Susan Howard

Biography

Howard was born and raised in the town of Marshall, Texas, where she was recognized for acting talent. She won a UIL award for Best Actress while in high school. Upon graduating from Marshall High School, she attended the University of Texas for two years, where she was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority, before leaving for Los Angeles to become an acting student at the Los Angeles Repertory Company. Susan and her husband have lived in Boerne, Texas since 1998.

Television

Howard had a number of notable guest appearances on major television shows during the 1960s and early 1970s:

In 1973, she appeared as Evan Sands on Lorne Greene's ABC crime drama Griff in the episode "Who Framed Billy the Kid?", with Nick Nolte as Billy Randolph, a football player accused of murder.

In 1974, Howard was cast as the co-star of the NBC series Petrocelli. Her performance was subsequently nominated for both the Golden Globe and Emmy awards. Despite critical acclaim for Howard, the series was canceled in 1976.

In 1978, Howard played a key role as Professor Kingsfield's daughter Susan in series one, episode ten of The Paper Chase. In 1979, she appeared on Dallas as Donna Culver. The producers of the show liked her performance so much that her guest spot was expanded to an eight-year stint; she has the distinction of being the only Dallas cast member to have also written for the series ("Sitting Ducks" and "The Ten Percent Solution"). In 1987, the show decided to not renew her contract. She has blamed this decision on her opposition to what she saw as pro-abortion storylines involving her character.

Politics

After leaving television, Howard has become an increasingly active supporter of conservative causes, especially for gun rights. She has been active in the leadership of both the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the Texas Republican Party. Howard has served as a commissioner of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and is currently a commissioner of the Texas Commission on the Arts. She became involved in the NRA after meeting Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre at the 1988 Republican National Convention in New Orleans.