Suzan Ball
Suzan Ball | |
|---|---|
 Ball in 1954 | |
| Born | Susan Ball February 3, 1934 [1] Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Died | August 5, 1955 (aged 21) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse | |
| Relatives | Lucille Ball (cousin) Fred Ball (cousin) |
Suzan Ball (born Susan Ball; February 3, 1934[2][3][4][5] – August 5, 1955) was an American actress. She was a second cousin of fellow actress Lucille Ball. She was married to actor Richard Long. She had her leg amputated in January 1954, as a result of both a tumor and an accident she had. She died at age 21 of cancer in 1955, after a two-year battle. Some sources erroneously cited 1933 as her year of birth.[6][7][8][9][10]
Early life
[edit | edit source]Born in Buffalo, New York,[11][12][8] Ball was the eldest daughter of Howard Dale Ball and Marleah Frances O'Leary. When she was 5, the family moved to Miami and, shortly thereafter, Kenmore, New York. In 1946 they moved to North Hollywood,[13] where, in June 1951, aged 17, Ball graduated from North Hollywood High.[14]
Personal life
[edit | edit source]Ball, aged 20, married actor Richard Long on April 11, 1954, at El Montecito Presbyterian Church in Santa Barbara. Among the 100-plus guests in attendance were fellow UI luminaries Jeff Chandler, Barbara Rush, Rock Hudson, Lori Nelson, Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, David Janssen, Julie Adams, Hugh O'Brian, Mala Powers, and Mary Castle.[15][11][12][16][13]
Illness and death
[edit | edit source]In 1953, doctors diagnosed Ball with cancer when she developed tumors on her right leg, forcing her to use crutches. Because of the cancer, doctors amputated her right leg on January 12, 1954.[17] On August 5, 1955, five days after having been released from the City of Hope National Medical Center following more than three weeks of unsuccessful treatment, Ball, at age 21, died at 4:35 P.M. at her home in Beverly Hills.[13]
She is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.[18]
Legacy
[edit | edit source]Dick Powell and June Allyson co-chaired the establishment of the Suzan Ball Memorial Fund in March 1956. Ten other entertainers and two states' governors co-sponsored the effort to raise $1 million via a national fund drive for "increasing facilities for a cancer center" under the auspices of City of Hope Medical Center.[19][20]
Filmography
[edit | edit source]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Aladdin and His Lamp | Dancing Girl | Uncredited |
| The World in His Arms | Uncredited | ||
| Untamed Frontier | Lottie | ||
| Yankee Buccaneer | Countess Margarita La Raguna | ||
| 1953 | City Beneath the Sea | Venita | |
| East of Sumatra | Minyora | ||
| War Arrow | Avis | ||
| 1955 | Chief Crazy Horse | Black Shawl (Little Fawn) | (final film role) |
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ GRAVESTONE: 1934-1955
- ^ "California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP32-B1FW : Sun Oct 15 16:34:46 UTC 2023), Entry for Suzan Ball Long and Howard Dale Ball, 5 Aug 1955.
- ^ "United States Census, 1940", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VTZF-RSM : Tue Nov 28 15:06:29 UTC 2023), Entry for Howard Dale Ball and Marleah F Ball, 1940.
- ^ Wilson, Earl (September 6, 1952). "It Happened Last Night in Little Old New York", Press of Atlantic City. pg. 10. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ "Susan Ball Dies of Cancer at Age 22", The Los Angeles Times. August 6, 1955. pg. 1. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ Wilson, Earl (September 6, 1952). "It Happened Last Night in Little Old New York", Press of Atlantic City. pg. 10. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Parish, James Robert (2001). The Hollywood Book of Death: The Bizarre, Often Sordid, Passings of More than 125 American Movie and TV Idols, McGraw Hill. pg. 149; Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ "Suzan Ball (Continued From First Page)", The Los Angeles Times. August 6, 1955. pg. 2. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ a b Hopper, Hedda (November 24, 1951). "Buffalo-Born Girl Starting Movie Career", Buffalo Courier-Express, pg. 6. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
- ^ a b "New Faces ... Going Places; Introducing: Suzan Ball", Detroit Free Press. January 12, 1953. pg. 28. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ a b c Associated Press (August 6, 1955). "Actress Suzan Ball Is Dead; Pluck Won a Nation's Heart; Born in Buffalo", The Buffalo News, pg. 3. Retrieved November 25, 2023.(subscription required)
- ^ Thomas, Bob (March 8, 1952). "Girl Gets Lead in Second Film; Susan Ball in High School Last June", The Tampa Times. Accessed August 11, 2025.(subscription required)
- ^ Crivello, Kirk (1988). Fallen Angels : The Lives and Untimely Deaths of Fourteen Hollywood Beauties. Secaucus, NJ: Citadel Press. pg. 156; Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Peschke, Michael, ed. (2006). Enciclopedia Internacional de Pseudónimos: Nombres Verdaderos. Parte I. München: Saur/Gale. pg. 167. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ "Suzan Ball's Death Spurs Cancer Fight", The Miami Herald. May 20, 1956. pg. 28E. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
External links
[edit | edit source]- Suzan Ball at IMDbLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
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