Susan Kohner

Susan Kohner (born November 11, 1936) is an American retired actress best known for her Academy Award-nominated portrayal of Sarah Jane, a light-skinned African-American woman attempting to pass as white, in the 1959 drama film Imitation of Life. Born in Los Angeles to Mexican actress Lupita Tovar and Czech-Jewish film producer Paul Kohner, she began her career in the mid-1950s with roles in films such as To Hell and Back (1955) and The Last 10 Seconds (1956), transitioning to television appearances on shows like Schlitz Playhouse of Stars. Her performance in Imitation of Life, directed by Douglas Sirk, earned her a nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the 32nd Academy Awards, as well as a Golden Globe nomination in the same category. Kohner retired from acting in the early 1970s after marrying menswear designer and author John Weitz in 1964, with whom she had two sons, Paul and Chris Weitz, both of whom became successful directors and producers known for films like About a Boy and American Pie.

Susan Kohner was born on November 11, 1936, in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Mexican actress Lupita Tovar and Czech-Jewish talent agent and producer Paul Kohner.

Paul Kohner, born on May 29, 1902, in Teplitz-Schoenau (now Teplice, Czech Republic) to a Jewish family, emigrated to the United States in the 1920s, initially working in film production before founding the Paul Kohner Agency in 1938; the agency represented European émigré talents such as director Billy Wilder, alongside actors including Ingrid Bergman and John Huston. Kohner and Tovar married in 1932, establishing a family immersed in the Hollywood professional milieu.

Kohner's parentage endowed her with a mixed Mexican and Ashkenazi Jewish ethnic heritage, reflected in her olive complexion and features that aligned with the era's demand for performers capable of portraying varied ethnicities on screen.