senior, she played the title character in the comedyMy Sister Eileen, earning mentions in the local newspapers.[27][28] In 1964, Sarandon was inducted into theNational Honor Society.[29]
In May 1964, the Tomalin family moved to the newly developedChandler Hill community, east of Stephenville in Edison.[30][11][31][26] Sarandon graduated from Edison High School in 1964.[32] She attended theCatholic University of America in Washington D.C. from 1964 to 1968,[33] earning aBachelor of Arts in drama, and studying under the drama coachGilbert V. Hartke.[34] During and shortly after college, she supported herself by emptying bedpans in a hospital,[35] cutting hair, cleaning houses and working as aswitchboard operator.[36]
Her most controversial film appearance was inTony Scott'sThe Hunger (1983), a modernvampire story in which she had a sex scene withCatherine Deneuve.[40] It was the first mainstream American film to feature such a scene between two star actresses. She appeared in the comedy-fantasyThe Witches of Eastwick (1987) alongsideJack Nicholson,Cher, andMichelle Pfeiffer. However, Sarandon did not become a "household name" until she appeared withKevin Costner andTim Robbins in the filmBull Durham (1988), a commercial and critical success.[41]Roger Ebert praised Sarandon's performance in his review for theChicago Sun-Times: "I don't know who else they could have hired to play Annie Savoy, the Sarandon character who pledges her heart and her body to one player a season, but I doubt if the character would have worked without Sarandon's wonderful performance".[42]
Sarandon was nominated for an Academy Award four more times in the 1990s, asBest Actress as Louise Sawyer inThelma & Louise (1991), Michaela Odone inLorenzo's Oil (1992), and Reggie Love inThe Client (1994), finally winning forDead Man Walking (1995) in which she played SisterHelen Prejean who regularly visits a convicted murderer ondeath row.Janet Maslin, inThe New York Times, wrote of her performance in the last film: "Ms. Sarandon takes the kind of risk she took playing a stubbornly obsessed mother inLorenzo's Oil. She's commandingly blunt, and she avoids cheapening her performance with the wrong kind of compassion. Her Sister Helen is repelled and alarmed by this man, but she's determined to help him anyway. That's what makes the film so unrelenting."[43] Sarandon was awarded theWomen in FilmCrystal Award in 1994.[44] Additionally, she has received eightGolden Globe nominations, including for the filmsWhite Palace (1990),Stepmom (1998),Igby Goes Down (2002), andBernard and Doris (2007).[45]
Sarandon has contributed the narration to two dozen documentary films, many of which dealt with social and political issues. In addition, she has served as the presenter on many installments of thePBS documentary series,Independent Lens. In 1999 and 2000, she hosted and presentedMythos, a series of lectures by the late American mythology professorJoseph Campbell.[47] Sarandon also participates as a member of the Jury for theNYICFF, a local New York City Film Festival dedicated to screening films made for children between the ages of 3 and 18.[48]
Sarandon and Robbins both took an early stance against the2003 invasion of Iraq, with Sarandon stating that she was firmly against war as apre-emptive strike.[61] Prior to a 2003 protest sponsored by theUnited for Peace and Justice coalition, she said that many Americans "do not want to risk their children or the children ofIraq".[62] Sarandon was one of the first to appear in a series of political ads sponsored byTrueMajority, an organization established byBen & Jerry's Ice Cream founderBen Cohen.[63][64] Along with anti-war activistCindy Sheehan, Sarandon took part in a 2006Mother's Day protest, which was sponsored byCode Pink.[65] In January 2007, she appeared with Robbins andJane Fonda at ananti-war rally in Washington, D.C. in support of a Congressional measure to withdraw U.S. forces fromIraq.[66]
During the2000 election, Sarandon supportedRalph Nader's run for president, serving as a co-chair of the National Steering Committee of Nader 2000.[67] During the2004 election campaign, she withheld support for Nader's bid, being among several "Nader Raiders" who urged Nader to drop out and his voters offer their support forDemocratic Party candidateJohn Kerry.[68] After the 2004 election, Sarandon called for US elections to be monitored by international entities.[69]
Sarandon andTim Robbins appear alongsideJohn Edwards at a presidential campaign rally in 2008
In the2012 U.S. presidential election Sarandon, along with film directorMichael Moore, said that they were not thrilled with Obama's performance but hoped he would be re-elected.[75] She said she and the administration haven't been allies. "I wouldn't say the White House has taken me under its wing and made me one of its best buddies," Sarandon said.[76]
In the2016 United States presidential election, she made public her support for SenatorBernie Sanders.[77] On March 28, 2016, in an interview onAll In with Chris Hayes, Sarandon indicated that she and other Sanders supporters might not supportHillary Clinton if Clinton were to be theDemocratic nominee for president. She stated: "You know, some people feel that Donald Trump will bring the revolution immediately. If he gets in, then things will really explode."Hayes inquired as to whether it would be dangerous to allow Trump to become president, to which she replied: "If you think that it's pragmatic to shore up the status quo right now, then you're not in touch with the status quo".[78] On October 30, 2016, she endorsedGreen Party of the United States presidential candidateJill Stein.[79]
In an interview withThe Guardian published on November 26, 2017, Sarandon said about Hillary Clinton: "I did think she was very, very dangerous. We would still be fracking, we would be at war [if she were president]".[80]
In 1995, Sarandon was one of many Hollywood actors, directors and writers interviewed for the documentaryThe Celluloid Closet, which explores how Hollywood films have depicted homosexuality.[81]
Sarandon and Robbins appeared at the 2000 Shadow Convention in Los Angeles to speak about drug offenders being unduly punished.[82] In 2004, she served on the advisory committee for 2004 Racism Watch, an activist group.[83]
Sarandon has become an advocate to end the death penalty andmass incarceration. She has joined the team of people fighting to save the life ofRichard Glossip, a man on death row in Oklahoma.[84] In May 2015, Sarandon launched a campaign with fundraising platformRepresent.com to sell T-shirts to help finance the documentaryDeep Run, the story of a poor North Carolina teen undergoing agender transition.[85]
On March 12, 2011, Sarandon spoke before a crowd inMadison, Wisconsin protesting GovernorScott Walker and his Budget Repair Bill.[86] On September 27, 2011, Sarandon spoke to reporters and interested parties at theOccupy Wall Street protest in New York City.[87] Her use of the wordNazi to describePope Benedict XVI on October 15, 2011 generated complaints from Roman Catholic authorities[88] and from theAnti-Defamation League, which called on Sarandon to apologize.[89] Sarandon brought activistRosa Clemente to the75th Golden Globe Awards[90] and participated in a rally against gun violence in June 2018.[91]
On May 27, 2021, Sarandon tweeted in support of thePalestinian people, in her words, "fighting against theapartheid government ofNetanyahu", and of theIsraeli people "that they too, will enjoy peace". She expressed support for Palestinian-American modelBella Hadid "for having the bravery to stand in solidarity with her people". She also co-signed an open letter criticizing Israel for labeling six Palestinian human rights groups as terror organizations, and quotedDesmond Tutu on theconflict saying that "true peace can ultimately be built only on justice".[94][95] Sarandon was the executive producer forSoufra, a documentary that covered the development of a food truck in theBourj el Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp inBeirut, Lebanon.[96]
In February 2022, some law enforcement organizations criticized Sarandon for sharing a tweet that described a photo of police officers honoring a killed officer asfascism.[97] She later deleted the tweet and posted a message on Twitter to apologize.[98][99]
In November 2023, Sarandon spoke out againstthe Israeli government's actions during theGaza war.[100] At a pro-Palestinian rally inUnion Square on November 17, Sarandon said: "There are a lot of people afraid of being Jewish at this time, and are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country, so often subjected to violence." Four days later, she was dropped as a client byUnited Talent Agency.[101][102][103] On December 1, Sarandon issued an apology for the phrasing of her comment, saying that "it implies that until recently Jews have been strangers to persecution, when the opposite is true".[104] On March 12, 2025, Sarandon attended the detention hearing of Palestinian activist andUS permanent residentMahmoud Khalil, who was detained byICE, and stated her support for the free speech rights of Khalil and all US residents.[105]
Following the Israeli thwarting of several attempts to breakits blockade of the Gaza Strip, Sarandon joined the steering committee for theGlobal Sumud Flotilla, which was the largest civilian-led aid flotilla to Gaza.[106][107] It started sailing in August 2025 and was intercepted by Israel on October 2.
While in college, she met fellow studentChris Sarandon; they married on September 16, 1967.[108] They announced atrial separation in 1975[35] and divorced in 1979,[24] but she retained his surname. From 1977 until 1980, Sarandon had a live-in relationship with directorLouis Malle,[109][110] after which she was sporadically involved with musicianDavid Bowie[111] and, briefly, actorSean Penn.[112]
In the mid-1980s, Sarandon dated Italian filmmakerFranco Amurri, with whom she had a daughter,Eva Amurri (born March 15, 1985).[113][114] They met on the set ofTempest in 1981, but did not get together until she returned to Italy to shootMussolini and I three years later.[115] In 2017, Sarandon revealed that she had had an affair with British actorPhilip Sayer, who she further revealed had been gay.[116]
Beginning in 1988, Sarandon lived with actorTim Robbins, whom she met while they were filmingBull Durham. They have two sons: John "Jack" Henry (born May 15, 1989) andMiles (born May 4, 1992). Sarandon, like Robbins, is alapsed Catholic,[117][118] and they shareliberal political views. They broke up in 2009.[119][120]
Following her breakup with Robbins, Sarandon began a relationship with Jonathan Bricklin, son ofMalcolm Bricklin. They helped establish a chain oftable tennis lounges namedSPiN. Sarandon is the co-owner of its New York[121] and Toronto locations.[122] Sarandon and Bricklin broke up in 2015.[123]
In 2006, Sarandon and ten relatives, including her son Miles, traveled to the United Kingdom to trace her family's Welsh genealogy. Their journey was documented by theBBC Wales programme,Coming Home: Susan Sarandon.[10] Much of the same research and content was featured in the American version ofWho Do You Think You Are? She also received the Ragusani Nel Mondo prize in 2006; her Sicilian roots are inRagusa, Italy.[124]
Sarandon isbisexual, seemingly coming out during a September 2022 appearance onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[125] She also previously toldPride Source in 2017 that her sexuality was "open" and "up for grabs",[116] and on a 2021 episode of theDivorced Not Deadpodcast said of her dating interests, "I don't care if it's a man or a woman. I mean, I'm open to all age, all color. And those for me, those things are just details."[126]
In 2009, Sarandon turned her hobby and love of ping pong into a table tennis club at SPiN NYC. Sarandon attributes her love of table tennis to its equalizing nature stating "I love that it cuts across gender, and your body type, your age.”[127]
^McCabe, Bruce (April 17, 1981)."Susan Sarandon, the 'actor'".The Boston Globe. RetrievedSeptember 17, 2023.'I'm an actor,' says Susan Sarandon. 'Don't call me an actress. 'Actress' is too frivolous. It's like 'starlet'.'
^Eller, Charlotte J. (June 14, 1968). "'The Private Ear and The Public Eye' - An Evening of Superb Theater At Wayside".The Northern Virginia Daily. p. 8.
^McLeod, Jerry (October 19, 2011)."Susan Sarandon rebuked for 'obscene' reference to Pope".The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. p. C1. RetrievedOctober 19, 2011. The article contains this statement byWilliam Donohue, president of theCatholic League: "Sarandon's comment is obscene. Sadly, it's what we've come to expect from her. Joseph Ratzinger [who became Pope Benedict XVI] was conscripted at the age of 14 into the Hitler Youth, along with every other young German boy."
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