| Birth Date: | 27 January 1944 |
| Birth Place: | Lynn, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Yearsactive: | 1970–present |
| Partner: | Dan Enright (1983–1992) |
Susan Stafford (born January 27, 1944) is an American former model, actress and television host. She was the original daytime hostess of the American game show Wheel of Fortune from January 6, 1975, until she left on October 22, 1982. She returned to Wheel of Fortune in 1986 to substitute for Vanna White.[1] [2]
Born in Lynn, Massachusetts, Stafford grew up in Missouri, and won several beauty contests as a teenager in Kansas City.[3] Stafford moved to California as an adult to work as a television actress.
Stafford married radio pioneer Gordon McLendon in 1973,[4] and was then married to Dick Ebersol of NBC Sports and Saturday Night Live in 1976. Ebersol and Stafford were married on a beach in Malibu. Their wedding was attended by John Belushi, Chevy Chase, and SNL producer Lorne Michaels. After they exchanged vows, Chase jokingly grabbed Stafford and threw her into the ocean.[5] According to People magazine, "[they] parted 18 months later."[6] Their marriage was annulled in 1981.[7] Stafford later was a companion of game show producer Dan Enright.[8]
Stafford lives in Las Vegas.
After leaving Wheel of Fortune, Stafford earned a B.A. in nutrition and an M.A. in clinical psychology from Antioch University, and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the unaccredited Pacific Western University. During this time, Stafford returned to television in 1988 as host of Alive, which aired on the Christian Broadcasting Network and in syndication. In 2003, Stafford made her first game show appearance since Wheel of Fortune, appearing on Hollywood Squares Game Show Week (Part 2).
In 2011, Stafford published her first book, Stop the Wheel, I Want to Get Off.[9]
In 2005, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to her.[10]