Suzanne Pleshette Net Worth

What Was Suzanne Pleshette’s Net Worth?

Suzanne Pleshette was an American actress who had a net worth of $5 million at the time of her death in 2008. Suzanne Pleshette started off as a stage actress and had over 100 acting credits to her name. One of her best-known roles came starring as Emily Hartley on the CBS series “The Bob Newhart Show” from 1972 to 1978. Pleshette starred as Christine Broderick on the NBC medical drama “Nightingales” in 1989 and Jackie Hansen on the CBS sitcom “The Boys Are Back” from 1994 to 1995.

She also appeared in the films “The Birds” (1963), “The Power” (1968), “Support Your Local Gunfighter” (1971), “The Shaggy D.A.” (1976), and “Oh, God! Book II” (1980), the TV movies “The Legend of Valentino” (1975), “Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid” (1978), and “Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean” (1990), and the television series “Suzanne Pleshette Is Maggie Briggs” (1984), “Bridges to Cross” (1985), “The Single Guy” (1996–1997), “Good Morning, Miami” (2002–2003), “Will and Grace” (2002–2004), and “8 Simple Rules” (2003).

She appeared in Broadway productions of “Compulsion” (1957–1958), “The Cold Wind and the Warm” (1958–1959), “Golden Fleecing” (1959), “The Miracle Worker” (1959–1961), and “Special Occasions” (1982). Suzanne was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards, and she posthumously received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008. Suzanne Pleshette passed away on January 19, 2008, at 70 years old.

Early Life

Suzanne Pleshette was born on January 31, 1937, in Brooklyn, New York. She was the daughter of Eugene and Geraldine Pleshette, who were both Jewish. Suzanne’s grandparents came from Austria-Hungary and Russia. Geraldine was a dancer who used the stage name Geraldine Rivers, and Eugene was a stage manager at the Paramount Theater in both Brooklyn and Manhattan before becoming a network executive. Pleshette attended Manhattan’s High School of Performing Arts, then she spent a semester at Syracuse University. She transferred to Finch College in Manhattan, then she studied acting with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.

Career

Pleshette began her acting career onstage at the age of 20, and her first Broadway show was a 1957 production of Meyer Levin’s “Compulsion.” That year, she also made her TV debut in an episode of “Harbourmaster,” and in 1958, she appeared in the film “The Geisha Boy.” Suzanne guest-starred on “Have Gun-Will Travel” (1958), “Adventures in Paradise” (1959), “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” (1960), “Naked City” (1960), “Route 66” (1960), “Dr. Kildare” (1961–1964), “Target: The Corruptors” (1962), “Wagon Train” (1963), “The Fugitive” (1963), “The Invaders” (1967–1968), and “It Takes a Thief” (1968) and starred in the TV movies “Summer of Decision” (1959), “Wings of Fire” (1967), and “Flesh and Blood” (1968). She appeared in the films “Rome Adventure” (1962), “40 Pounds of Trouble” (1962), “Wall of Noise” (1963), “A Distant Trumpet” (1964), “Fate Is the Hunter” (1964), “Nevada Smith” (1966), “Blackbeard’s Ghost” (1968), “The Power” (1968), “If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium” (1969), and “Target: Harry” (1969), and she played Annie Hayworth in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds,” which was preserved in the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry in 2016 for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

In 1970, Pleshette starred in the film “Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?” and the TV movies “Along Came a Spider” and “Hunters Are for Killing,” and she guest-starred on “Gunsmoke,” “Marcus Welby, M.D.,” and “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father.” Next, she appeared in the films “Support Your Local Gunfighter” (1971), “The Shaggy D.A.” (1976), and “Hot Stuff” (1979) and the TV movies “River of Gold” (1971), “In Broad Daylight” (1971), “The Legend of Valentino” (1975), “Richie Brockelman: The Missing 24 Hours” (1976), and “Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid” (1978). Suzanne guest-starred on “Columbo” (1971), “Ironside” (1971), and “Bonanza” (1972), and from 1972 to 1978, she played Emily Hartley on the CBS sitcom “The Bob Newhart Show.” The series aired 142 episodes over six seasons and earned Pleshette two Primetime Emmy nominations. In the ’80s, she co-starred with George Burns in “Oh, God! Book II” (1980) and appeared in the TV movies “If Things Were Different” (1980), “The Star Maker” (1981), “Dixie: Changing Habits” (1983), “For Love or Money” (1984), and “A Stranger Waits” (1987).

In 1984, Pleshette starred on the CBS series “Suzanne Pleshette Is Maggie Briggs,” then she played Tracy Bridges on the CBS drama “Bridges to Cross” (1985) and Christine Broderick on the NBC medical drama “Nightingales” (1989). In 1990, she guest-starred on the series finale of “Newhart” and portrayed Leona Helmsley in the TV movie “Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean.” Suzanne played Jackie Hansen on the CBS sitcom “The Boys Are Back” from 1994 to 1995 and Claire Arnold on NBC’s “Good Morning, Miami” from 2002 to 2003, and she had recurring roles as Sarah Eliot on “The Single Guy” (1996–1997), Lois Whitley on “Will and Grace” (2002–2004), and Laura on “8 Simple Rules” (2003). She also voiced Zira in the animated film “The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride” (1998) and Yubaba/Zeniba in the English dub of “Spirited Away” (2001).

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Personal Life

Suzanne was married three times and divorced once. On January 4, 1964, she married actor Troy Donahue, with whom she co-starred with in “A Distant Trumpet” and “Rome Adventure.” They divorced six months later. Pleshette wed oilman Thomas Joseph Gallagher III on March 16, 1968, and they remained together until he died from E. coli in January 2000. During her marriage to Gallagher, Pleshette suffered a miscarriage, and in October 2000, she told Screen India, “I certainly would have liked to have had Tommy’s children. But my nurturing instincts are fulfilled in other ways. I have a large extended family; I’m the mother on every set. So if this is my particular karma, that’s fine.” On May 11, 2001, Suzanne married actor Tom Poston, who had a  recurring role on “The Bob Newhart Show” and was a cast member on “Newhart.” The couple had originally dated in the late 1950s when they co-starred in the Broadway play “Golden Fleecing.” Pleshette remained married to Poston until he died of respiratory failure in April 2007.

Illness and Death

In August 2006, Suzanne underwent treatment for lung cancer. A few days later, it was reported that the cancer was discovered during a routine X-ray and was the size of “a grain of sand.” Pleshette later developed pneumonia after being hospitalized for a pulmonary infection. In September 2007, she arrived at a cast reunion for “The Bob Newhart Show” in a wheelchair, and around that time, she told USA Today that she had recently been released from the hospital, where part of a lung had been removed during her cancer treatment. On January 19, 2008, Suzanne passed away at the age of 70 at her Los Angeles home. She was laid to rest at Culver City’s the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery near Tom Poston, her third husband. On January 31, 2008, Pleshette’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was unveiled, and Bob Newhart, Marcia Wallace, and Arte Johnson spoke at the ceremony.

Awards and Nominations

Pleshette received four Primetime Emmy nominations: Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for “Dr. Kildare” (1962), Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for “The Bob Newhart Show” (1977 and 1978), and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special for “Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean” (1991). She earned Golden Globe nominations for Most Promising Newcomer – Female for “Rome Adventure” (1963) and Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television for “Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean” (1991), and in 1963, she won a Photoplay Award for Most Promising New Star (Female). Suzanne won a Laurel Award for Top New Female Personality in 1963 and received a nomination for Female Comedy Performance for “If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium” in 1970. In 1999, she earned an Annie Award nomination for Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production for “The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride,” and in 2005, “The Bob Newhart Show” won an Icon Award at the TV Land Awards.

Real Estate

In 2005, Pleshette and Poston sold their 2,500-square-foot condo in West Los Angeles for $1.7 million. The condo includes two bedrooms and three bathrooms.