Susan Blanchard

Susan Blanchard, born Susan Jacobson on March 8, 1928, is an American socialite, former lyricist, and theatrical producer. The younger of two children born to Dorothy Kiaora Blanchard, an Australian native, and Henry Jacobson, a New York businessman, she adopted her mother's surname following her parents' divorce. She received her education at The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Her stepfather was Oscar Hammerstein II, the celebrated composer and lyricist.

Blanchard appeared on Broadway in 1944, with her verified credit being the production Seven Lively Arts.

Her personal life included four marriages, the first three of which ended in divorce. On December 27, 1950, she married actor Henry Fonda, and the two adopted a daughter, Amy Fishman, born in 1953. That marriage ended in May 1956. In 2014, Peter Fonda recalled to the Daily Express that Blanchard had announced the separation at breakfast, telling the family she was young and wanted to dance and tell jokes. Her second marriage, in 1962, was to actor Michael Wager, with whom she had a son. Her fourth marriage took place in 1999, when she wed actor and producer Richard Widmark. She remained married to Widmark until his death on March 24, 2008, and is considered his widow.