Susan Blanchard (socialite)

Susan Blanchard (née Jacobson; born March 8, 1928) is an American socialite and former lyricist and theatrical producer. She was the stepdaughter of Oscar Hammerstein II, the third wife of actor Henry Fonda, with whom she adopted a daughter, Amy Fishman (born 1953),[1] and the second wife of actor Richard Widmark.

Susan Blanchard
Born
Susan Jacobson

(1928-03-08) March 8, 1928 (age 96)
Occupation(s)Former lyricist and theatrical producer, socialite
Spouses
(m. 1950; div. 1956)
  • Michael Wager
    (m. 1962; div. 1970)
  • Charles Ades
    (m. 1971; div. ??)
(m. 1999; died 2008)
Parent(s)Dorothy Blanchard
Henry Jacobson
RelativesOscar Hammerstein II (step-father)
James Hammerstein (maternal half-brother)

Background

edit

The younger child of Dorothy Kiaora Blanchard, a native of Australia, and Henry Jacobson, a New York businessman,[2] Susan Jacobson took her mother's surname after her parents' divorce and was known as Susan Blanchard thereafter. She studied at The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.[3]

Personal life

edit

Blanchard has been married four times, the first three marriages ending in divorce. Her first marriage was to actor Henry Fonda on December 27, 1950, and lasted until their divorce in May 1956. Peter Fonda told the Daily Express in 2014, "We were living in Rome and she came down to breakfast and told us. I was devastated and cried and she said, 'I'm young, I want to dance and tell jokes. I need to cut loose.' And I knew exactly what she meant."[4] Her second marriage was to another actor, Michael Wager, in 1962, with whom she had a son. Her fourth marriage was in 1999 to actor and producer Richard Widmark, to whom she remained married until his death on March 24, 2008.[5]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Widow and Adopted Daughter To Share Henry Fonda Estate". The New York Times. AP. 1982-08-22. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
  2. ^ Obituary for Dorothy Hammerstein, nytimes.com; accessed April 21, 2018.
  3. ^ Fonda, A. Mark "Notable Fondas", fonda.org, May 20, 2006; accessed April 21, 2018.
  4. ^ Pukas, Anna (2014-07-09). "Peter Fonda: My cold and distant father, and the sister I rarely see". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
  5. ^ Harmetz, Aljean (2008-03-26). "Richard Widmark, Actor, Dies at 93". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
edit