Suzanna Love
Suzanna Potter Love[1] (born April 8, 1950)[2] is an American former actress and screenwriter known for her collaborations with her husband, director Ulli Lommel, in the 1980s. She starred in Lommel's supernatural slasher film The Boogeyman (1980) and the psychological thriller Olivia (1983); she also co-wrote and starred in Lommel's horror films BrainWaves (1982) and The Devonsville Terror (1983). She had minor appearances in Lommel's science fiction musical film Strangers in Paradise (1984) and Revenge of the Stolen Stars (1985) before retiring from acting.
Suzanna Love | |
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Born | New York City, New York, U.S. | April 8, 1950
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Early life
Love was born in New York City on April 8, 1950, to Marie Felicité (née Pratt; 1926–2002) and Kennett Love (1924–2013).[3] Her father, originally from St. Louis, Missouri, was a correspondent for The New York Times, and covered international affairs extensively in the 1950s. Her mother was a descendant of Charles Pratt, who founded the Pratt Institute.[1] Love is a DuPont heiress.[4]
Love and her siblings were raised Roman Catholic.[5] She attended the Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart in New Jersey, and later enrolled at Vassar College.[1] After dropping out of college after her second year of studies, Love relocated to London, and for a brief period became addicted to heroin.[5] After becoming sober, she returned to the United States, and decided to embark on an acting career.[5]
Acting career
After appearing in a minor part in Hair (1979) under the stage name Suki Love, she auditioned for director Ulli Lommel for his forthcoming horror film, The Boogeyman (1980).[5] The two subsequently began both a romantic and professional relationship, and were married in New York City on January 26, 1978.[1] Love starred in and co-wrote several of Lommel's films throughout the 1980s, beginning with Cocaine Cowboys (1979), followed by Blank Generation and The Boogeyman (both released in 1980).[5] In The Boogeyman, Love co-starred alongside her brother, Nicholas, who portrayed her character's brother in the film.[5]
In 1983, she appeared in four of Lommel's films: the psychological thriller Olivia; the science fiction film BrainWaves; the horror film Boogeyman II; and the supernatural horror film The Devonsville Terror, the last of which she co-wrote with Lommel.[6]
In 1984, Love appeared in Lommel's satirical science fiction musical film Strangers in Paradise, in which she portrayed a punk singer,[6] followed by the comedy Revenge of the Stolen Stars (1985).
Later life
Love has largely remained out of the public eye since retiring from acting in 1991, though she did collaborate with Vinegar Syndrome in 2020, providing an on-camera interview for their Blu-ray release of Olivia.[7] In 2023, she again provided interviews for the company's Blu-ray releases of The Devonsville Terror[6] and The Boogeyman.[5]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
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1979 | Hair | Debutante #2 | [8] | |
1979 | Cocaine Cowboys | Lucy | [9] | |
1980 | Blank Generation | Lizzy | [10] | |
1980 | The Boogeyman | Lacey | [11] | |
1983 | Olivia | Olivia | Also known as: Prozzie, or Double Jeopardy | [12] |
1983 | BrainWaves | Kaylie Bedford | Also known as: Shadow of Death | [13] |
1983 | Boogeyman II | Lacey | Also known as: Revenge of the Boogeyman | [14] |
1983 | The Devonsville Terror | Jenny Scanlon | [15] | |
1984 | Strangers in Paradise | Sukey | [16] | |
1985 | Revenge of the Stolen Stars | Kelly | [17] | |
1991 | A Smile in the Dark | |||
References
- "Suzanna P. Love, Actress, Married to Ulli Lommel". The New York Times. January 27, 1978. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023.
- "United States Public Records, 1970-2009: Suzanna Potter Love". Family Search. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
- Slotnik, Daniel E. (May 13, 2013). "Kennett Love, Times Correspondent in 1950s, Dies at 88". The New York Times. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
- Albright 2012, pp. 220–221.
- Love, Suzanna (2023). "Scenes from a Marriage: An Interview with Suzanna Love". The Boogeyman (Blu-ray documentary short). Vinegar Syndrome.
- Love, Suzanna (2023). "God is a Woman: An Interview with co-writer/actress Suzanna Love". The Devonsville Terror (Blu-ray documentary short). Vinegar Syndrome.
- Tabor, Dan (April 10, 2020). "OLIVIA is Everything You Could Want From a Vinegar Syndrome Release and More". Cinapse. Archived from the original on July 4, 2020.
- Franzen 1998, p. 37.
- Weldon 1996, p. 112.
- Weldon 1996, p. 60.
- Young 2000, p. 68.
- Paul, Zachary (May 2, 2017). "Through the Cracks: Prozzie (1983)". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on October 22, 2019.
- Young 2000, p. 559.
- Young 2000, p. 69.
- Young 2000, p. 159.
- Franzen 1998, p. 42.
- Franzen 1998, p. 43.
Sources
- Albright, Brian (2012). Regional Horror Films, 1958-1990: A State-by-State Guide with Interviews. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-78647-227-7.
- Franzen, Jeff (1998). "Ulli Lommel: Stranger in Paradise". Video Watchdog. Vol. 44. Cincinnati, Ohio: Starbrite. pp. 26–49. ISSN 1070-9991.
- Weldon, Michael (1996). The Psychotronic Video Guide To Film. New York City, New York: Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-312-13149-4.
- Young, R. G., ed. (2000). The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film: Ali Baba to Zombies. New York City, New York: Applause Books. ISBN 978-1-557-83269-6.
External links
- Suzanna Love at IMDb