# Susan Saint James
**Susan Saint James** (born Susan Jane Miller in 1946, in Los Angeles, California) is an American actress and activist best known for three long television roles: Peggy Maxwell on *The Name of the Game* (1968–1971), Sally McMillan on *McMillan & Wife* (1971–1976), and Kate McArdle on *Kate & Allie* (1984–1989). She won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1969 for *The Name of the Game* and later became a prominent volunteer and board member for the [Special Olympics](https://www.edgepedia.org/special-olympics).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0756634/bio/) • [2](https://www.emmys.com/bios/susan-saint-james)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Susan Jane Miller, 1946, Los Angeles, California; raised in Rockford, Illinois[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0756634/bio/) |
| Breakthrough | Peggy Maxwell on *The Name of the Game* (NBC, 1968–1971, 38 episodes); Emmy win, 1969, supporting actress in a series[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0756634/?showAllCredits=true) • [2](https://www.emmys.com/bios/susan-saint-james) |
| Signature role | Sally McMillan, wife of Rock Hudson's police commissioner, on *McMillan & Wife* (NBC, 1971–1976, 34 episodes)[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0756634/?showAllCredits=true) |
| Sitcom success | Kate McArdle on *Kate & Allie* (CBS, 1984–1989, 122 episodes), co-starring Jane Curtin[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0756634/?showAllCredits=true) |
| Emmy record | 8 Primetime Emmy nominations and 1 win per the Television Academy database[2](https://www.emmys.com/bios/susan-saint-james) |
| Marriage | Married NBC executive Dick Ebersol on November 21, 1981; mother of five children[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0756634/bio/) |
| Activism | Board service with the International Special Olympics; volunteer since 1972[4](https://www.cwhf.org/inductees/susan-saint-james) |
## Early life and start in television
Saint James was born in Los Angeles to Charles Daniel Miller, a businessman, and Constance Geiger Miller; both her mother and grandmother were schoolteachers. Raised in [Rockford, Illinois](https://www.edgepedia.org/rockford-illinois), she modeled briefly as a teenager in the United States and France, then attended the Connecticut College for Women before moving to California to pursue acting.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0756634/bio/) • [4](https://www.cwhf.org/inductees/susan-saint-james) After a six-week acting course, she signed a seven-year contract with Universal Studios.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0756634/bio/) • [5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/susan-saint-james/)
Her first television job was the 1966 NBC TV movie *Fame Is the Name of the Game*, in which she played Peggy Maxwell, the editorial assistant to [Anthony Franciosa](https://www.edgepedia.org/anthony-franciosa)'s investigative reporter. When the pilot became the series *The Name of the Game*, a rotating-star anthology that also featured [Robert Stack](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-stack) and [Gene Barry](https://www.edgepedia.org/gene-barry), she continued in the role for 38 episodes from 1968 to 1971.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0756634/bio/) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0756634/?showAllCredits=true) She won the Emmy for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series for the 1968–69 season, and received further nominations in the same supporting category in 1970 and 1971.[2](https://www.emmys.com/bios/susan-saint-james) • [6](https://wikipal.mm.vg/article/from-mcmillan-wife-to-kate-allie-about-susan-saint-james/) During this period she also had a recurring part as a klutzy thief opposite Robert Wagner in *It Takes a Thief*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0756634/bio/)
## McMillan & Wife and feature films
In 1971 Saint James was cast as Sally McMillan, the adventurous young wife of San Francisco police commissioner Stewart McMillan, played by [Rock Hudson](https://www.edgepedia.org/rock-hudson), in the NBC Sunday Mystery Movie wheel series *McMillan & Wife*. She appeared in 34 episodes from 1971 to 1976 and earned Emmy nominations in 1972, 1973, and 1975 in leading-actress drama categories.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0756634/?showAllCredits=true) • [2](https://www.emmys.com/bios/susan-saint-james) She left the series in 1976 when her contract ended, saying she wanted to try film.[7](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/online-originals/mac-and-sallys-golden-anniversary)
Her 1970s film work included the action comedy *Outlaw Blues* (1977) opposite [Peter Fonda](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-fonda), the Dracula spoof *Love at First Bite* (1979) with George Hamilton, and the caper *How to Beat the High Cost of Living* (1980) with [Jane Curtin](https://www.edgepedia.org/jane-curtin) and [Jessica Lange](https://www.edgepedia.org/jessica-lange). None of these established a lasting film career, and she also continued in television movies such as *The Kid from Nowhere* (1982) and *I Take These Men* (1983).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0756634/bio/)
## Kate & Allie
Saint James returned to series television in 1984 as Kate McArdle on *Kate & Allie*, a CBS sitcom co-starring Jane Curtin as two divorced mothers who share a New York City apartment and raise their children together. The show ran five seasons, and Saint James appeared in all 122 episodes, receiving Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1984 and 1985.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0756634/?showAllCredits=true) • [2](https://www.emmys.com/bios/susan-saint-james) Saint James described the household the characters formed as a 1980s "nuclear extended" family, saying, "After all, family is family."[8](https://www.csmonitor.com/1984/0831/083104.html)
When *Kate & Allie* was canceled in 1989, she stepped back from acting, moved to [Connecticut](https://www.edgepedia.org/connecticut), and devoted herself to raising her family and to charity work.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0756634/bio/)
## Later work and activism
Saint James's connection to the Special Olympics began while she was working on *McMillan & Wife* in California, when she was asked to help with the organization; she went on to serve on the Board of Directors of the International Special Olympics and the Connecticut Special Olympics, and has volunteered since 1972.[4](https://www.cwhf.org/inductees/susan-saint-james) Among the honors her volunteer work earned her were the Saint Coletta Award, given by the Caritas Society; the Gold Key Award, presented by the Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance; and an award from the Walter Camp Football Foundation, making her the first woman ever to receive it. She holds honorary doctorates from five Connecticut institutions: the [University of Connecticut](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-connecticut), the University of Bridgeport, Southern Connecticut State University, Albertus Magnus College, and the University of New Haven.[4](https://www.cwhf.org/inductees/susan-saint-james) She was inducted into the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame in 1994.[4](https://www.cwhf.org/inductees/susan-saint-james)
She made occasional screen appearances after retiring from series work, including the first episode of *The Drew Carey Show* (1995), guest spots on *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* and *Suits*, and a recurring role on several 2020 episodes of *Upland*. In 2008 she received a star on the [Hollywood Walk of Fame](https://www.edgepedia.org/hollywood-walk-of-fame) for her television work.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0756634/bio/)
## Personal life
Saint James was married first to writer-producer Richard Neubert (1967–1968) and then to makeup artist Tom Lucas (1971–1979), with whom she had two children. She met NBC executive [Dick Ebersol](https://www.edgepedia.org/dick-ebersol), known for his work on *Saturday Night Live*, when she hosted the show in 1981, and they married on November 21, 1981; they have three sons, Charles, William, and Edward ("Teddy").[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0756634/bio/) • [9](https://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/susan-saint-james/index.html) While traveling with Ebersol and his son Charles on a private jet that went down in Colorado in November 2004, Teddy, the pilot, and the flight attendant were all killed.[9](https://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/susan-saint-james/index.html) She resides in Connecticut, where she has managed Seedling & Pip, a company that creates gift baskets for newborn babies.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0756634/bio/)
## References
1. [Susan Saint James Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0756634/bio/)
2. [Susan Saint James – Emmy Awards, Nominations and Wins, Television Academy](https://www.emmys.com/bios/susan-saint-james)
3. [Susan Saint James, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0756634/?showAllCredits=true)
4. [Susan Saint James, Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame](https://www.cwhf.org/inductees/susan-saint-james)
5. [Susan Saint James – Actress, Activist, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/susan-saint-james/)
6. [From "McMillan & Wife" to "Kate & Allie": About Susan Saint James, WikiPal](https://wikipal.mm.vg/article/from-mcmillan-wife-to-kate-allie-about-susan-saint-james/)
7. [Mac and Sally's Golden Anniversary, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/online-originals/mac-and-sallys-golden-anniversary)
8. [In 'Kate & Allie,' TV mimics life; at Olympics, it copied itself, The Christian Science Monitor (1984)](https://www.csmonitor.com/1984/0831/083104.html)
9. [Susan Saint James, Hollywood Star Walk, Los Angeles Times](https://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/susan-saint-james/index.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames I to Kh*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license