Actress.  Suzan Ball was the oldest child of Howard Ball and Marleah “Molly” O’Leary. Although given the name “Susan”, she changed the spelling to “Suzan” early in her career.  Her family relocated from New York, to Detroit, Michigan, to Miami, Florida before settling in Hollywood, California in 1941. Starting as a mere teenager, she sang with the Mel Baker Orchestra from 1948 to 1953. Her first part in Hollywood was as a harem girl in “Aladdin and His Lamp” in 1952.  This followed with an interview and a contract signing with Universal International which proclaimed her as “The New Cinderella Girl of 52”. Some critics have compared the tall and shapely dark-haired beauty to Marilyn Monroe.  That same year, she appears with Jeff Chandler as Countess Margarita La Raguna in “Yankee Buccaneer”.   In Joseph Cotton and Shelley Winters’ 1952 western film “Untamed Frontier”, she had a supporting role along newcomer David Janssen. In the 1953, she had a role in “East of Sumatra” with Jeff Candler and Anthony Quinn. In “City Beneath the Sea” starring Anthony Quinn, she gave a sultry performance singing “Handle with Care” while wearing an off-the-shoulder red sequin gown.  She appeared the same year again with Jeff Chandler with a supporting role in the western “Broken Arrow”.   She was on Hedda Hopper’s list of most important New Stars of 1953. Her face graced the cover of “Personal Love” and “True Confession” magazines as well as being an ad model for Lash-Kote, a mascara firm. This publicity brought her name into the American household. During the production of “East of Sumatra” in 1953, she injured her leg, which led to, over several months, being diagnosed with Fibrosarcoma or cancer of the bone.  With her fiancé Richard Long at her side, she had a right below the knee amputation on January 12, 1954 in hope of a cure. With hundreds of guests including noted actors and actresses, the couple’s storybook wedding was held on April 4, 1954 at El Montecito Presbyterian Church in Santa Barbara, California. Her fans lined the street outside the church.  The event had heavy news coverage showing a beautiful bride in a long white-laced gown which covered her prosthetic leg.  After the recuperating from the surgery, she continued her acting career as she was still under contract. “Chief Crazy Horse”, which was released April 1955, had a led role for her as a Native American opposite Victor Mature’s character of Crazy Horse. During production, she lost 15 pounds and lacked stamina. In May 1955, she was a guest on the Ed Sullivan Show. After collapsing while at a rehearsal for a TV show in July, she learned that she had metastatic cancer with only a few weeks to live.  She was 21-years-old when she died.  She was a cousin of Lucille Ball, comedian and actress noted for her TV series “I Love Lucy”.  Their common ancestor was a great grandfather, Clinton Ball, making them second cousins. (bio by: Linda Davis)  Family links:  Spouse:  Richard Long (1927 – 1974)* *Calculated relationshipCause of death: Cancer Inscription:Our Love Attends You OnYour New Adventure