Beautiful Redhead-Nonpareil Humanitarian-Fabulous Thespian

This weekend we went to Hollywood and visited the Chinese Theater. When I put my feet into the bare foot prints left there by Susan Sarandon, it gave me goosebumps. No, it wasn't because the cement was cold & wet. It was because our feet are virtually the same size, and I've always been a big fan of hers. Well, I've been a fan since the early 80's when I first saw The Rocky Horror Picture Show. You see, she's a gorgeous natural redhead who can really act, and she's a humanitarian to boot. That's a triple whammy in the book of "Things I Admire".

Susan Abigail Sarandon has quite an extensive filmography, but for our purpose here, I thought I'd just hit my favorite highlights. I'll start with her first Ocsar Nomination for Best Lead Actress as Sally Mathews in Atlantic City (1980). Next, her breakout role as Annie Savoy, the baseball mentor with a bod, in Bull Durham (1988). She started out the 90's with a firecracker's bang when she co-starred with Geena Davis in Thelma & Louise (1991), playing the pushed to the edge waitress, Louise Elizabeth Sawyer. Sarandon received her second Oscar nom as a lead for this role. The following year she played the real life Michael Odone in Lorenzo's Oil (1992), and received her third Oscar Nomination. She next brought John Grisham's character, Reggie Love to life in the movie The Client (1994). Sarandon received her fourth nomination for best female lead role for this film. In 1995, she was nominated yet again, but this time she won for her role in Dead Man Walking, when she played another real person, Sister Helen Prejean. The final film I'll recommend today is Stepmom (1998). Sarandon plays Jackie Harrison, ex-wife to Ed Harris' Luke and arch rival to his new love played by Julia Roberts. Don't miss her many documentaries, if you want to listen to her voice-over work.

I think Susan's most important role, besides being a mother, is her role as a humanitarian. In 2006, she was awarded the honor of being an Olympic flag carrier at the Turin winter games because of her work for civil rights, AIDS relief, and her position as Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF.

I only hope I've accomplished as much as she has by my 61st birthday. BTW - Susan's will be 61 on October 4, 2007. I better stop leaning up against poles and get my butt in gear, if I want to catch up to her. Tune in next week for another post about someone else I admire, Albert Einstein...