Susan Brewer: Biography, Career, Personal Life & 2026 Net Worth

Susan Brewer is an American artist, actress, and film crew member best known as the first wife of actor Peter Fonda and the mother of actress Bridget Fonda. 

Born on May 12, 1939, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she married Peter Fonda on October 8, 1961, and together they raised two children during one of Hollywood’s most creatively explosive decades. As of 2026, She is 86 years old and lives a quiet, completely private life away from public attention.

Quick Bio

Details	Information
Full Name	Susan Jane Brewer
Date of Birth	May 12, 1939
Birthplace	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Age (2026)	86 years old
Nationality	American
Height	5 ft 4 in (163 cm)
Profession	Artist, Actress, Film Crew Member
Father	Chauncey Marble Brewer Jr. (1906–2000)
Mother	Mary Alice Sweet (1910–1998)
Stepfather	Noah Dietrich (Howard Hughes’ confidant)
Ex-husband	Peter Fonda (married 1961, divorced 1974)
Children	Bridget Fonda, Justin Fonda
Daughter’s Godfather	Larry Hagman
Son-in-law	Danny Elfman (film composer)
Grandchild	Oliver Elfman
Film Credits	Easy Rider (1969), Lovely But Deadly (1981), Vision Quest (1985), Time Walker (1982)
Net Worth	Estimated $1 million to $2 million
Social Media	Not active
Status	Alive (as of 2026)

Who Is Susan Brewer?

Susan Brewer built her identity long before she ever entered the Fonda family orbit. She was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Chauncey Marble Brewer Jr. and Mary Alice Sweet. 

Her mother later married Noah Dietrich, a powerful and well-connected businessman who served as Howard Hughes’ personal confidant and chief financial officer for over thirty years. That connection placed Susan in the proximity of extraordinary wealth, influence, and Hollywood power from a very early age.

She grew up absorbing the creative and entrepreneurial energy of her household, developing a genuine artistic sensibility that would stay with her throughout her life. 

Pittsburgh in the 1940s and 1950s shaped Susan’s character: resilient, practical, and grounded, qualities that stood in sharp contrast to the glamour and chaos of the Hollywood world she would eventually enter through marriage.

Susan Brewer and Peter Fonda: Their Marriage

Susan Brewer married Peter Henry Fonda on October 8, 1961, when Peter was still an emerging actor working hard to establish his own identity outside the enormous shadow of his father, legendary screen star Henry Fonda. The wedding brought together two very different worlds: Susan’s grounded Pittsburgh roots and the Fonda family’s deeply embedded position in American film royalty.

Their marriage coincided directly with Peter’s rise to cultural significance. He worked steadily through the early 1960s in theater and television before landing film roles that would define his generation. Susan supported his career from behind the scenes, raising their children and managing the family while Peter navigated the turbulent waters of 1960s Hollywood.

The couple welcomed their daughter, Bridget Jane Fonda, on January 27, 1964, and their son Justin Fonda on July 9, 1966. Susan took primary responsibility for both children as Peter’s career demanded more of his time and energy.

Their marriage lasted thirteen years. The pressures of Hollywood, demanding schedules, and the shifting personal dynamics of two creative individuals eventually strained the relationship beyond repair. Peter and Susan finalized their divorce on April 15, 1974.

After the divorce, Peter married Portia Rebecca Crockett in 1975, a union that lasted thirty-five years before ending in 2011. He then married his third wife, Margaret “Parky” DeVogelaere, and remained with her until his death on August 16, 2019, from respiratory failure caused by lung cancer. He was 79 years old.

Susan Brewer Fonda: Her Connection to the Fonda Dynasty

Through her marriage to Peter Fonda, Susan became part of one of the most celebrated acting dynasties in American film history. She was the daughter-in-law of Henry Fonda, one of the greatest actors of the twentieth century, and the sister-in-law of Jane Fonda, the Oscar-winning actress and political activist.

This position gave Susan a front-row seat to American cultural history. Peter co-wrote, produced, and starred in Easy Rider (1969), the counterculture road film that defined a generation and earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Susan herself held an uncredited role in the film, making her part of that landmark production in a quiet but meaningful way.

The Fonda name carried enormous weight in Hollywood and beyond, yet Susan consistently resisted the pull of that spotlight. She never used the family connection to advance a personal entertainment career, choosing instead to channel her energy into her own artistic work and her children’s development.

Susan Brewer’s Movies and Film Career

Susan Brewer built a modest but genuine career in the film industry across multiple departments rather than pursuing traditional stardom.

Acting Credits

Her most visible acting credit came with an uncredited appearance in Easy Rider (1969), the film her then-husband Peter Fonda co-wrote, produced, and starred in alongside Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson. The film remains one of the most culturally significant American movies ever made, and Susan’s participation, however understated, places her directly inside that piece of cinema history.

Behind the Scenes Work

Susan contributed to several productions as a crew member, demonstrating a range of practical skills across departments:

Lovely But Deadly (1981) marks her most credited on-screen film appearance. She also worked in the casting department on this production, showing her versatility beyond pure performance.

Vision Quest (1985) saw her working in the costume and wardrobe department, a discipline that draws on visual instinct and attention to detail, qualities that align closely with her identity as a fine artist.

Time Walker (1982) featured her in a casting capacity as well.

Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold employed her as a production assistant, adding yet another department to her behind-the-scenes experience.

The Hollywood Knights included her work in the costume department.

This pattern of work across multiple film departments reflects a woman genuinely engaged with the craft of filmmaking rather than someone simply seeking visibility.

Susan Brewer as an Artist

Beyond the film industry, Susan Brewer identifies primarily as a visual artist. Her artistic practice represents her most authentic self-expression, existing entirely outside the frame of celebrity and family connection. 

She developed this creative identity independently and maintained it consistently throughout her life, even during the years of her marriage when the Fonda name would have made it easy to pursue celebrity for its own sake.

The details of her artistic output and exhibitions remain largely private, consistent with her broader approach to life. She has never sought to commercialize her artistic identity through the machinery of celebrity culture, which only adds to the integrity of her creative work.

Susan Brewer Easy Rider: Her Most Famous Film Connection

Easy Rider holds a unique place in Susan Brewer’s story. Released in 1969, the film starred Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper as two bikers traveling across America, encountering the beauty and violence of the country along the way. 

The film earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay and launched Jack Nicholson into stardom. It cost approximately $400,000 to make and grossed over $60 million at the box office.

Susan appeared in the film in an uncredited role during the period when her marriage to Peter was still intact and active. Her presence on that production places her inside one of cinema’s defining moments, a fact that most coverage of Easy Rider consistently overlooks. 

The film represents the peak of Peter’s cultural influence, and Susan stood beside him during its creation.

Susan Brewer’s Children: Bridget and Justin Fonda

Bridget Fonda

Bridget Jane Fonda is by far the most publicly recognized legacy of Susan Brewer’s life. Born on January 27, 1964, Bridget built a formidable Hollywood career in the 1990s, appearing in acclaimed films including The Godfather Part III (1990), Single White Female (1992), Point of No Return (1993), Singles (1992), Jackie Brown (1997), and A Simple Plan (1998). She voiced the character Jenna in the 1995 animated film Balto and starred in the Quentin Tarantino-adjacent thriller Kiss of the Dragon (2001).

Bridget stepped away from acting in the early 2000s and married renowned film composer Danny Elfman in 2003. The couple has a son, Oliver Elfman. Like her mother, Bridget chose a quiet, private life over sustained public exposure.

Bridget’s godfather is actor Larry Hagman, best known for his role as J.R. Ewing on the television series Dallas. This connection came through the Fonda family’s deep ties to the entertainment world of the 1960s and 1970s.

Justin Fonda

Justin Fonda, born July 9, 1966, pursued a career in the film industry as an actor, cameraman, and behind-the-scenes technician. He inherited his father’s work ethic and his mother’s practical approach to the craft of filmmaking. Justin has maintained a very low public profile throughout his career, consistent with the privacy his mother modeled throughout his childhood.

Susan Brewer Today: Is She Still Alive in 2026?

Yes, Susan Brewer is still alive. As of 2026, she is 86 years old and continues to live a deeply private life. She maintains no social media presence, gives no interviews, and makes no public appearances. 

The rare glimpses of her in later years came through occasional appearances accompanying her daughter, Bridget, at events, always at a respectful distance from the spotlight.

Her current residence remains private. Whether she remarried after her divorce from Peter Fonda in 1974 is unknown, as she has never publicly confirmed or denied a subsequent marriage. 

This level of privacy, sustained across more than five decades of public curiosity about her life, represents one of the most deliberate and successfully maintained quiet existences connected to a major Hollywood dynasty.

Little-Known Facts About Susan Brewer

Her stepfather knew Howard Hughes personally. Noah Dietrich, who married Susan’s mother, Mary Alice Sweet, served as Howard Hughes’s chief financial officer and closest confidant for over thirty years. This connection placed Susan inside one of the most secretive and powerful business relationships in twentieth-century American history.

She appeared uncredited in Easy Rider. Most film histories of Easy Rider focus exclusively on Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Jack Nicholson. Susan’s participation in the film as an uncredited actress remains one of the least-discussed facts about one of cinema’s most analyzed productions.

She worked across five different film departments. Rather than positioning herself as a performer, Susan contributed to productions as an actress, casting crew member, costume and wardrobe department worker, and production assistant, demonstrating genuine craft versatility.

Larry Hagman is Bridget Fonda’s godfather. The Dallas star and Susan’s ex-husband, Peter Fonda, shared close enough ties in 1960s Hollywood that Hagman became the godfather of their daughter, a connection that most biographies of either Hagman or Bridget Fonda fail to highlight.

She has maintained privacy for over fifty years. Despite being connected to one of Hollywood’s most famous families and having her ex-husband appear in one of the most culturally significant films ever made, Susan Brewer has successfully avoided public scrutiny for more than five decades.

Her daughter Bridget mirrors her choices. Bridget Fonda’s decision to step away from Hollywood stardom at the height of her career and live privately with Danny Elfman closely mirrors the path Susan modeled throughout her own life, suggesting that the value of privacy runs deep in both generations.

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