Susan Kohner

Susanna "Susan" Kohner is an American retired actress who worked in film and television. She played Sarah Jane in Imitation of Life (1959), for which she was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe award. After Kohner married menswear designer and writer John Weitz in 1964, she retired from acting to devote time to her family. Her two sons, Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz, have both become film directors and producers, screenwriters, and occasional actors. Early life Kohner was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Lupita Tovar, a Mexican-born actress who had a career in Hollywood, and Paul Kohner, a film producer who was born in Bohemia, Austria-Hungary. Her mother was Roman Catholic, and of both Mexican and Irish descent, and her father was Jewish. Career Most of Kohner's film roles came during the late 1950's and early 1960's, including co-starring with Sal Mineo in both Dino (1957) and The Gene Krupa Story (1959).