Susan Peters

A lovely and promising actress who worked her way up the ranks at MGM, Susan Peters' career was cut short by one of the worst tragedies to affect the Hollywood acting community during the 1940s. The Spokane native had her first substantial part in the MGM film "Tish" (1942) and soon became a regular player for the studio. Her most famous credit was the celebrated drama "Random Harvest" (1942), where Peters impressed greatly in a supporting capacity. With an Oscar nomination now on her résumé, she demonstrated further promise in such productions as "Song of Russia" (1944), in which she essayed the female lead role opposite Robert Taylor. In a tragic turn of events, Peters was injured in a hunting accident and suffered permanent physical damage, but within a few months, she had resumed acting via radio assignments and was determined to move forward. Her movie days were over after only one more picture, but Peters earned praise for stage performances in travelling revivals of "The Glass Menagerie" and "The Barretts of Wimpole Street," and she also headlined her own television series for a time. The strain of dealing with her injuries contributed to her premature death at age 31. Although the final years of her life were heartbreaking, Peters displayed considerable courage and the praise for her acting, both before and after the tragedy, was well-deserved.