Susan Forristal: Actress, Model, and Former Wife of Lorne Michaels

Introduction: Who Is Susan Forristal?

Some people move through the world leaving a trail across several different fields — and Susan Forristal is a perfect example of that kind of life. She is an American former fashion model, actress, and interior designer who built three distinct careers over the span of several decades. Most people today first encounter her name in connection with Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, to whom she was married in the 1980s. But to define Susan Forristal only by that marriage would be to miss the fuller picture of a woman who graced the covers of Vogue, appeared in major Hollywood films, and eventually reinvented herself as a respected interior designer in New York City. Her story is one of ambition, reinvention, and quiet resilience.

Quick Bio

Susan Forristal Biography and Early Life

Birthplace, Childhood, and Growing Up in Texas

Susan Forristal was born on April 27, 1951, in Omaha, Nebraska. She did not stay in the Midwest for long, however — her family relocated to Texas, where she spent most of her formative years. Growing up in Texas in the 1950s and early 1960s might not seem like an obvious launching pad for a modeling and entertainment career, but Susan carried within her an early and very specific sense of where she wanted to go.

Early Ambitions and Move to New York City

By her own account, the turning point came when she was just 13 years old. She came across a photograph of Jean Shrimpton, the iconic British model who dominated the fashion world in the early 1960s, and made a firm decision: she was going to move to New York City. That resolve, formed in early adolescence, never wavered. In the late 1960s, Susan Forristal arrived in New York and almost immediately began to find her footing in one of the most competitive industries in the world.

Modeling Career of Susan Forristal

Rise to Fame in the Late 1960s and 1970s

Once Susan Forristal landed in New York, her rise in the modeling world was remarkably swift. By the late 1960s she had established herself as one of the top models working in the city, a genuine presence in an era that was bursting with iconic faces and groundbreaking fashion. She moved in a world alongside other major names of the time, including Lauren Hutton, who became a close personal friend. The two women were part of a generation of models who redefined American fashion with a more natural, expressive look that moved away from the stiff elegance of the previous decade.

Notable Magazine Features and Iconic Vogue Cover

Susan Forristal’s modeling career is documented across some of the most prestigious fashion publications of the era. In 1968, she appeared in a feature in Mademoiselle, photographed by Marc Hispard. Her profile continued to rise, and she landed one of the most coveted spots in fashion: the cover of Vogue. The February 15, 1971 issue of Vogue featured Susan Forristal on its cover, shot by legendary photographer Richard Avedon. That alone placed her in a very exclusive group of women who defined the look of an era. She went on to collaborate with photographer Irving Penn on multiple Vogue assignments in the early 1970s, cementing her status as one of the magazine’s go-to faces of the period.

Working Alongside Lauren Hutton and Industry Contemporaries

What is particularly notable about Susan Forristal’s modeling years is the company she kept. Her contemporaries included some of the most celebrated models and personalities of the 1970s, and the friendships she formed during that period proved to be lasting. Lauren Hutton, who later served as a bridesmaid at Susan’s wedding, was one of her closest companions. These were not merely professional connections — they were genuine friendships forged in the fast-paced, highly creative world of New York fashion at one of its most vibrant moments. Susan Forristal was not on the periphery of that world; she was at its center.

Susan Forristal’s Acting Career

Film Debut and Connection with Director Mike Nichols

When Susan Forristal’s modeling career wound down, she did not simply step back from public life. Instead, she transitioned into acting, and the person most responsible for that shift was her close friend, the celebrated director Mike Nichols. Nichols, who directed some of Hollywood’s most acclaimed films, encouraged Forristal to try her hand at acting. She made her credited screen debut in his 1986 romantic comedy-drama Heartburn, playing the role of Magazine Colleague. It was a small part, but it was the beginning of a steady run of film appearances that would continue through the 1990s and into the early 2000s.

Notable Movie Roles and Filmography

Over the course of her acting career, Susan Forristal built up a respectable list of credits, mostly in supporting roles within ensemble casts. She appeared in Postcards from the Edge (1990) as a Friend at Airport, Regarding Henry (1991) as Brenda, and Primary Colors (1998) as Bugger Bugger Woman — all of them directed by Mike Nichols. Beyond that ongoing collaboration, she also took roles in films such as Internal Affairs (1990), The Two Jakes (1990), Second Sight (1989), Addicted to Love (1997), and Riding in Cars with Boys (2001). Altogether, her acting credits span from 1973 to 2001, covering nearly three decades of film and television work.

Most Famous Films: L.A. Story, The Bonfire of the Vanities, and Primary Colors

Among Susan Forristal’s acting credits, three films tend to attract the most attention from audiences and film enthusiasts. L.A. Story (1991), the Steve Martin comedy, is perhaps the title most frequently associated with her name. She also appeared in Brian De Palma’s star-studded adaptation of The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), one of the most talked-about films of that year. And her appearance in Primary Colors (1998), the politically charged drama based on Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign, placed her alongside an all-star cast. While none of these roles positioned her as a leading lady, they reflect a career spent working consistently within major Hollywood productions.

Susan Forristal and Lorne Michaels: Marriage and Divorce

How Susan Forristal and Lorne Michaels Met?

The relationship between Susan Forristal and Lorne Michaels brought together two people who were both deeply embedded in New York’s creative world. Lorne Michaels, the Canadian-American television producer who created and produced Saturday Night Live, was already one of the most influential figures in American entertainment when the two crossed paths. The details of how they first met have not been widely documented, but given their shared social circles in New York’s entertainment and arts communities, their meeting seems almost inevitable in retrospect. By 1981 they had decided to marry.

Their Wedding Day — A Star-Studded Ceremony

The wedding of Susan Forristal and Lorne Michaels, held on September 13, 1981, was the kind of event that belongs in entertainment history books. The ceremony took place in the garden of Lorne Michaels’ summer home in Amagansett, New York. The guest list alone tells you everything about the world these two inhabited: Paul Simon served as best man, while Art Garfunkel took on the role of cantor. The bridesmaids included Susan’s five sisters, alongside supermodels Cheryl Tiegs and her longtime friend Lauren Hutton. TIME magazine covered the event in its milestones section, describing it as a wedding that brought together the worlds of music, television, and fashion in a single afternoon.

Why Did Susan Forristal and Lorne Michaels Divorce?

Susan Forristal and Lorne Michaels divorced in 1987, after six years of marriage. No specific public statements about the reasons for their separation have been made by either party, and both have maintained considerable privacy on the matter. What is known is that their marriage produced one child. Following the divorce, Lorne Michaels went on to marry Alice Barry, his former assistant, in 1991, with whom he has three children. Susan Forristal, for her part, moved forward with her own life, continuing to act and eventually finding a new professional calling in interior design.

Susan Forristal’s Personal Life After Divorce

Friendship with Mike Nichols and Diane Sawyer

One of the more quietly fascinating aspects of Susan Forristal’s personal life after her divorce is her long friendship with director Mike Nichols and his wife, journalist and television anchor Diane Sawyer. While Sawyer was not particularly fond of attending the theater, Nichols was deeply passionate about it — and so Susan Forristal regularly accompanied him to performances and new plays around New York City. This kind of friendship, built on mutual artistic interest and genuine affection, speaks to the sort of meaningful relationships Susan cultivated throughout her life. She was not simply a familiar face in glamorous social circles; she was a trusted companion to some of the most creatively significant people of her generation.

Life in New York City

New York City has been the constant backdrop of Susan Forristal’s adult life. She lived in the East Village, a neighborhood long associated with artistic community and downtown culture, and during her marriage to Lorne Michaels, the couple lived on Central Park West. Her connection to New York goes beyond mere residence — it is where she became a model, where she built her acting career, where she formed her most lasting friendships, and where she eventually launched her interior design business. By all accounts, she remains deeply rooted in the city that she set her sights on as a teenage girl in Texas.

Interior Design Career — Susan Forristal Interiors

Transition from Entertainment to Interior Design

After her years in modeling and acting, Susan Forristal made what might seem like a surprising move — she stepped away from the entertainment world altogether and turned her focus toward interior design. For those who knew her, however, this transition may have been less surprising than it appears from the outside. Susan had always been surrounded by beauty, aesthetics, and creative people. Her own home has been described as reflecting a flexible, lived-in style that balances historical preservation with personal curation. Interior design, in many ways, was simply the next natural expression of an eye for beauty that had been part of her life from the beginning.

Founding Susan Forristal Interiors in 2000

In 2000, Susan Forristal officially established her interior design practice, Susan Forristal Interiors, based in New York City. The business represented a clean break from her entertainment career and the beginning of a new professional chapter. Rather than seeking the spotlight, she directed her considerable taste and experience toward creating spaces for others. The practice has been her focus ever since, allowing her to work in a field that draws on creativity and vision while offering the quieter, more private professional life she seems to have preferred in the decades following her time in film and fashion.

Susan Forristal Net Worth and Career Earnings

Estimating Susan Forristal’s net worth with any precision is difficult, given that she has maintained a relatively private life and her interior design business does not generate the kind of public financial disclosures that come with, say, a publicly traded company or a major entertainment deal. Some estimates have placed her net worth in a modest range, though these figures are largely speculative and should be treated with caution. What is clear is that she built her financial life across three separate careers — modeling at the height of the fashion industry, a decade-plus run in Hollywood films, and a long-running interior design practice — each of which would have contributed to her overall earnings over the years.

FAQs

Who is Susan Forristal?

Susan Forristal is an American former fashion model, actress, and interior designer. She is best known for her modeling work in the late 1960s and 1970s, her acting roles in major Hollywood films during the 1980s and 1990s, and her marriage to Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels.

What movies has Susan Forristal appeared in?

Susan Forristal has appeared in a number of notable films, including L.A. Story (1991), The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), Heartburn (1986), Postcards from the Edge (1990), Regarding Henry (1991), Primary Colors (1998), Addicted to Love (1997), and Riding in Cars with Boys (2001), among others.

Was Susan Forristal married to Lorne Michaels?

Yes. Susan Forristal and Lorne Michaels were married on September 13, 1981, in a ceremony held at his summer home in Amagansett, New York, with Paul Simon as best man and Art Garfunkel as cantor.

When did Susan Forristal and Lorne Michaels divorce?

Susan Forristal and Lorne Michaels divorced in 1987, after six years of marriage.

What is Susan Forristal doing now?

Susan Forristal has been running her interior design practice, Susan Forristal Interiors, in New York City since she founded it in 2000. She has largely stepped away from the entertainment industry and maintains a private personal life.

Did Susan Forristal and Lorne Michaels have children?

Their marriage produced one child, though Susan Forristal has kept details about her family life private.

How old is Susan Forristal?

Susan Forristal was born on April 27, 1951, which makes her 74 years old as of 2025.

What is Susan Forristal’s net worth?

Susan Forristal’s net worth has not been publicly disclosed. Estimates vary widely and cannot be confirmed with certainty, given her private lifestyle and the nature of her interior design work.