- Married Richard Long at a Santa Barbara, CA, church on April 11, 1954, following her leg amputation due to cancer. She walked down the aisle using an artificial limb. In attendance were Rock Hudson, Barbara Rush, Jeff Chandler, Hugh O'Brian, Mala Powers, David Janssen, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh.
- Second cousin of Lucille Ball.
- While she was getting help for an injured knee, doctors discovered tumors on her leg that would eventually spread and kill her.
- Was a direct descendant of Mayflower's John Alden, who is said to have been the first person to set foot on Plymouth Rock in 1620.
- Made only one movie after her leg amputation, Chief Crazy Horse (1955) in which she played Black Shawl, the wife of the title Indian chief. A double was used for her scenes that required walking. In close-ups, she would move her shoulders so it appeared that she was walking.
- Changed her first name from "Susan" to the more exotic-sounding "Suzan" once she began acting in films in 1952.
- Born in Jamestown, New York, she was the daughter of Howard Dale and Molly Ball. The family briefly lived in Miami before settling for a time in Buffalo, New York, where Susan attended Washington and Kenmore Junior High Schools.
- The only time she appeared with husband Richard Long was on TV in I'll Never Love Again (1954), in which she played an accident victim confined to a wheelchair. The couple also toured in a nightclub act.
- Moving to Hollywood, CA, during her high school years, she attended North Hollywood High. She loved to sing and was the president of her school's chorus group and also sang in several of the school's operettas.
- Once was a vocalist for the Mel Baker Orchestra.
- Was "discovered" by Mary Castle, who helped secure an interview for her at Universal Pictures. She was signed by the studio in October of 1951.
- Sister-in-law of Barbara Long and Marshall Thompson.
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