Susan Haskell
ON SOAP OPERA DIGEST AND WEEKLY ONLINE
SOAP STAR STATS
Susan Haskell (Marty, OLTL)
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— Donna Svennevik/ABC
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Vital Statistics
- Birthday:
- June 10
- Birthplace:
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Years On Show:
- 1992-97; 2008-present
- Marital Status:
- Lives with actor Thorsten Kaye (Zach, AMC et al)
- Children:
- Daughters McKenna (b. February 7, 2003) and Marlowe (b. January 28, 2007)
The 411
Toronto native Susan Haskell began modeling at the age of 16 and appeared in numerous television commercials while still in high school. After attending Tufts University in Boston, where she earned her bachelor's degree in biopsychology, she decided to pursue a career in acting and enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Her "big break" was playing a receptionist in the 1991 Halle Berry comedy Strictly Business ("I had about 10 lines. I said things like, 'Here are your messages, sir," she told Digest in 1995) and a guest spot on MY SECRET IDENTITY. In 1992, she was cast on ONE LIFE TO LIVE as a lupus patient who befriended Viki's daughter, Megan, but it was her portrayal of a rape survivor that had people glued to their tubes and made her peers take note. In 1994, she won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress, while friend and co-star Hillary B. Smith (Nora) took home the lead actress Emmy for their standout performances during Todd's 1993 rape trial.
Haskell stayed with the show until 1997, when Marty and her Irish poet love, Patrick, married and headed off into the sunset. Meanwhile, their portrayers had fallen in love off-screen. Haskell and Thorsten Kaye made a home in California, where Kaye took a role on PORT CHARLES playing Patrick's brother, Ian, and Haskell kept busy with film and TV work, including a contract role on JAG.
Ironically, she returned to daytime for a brief stint as Ian's sister in 2001.
Although she made brief appearances on OLTL in 2004 and 2005, OLTL wanted to lure Haskell back full-time in 2006, since she and Kaye were now living on the East Coast. But at the time, Haskell was pregnant with their second daughter, Marlowe, and was unable to take the part. The show went ahead with Marty's return anyway, casting Christina Chambers (ex-Molly, ATWT et al) only to fire her a year later. Even though Marty presumably died in a van explosion, rumors immediately started that Haskell would bring Marty back to life, and they were right. In June 2008, it was revealed that Lee Ramsey had rescued and been secretly tending to an amnesiac Marty, and when Todd discovered her alive, the story took a very surprising direction. Marty unknowingly fell in love with her rapist — and even slept with him! — before discovering the truth.
Neither Haskell nor the show has disclosed the length of Marty's return, but Haskell has said she'll stay as long as she knows it's right, citing "time away from the kids" as her reason for not returning earlier. "That was my thing with Frank [Valentini, executive producer]. I said, 'I can't be there and be stressed and thinking I should be at home.' We managed to work something out for all of us," she told Digest upon her return. Hopefully, it's still working!
Et Cetera
— The actress studied ballet, piano and flute at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.
— Haskell appeared in TV ads for Oil of Olay and Burger King with her younger sister, Carolyn.
— Haskell and her famously long locks were featured on the packaging for L'Oreal Excellence Creme for years.
— Has served as a spokesperson for the Brain Injury Association and Canada's Campaign for Women in Shelter.
— Growing up, her mother provided shelter to troubled teens and Haskell drew from that experience when portraying Marty early on.
Career Highlights
Other Soap Roles
Granya Thornhart (PORT CHARLES, 2001)
TV Roles
CROSSING JORDAN (Jane Newman, 2004)
JAG (Lt. Cmdr. Jordan "Jordi" Parker, 1998-2001)
18 WHEELS OF JUSTICE (Maryann Cates, 2000-01)
THE DISTRICT (Karen, 2001)
ER (Mrs. Burke, 1999)
SLIDERS (Susanna Morehouse, 1998)
ABC AFTERSCHOOL SPECIAL: FAST FORWARD (Pamela, 1995)
MY SECRET IDENTITY (Lauren Vail, 1990)
Film Roles
The Good Shepherd (Dinner Guest, 2006)
Guarding Eddy (Dr. Fields, 2004)
When Angels Cry (Ghost, 2002)
Dead by Monday (Karen, 2001)
No Turning Back (Mrs. Knight, 2001)
Black Point (Natalie Travis, 2001)
SMART HOUSE (Natalie, 1999)
Mrs. Winterbourne (Patricia Winterbourne, 1996)
ZOYA (Elizabeth, 1995)
Strictly Business (Donna, 1991)
Memorable Quotes
"I don't like to talk about that; that's between the two of us. Something that special and important, you should keep to yourself."
— on marriage, Soap Opera Digest, 9/5/00
"I get both sides of it, but [viewers] need to understand that from my point of view, it's not Marty attracted to her rapist at all. If she had the real information it would never be happening."
— on Todd and Marty's love story, Digest, 9/9/08
