biography
Born Harriet Shapiro in Boston on July 9, 1927, petite actress Susan Cabot grew up in a series of foster homes. Her father abandoned the family in the early days of the
Great Depression, and her mentally ill mother was institutionalized and could not care for her daughter. After arriving in New York, where she attended
school, Cabot married at the age of 17 to first husband Martin, largely to escape her sad childhood. She had taken an interest in dramatics and singing, and by the time Cabot was 20
years old, she had matured into a beautiful young hopeful actress. She took jobs in early television and a few bit parts in films before she was discovered by
a Columbia Studios director, who cast her in On the Isle of Samoa (1950; with Jon Hall). Cabot moved from New York to Hollywood,
and in late 1950, she signed a contract with Universal-International. While Susan Cabot is best remembered for her role as Janice Starlin in the campy science
fiction flick The Wasp Woman (1960; with Anthony Eisley and Barboura Morris), at Universal she was frequently cast in
westerns. Her marriage didn't survive her career success, and she divorced her husband in 1951. 
Glamorous 1950s shots of Susan Cabot |
the films of susan cabotOn the Isle of Samoa (1950) 
From the adventure flick On the Isle of Samoa. LEFT: With Jon Hall. RIGHT: With Raymond Greenleaf and Jon HallThe Battle at Apache Pass (1952)
From the Universal Technicolor western The Battle at Apache Pass with Richard EganThe Duel at Silver Creek (1952)
From the Universal-International western The Duel at Silver CreekSon of Ali Baba (1952)
From the colorful Universal-International adventure Son of Ali BabaGunsmoke (1953)   
Stills from the Universal western Gunsmoke. LEFT: With Paul Kelly. CENTER and RIGHT: With Audie MurphyRide Clear of Diablo (1954)
From the Audie Murphy vehicle Ride Clear of Diablo, Cabot's last film at UniversalViking Women and the Sea Serpent (1957)
Susan Cabot is flanked by Sally Todd, Abby Dalton, and Michael Forest in the campy American International release Viking Women and the Sea SerpentCarnival Rock (1957)
Cabot stars as nightclub singer Natalie Cook in Roger Corman's Carnival RockFort Massacre (1958) 
From Cabot's last western Fort Massacre. LEFT: With John Russell. RIGHT: With John Russell, Larry Chance, and Joel McCreaMachine-Gun Kelly (1958) 
With Charles Bronson in American International's Machine-Gun KellyThe Wasp Woman (1960) 
As cosmetics company president Janice Starlin, Cabot discovers the secret to eternal youth in The Wasp Woman, her final film. Shot on a shoestring budget of about $50,000, The Wasp Woman is the film that Susan Cabot is best remembered forlater yearsAfter Susan Cabot's final star turn in The Wasp Woman, she left the screen to concentrate on singing and stage acting in touring company productions. In 1959, several newspaper columnists noted her romance with King Hussein of Jordan in the press, who lavished Cabot with gifts including a Rolls Royce. She gave birth to her son, Timothy, who suffered from dwarfism, in 1964. King Hussein of Jordan was the father, and he paid Cabot a monthly sum of $1,500 following Timothy's birth. Her second husband, actor Michael Roman, adopted the boy after he married Cabot in 1968. However, the marriage broke up in 1983, in part due to Cabot's increasing mental fragility and paranoia. Cabot had been taking an experimental growth hormone prescribed for her son, which was possibly a factor in heightening her mental illness. The growth hormone worked on Cabot's son, who eventually grew to be 5'4". On December 10, 1986, her son, citing years of abuse, beat her to death with a weight bar at their home in Encino, California after Cabot attacked him with the same bar. Cabot was 59 years old and was survived by her son, Timothy. Initially charged with second degree murder, Timothy Roman was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in December 1989. He passed away from heart failure in 2003 at age 38. |
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This page premiered February 28, 2002.
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