# Susan Sullivan
**Susan Sullivan** (born 1942) is an American actress whose career spans daytime soap opera, primetime drama, situation comedy, and theater, best known for playing Maggie Gioberti Channing on the primetime soap *Falcon Crest* (1981–1989), Kitty Montgomery on the sitcom *Dharma & Greg* (1997–2002), and Martha Rodgers on the crime drama *[Castle](https://www.edgepedia.org/castle-tv-series)*.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1942, New York City; birth name Susan Michaela Sullivan[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0838360/bio/) |
| Training | Hofstra University on a drama scholarship; apprentice work at the Cleveland Playhouse, the Hartford Stage Company, and the National Repertory Theatre[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/susan-sullivan/) |
| Broadway debut | *Jimmy Shine*, opposite Dustin Hoffman, within weeks of returning to New York in 1968[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-xpm-2013-feb-25-la-et-st-classic-hollywood-susan-sullivan20130225-story.html) |
| Daytime roles | Nancy Condon on *A World Apart* (1970–1971); Lenore Moore Curtin Delaney on *Another World* (1971–1976)[4](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=4516) |
| Emmy nomination | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, 1978, for *Julie Farr, M.D.* on ABC[5](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/susan-sullivan) |
| Signature roles | Maggie Gioberti Channing on *Falcon Crest* (1981–1989); Kitty Montgomery on *Dharma & Greg* (1997–2002)[4](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=4516) |
| Golden Globe | 1999 nominee, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television, for *Dharma & Greg*[6](https://goldenglobes.com/person/susan-sullivan/) |
## Training and stage beginnings
Sullivan was born in New York City and raised on [Long Island](https://www.edgepedia.org/long-island), where she acted and modeled locally as a youngster. At 16 she was a student at the [American Academy of Dramatic Arts](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-academy-of-dramatic-arts), and when she entered college she accepted a drama scholarship at [Hofstra University](https://www.edgepedia.org/hofstra-university), declining offers from Carnegie-Mellon and New York University[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/susan-sullivan/). While at Hofstra she worked in New York City doing showroom modeling to earn extra money[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-xpm-2013-feb-25-la-et-st-classic-hollywood-susan-sullivan20130225-story.html).
Her apprenticeships at the Cleveland Playhouse, the Hartford Stage Company, and the National Repertory Theatre in Washington, D.C. led to a Broadway debut in *Jimmy Shine*, playing opposite [Dustin Hoffman](https://www.edgepedia.org/dustin-hoffman)[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/susan-sullivan/). She followed it with *The Beauty Part*, a play by S.J. Perelman, and *A Late Snow* on the New York stage[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/susan-sullivan/). "The genesis of my career was in the theater," she told TheaterMania in 2000[7](https://www.theatermania.com/news/news/665/).
## Daytime and early primetime television
Sullivan's first television appearance was in 1969, in a syndicated version of Shakespeare's *Macbeth*. She then became a regular on two soaps, *A World Apart* (ABC, 1970) as Nancy Condon and *Another World* as Lenore Curtin, a role she held from 1971 to 1976[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/susan-sullivan/) • [4](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=4516). In interviews she has credited the five years on *Another World* with giving her extensive television experience[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0838360/bio/).
After an agent saw her in an off-Broadway play and signed her on the condition that she move to Hollywood, her television career broadened. She guested on top-rated series including *Medical Center*, *McMillan and Wife*, *Petrocelli*, *Barnaby Jones*, *The Love Boat*, and *Taxi*, and her first regular primetime role came in the one-season drama *Rich Man, Poor Man, Book II* (ABC, 1976), a sequel to the successful miniseries[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/susan-sullivan/).
**Emmy recognition.** She played a doctor helping patients with childbirth in the TV movies *Having Babies II* and *Having Babies III*, which led to the series *Julie Farr, M.D.* The show ran briefly, but it earned Sullivan a Primetime Emmy nomination as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1978[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/susan-sullivan/) • [5](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/susan-sullivan). The 1970s also brought a string of television movies, including *[The Incredible Hulk](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-incredible-hulk-1978-tv-series)* (CBS, 1977) and the fact-based *The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd* (CBS, 1980), in which she played the wife of [Dennis Weaver](https://www.edgepedia.org/dennis-weaver)'s title character[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/susan-sullivan/).
## Falcon Crest
In 1981 Sullivan joined the CBS primetime soap *Falcon Crest* as Maggie Gioberti, a New Yorker transplanted to the fictional Tuscany Valley wine country of California[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/susan-sullivan/). She remained with the series through its 1989 season, playing the show's moral center opposite [Jane Wyman](https://www.edgepedia.org/jane-wyman), Robert Foxworth, and later [David Selby](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-selby)[4](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=4516). Her character endured a run of prime-time-serial ordeals, including amnesia, widowhood, a kidnapped child, and a brief bout with alcoholism, a storyline Sullivan drew on her own experience as the child of an alcoholic to play[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/susan-sullivan/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0838360/bio/).
The role brought three Soap Opera Digest Award nominations: Favorite Super Couple on a Prime Time Serial (shared with Robert Foxworth) in 1986, and Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role: Prime Time in 1988 and 1989[8](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0838360/awards). She has said she decided to leave at the start of the final season because she felt "Maggie was repeating herself"[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0838360/bio/). During the show's run she kept working in theater, appearing in *Fifth of July* at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0838360/bio/).
## Dharma & Greg and later television
Sullivan returned to series comedy as Kitty Montgomery, the snobbish mother of Greg ([Thomas Gibson](https://www.edgepedia.org/thomas-gibson)) on ABC's *Dharma & Greg*, from 1997 to 2002[4](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=4516). The role earned her a 1999 Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television[6](https://goldenglobes.com/person/susan-sullivan/) and three consecutive Q Award nominations from Viewers for Quality Television as Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Comedy Series, in 1998, 1999, and 2000[8](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0838360/awards).
Between and after series runs she worked steadily in guest and recurring parts, including *Two and a Half Men*, *Judging Amy*, *The Nine*, and a guest spot on *Last Man Standing* as Vanessa's mother[4](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=4516) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/susan-sullivan/). In 2000 she returned to the stage as Amanda Wingfield in [Tennessee Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/tennessee-williams)' *The Glass Menagerie* at the [Pasadena Playhouse](https://www.edgepedia.org/pasadena-playhouse)[7](https://www.theatermania.com/news/news/665/), and her later stage credits include *Love, Loss, and What I Wore*, *Buffalo Gal*, and *The Fourth Wall*[9](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Susan-Sullivan/).
**Castle and The Kominsky Method.** From 2009 Sullivan co-starred as Martha Rodgers, the flamboyant actress mother of [Nathan Fillion](https://www.edgepedia.org/nathan-fillion)'s mystery writer [Richard Castle](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-castle), on ABC's hit *Castle*[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-xpm-2013-feb-25-la-et-st-classic-hollywood-susan-sullivan20130225-story.html). She was in her 60s when cast, and the role added another long run to a resume that already included 100-plus-episode stints on *A World Apart*, *Another World*, *Falcon Crest*, and *Dharma & Greg*[10](https://www.tvline.com/2254199/what-happened-castle-cast/). In 2019 she shared an Actor Award ([Screen Actors Guild](https://www.edgepedia.org/screen-actors-guild)) nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series with the cast of Netflix's *The Kominsky Method*, in which she played Eileen, the wife of Alan Arkin's agent Norman Newlander[8](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0838360/awards) • [11](https://time.com/5450341/kominsky-method-review/).
## Health and recent work
In October 2023 Sullivan revealed she was battling lung cancer; she had previously recovered from a different cancer. After successful surgery she was reported cancer free, describing the outcome with what she called immense gratitude[12](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/falcon-crest-alum-susan-sullivan-164714068.html). Her screen credits continue into recent years, including the 2025 film *Magic Hour*[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/susan-sullivan/).
## References
1. [Susan Sullivan Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0838360/bio/)
2. [Susan Sullivan Actress profile, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/susan-sullivan/)
3. [Classic Hollywood: 'Castle's' Susan Sullivan reflects on varied road, Los Angeles Times (2013)](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-xpm-2013-feb-25-la-et-st-classic-hollywood-susan-sullivan20130225-story.html)
4. [Susan Sullivan, TVSA actor profile](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=4516)
5. [Susan Sullivan Emmy Awards and Nominations, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/susan-sullivan)
6. [Susan Sullivan, Golden Globes Awards Database](https://goldenglobes.com/person/susan-sullivan/)
7. [Susan Sullivan Meets Amanda Wingfield, TheaterMania (2000)](https://www.theatermania.com/news/news/665/)
8. [Susan Sullivan Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0838360/awards)
9. [Susan Sullivan theatre credits, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Susan-Sullivan/)
10. [What Happened To The Cast Of Castle?, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/2254199/what-happened-castle-cast/)
11. [Review: The Kominsky Method, TIME](https://time.com/5450341/kominsky-method-review/)
12. ['Falcon Crest' Alum Susan Sullivan Admits She 'Struggles' With Decision to Avoid Plastic Surgery, Yahoo Entertainment (2024)](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/falcon-crest-alum-susan-sullivan-164714068.html)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Soap operas and continuing serials › US and Americas daytime serials and characters › Daytime serial production and people*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 12, 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