Jacalyn O'Shaughnessy

Jacalyn O''Shaughnessy (Susan) began her acting career in New York City, fine-tuning her talents with legendary acting coach Uta Hagen. She spent five years studying and performing on stages in and around New York City before moving to Los Angeles.

Television sitcoms proved to be a good beginning for Jacalyn, as she soon began landing guest starring roles on such comedys as GROWING PAINS; LOVE AND WAR; NED AND STACY; HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS, as well as a recurring guest spot on NIGHT COURT. Jacalyn''s return to the stage was a triumphant success, starring as Wanda in Lisa Loomer''s play, The Waiting Room, at the Mark Taper Forum. Laurie Winer, Theater Critic for the Los Angeles Times, called her performance "...stunning with the timing of a stand up comic," and found her "reminiscent of a young Gena Rowlands."

In her most recent stage appearance, Jacalyn portrayed Marlys in Jon Klein''s play Dimly Perceived Threats to the System, at Arena Stage in Washington DC, where again she attracted the attention of theater critics. The Washington Post wrote: “[The play''s]...success is due in large part to the finely-tuned acting of Jacalyn O''Shaughnessy, who with the appearance of almost effortless abandon, plays every note of her varied comic character with dead-on accuracy and verve (and in her more lustful moments resembles Lauren Bacall)."

Her success at the Arena Stage also attracted the attention of our nation''s top politicians. After a fund raising performance with such political notables as ABC News Political Analyst Cokie Roberts, Senator Olympia Snowe, and Congressmen Fred Grundy and Bamey Frank, Jacalyn was given a private tour of the White House, hosted by Secretary of Health and Human Resources, Donna Shalalah.