Susan Bluestein
Encyclopedia
Susan Bluestein is an Emmy Award
-winning American
casting director and the widow of actor
Brad Davis
.
Born in Manhattan
and raised in the borough
of Queens
, Bluestein has spent much of her career casting television movie
s, including The People vs. Jean Harris
, A Piano for Mrs. Cimino
, Casualties of Love: The Long Island Lolita Story
, and Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All
. She cast multiple episodes of the series Punky Brewster
, Providence
and JAG
and has cast every episode of NCIS
and NCIS: Los Angeles since their premieres.
In 1995, Bluestein won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Casting for her work on NYPD Blue
.
Bluestein's feature film
casting credits include Crimes of the Heart
, Who's Harry Crumb?
, and Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
. Other recent projects are the 2008 BBC
/HBO docudrama
House of Saddam
and Dilli 6, scheduled for release in 2009.
Bluestein and Davis were married in 1979 and had one child, Alex. In 1985, Davis was diagnosed HIV
-positive, a condition the couple kept secret until just prior to his death by assisted suicide
in 1991. Shortly after his passing she wrote the memoir
After Midnight: The Life and Death of Brad Davis with Hilary De Vries. Bluestein continues to be an AIDS activist.
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
casting director and the widow of actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Brad Davis
Brad Davis (actor)
Robert Creel "Brad" Davis was an American actor, known for starring in the 1978 film Midnight Express.-Early life:...
.
Born in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and raised in the borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
of Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, Bluestein has spent much of her career casting television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
s, including The People vs. Jean Harris
Jean Harris
Jean Harris was the headmistress of The Madeira School for girls in McLean, Virginia who made national news in 1980 as the defendant in a high-profile murder case of her lover Dr...
, A Piano for Mrs. Cimino
A Piano for Mrs. Cimino
A Piano for Mrs. Cimino is a 1982 American television movie produced and directed by George Schaefer. The teleplay by John Gay is based on the novel of the same name by Robert Oliphant. It was broadcast on February 3 by CBS.-Plot:...
, Casualties of Love: The Long Island Lolita Story
Casualties of Love: The Long Island Lolita Story
Casualties of Love: The Long Island Lolita Story was the third made-for-television movie based on the story of Amy Fisher and Joey Buttafuoco, written and directed by John Herzfeld. Alyssa Milano and Jack Scalia played the main characters in this movie for CBS...
, and Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All
Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All
Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All is a 1989 first novel by Allan Gurganus which was on the New York Times Best Seller list for eight months. It won the Sue Kaufman Prize from The American Academy of Arts and Letters, was a main selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club, and sold over four...
. She cast multiple episodes of the series Punky Brewster
Punky Brewster
Punky Brewster was an American sitcom about a girl named Punky Brewster being raised by her foster parent...
, Providence
Providence (TV series)
Providence is an American drama series that aired on NBC starring Melina Kanakaredes. The show ran for five seasons from January 8, 1999 until December 20, 2002.-Synopsis:The show revolves around Dr...
and JAG
JAG (TV series)
JAG is an American adventure/legal drama television show that was produced by Belisarius Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television and, for the first season only, NBC Productions...
and has cast every episode of NCIS
NCIS (TV series)
NCIS, formerly known as NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an American police procedural drama television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S...
and NCIS: Los Angeles since their premieres.
In 1995, Bluestein won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Casting for her work on NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
.
Bluestein's feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
casting credits include Crimes of the Heart
Crimes of the Heart (film)
Crimes of the Heart is a 1986 American black comedy film directed by Bruce Beresford. The screenplay by Beth Henley is adapted from her Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name.-Plot:...
, Who's Harry Crumb?
Who's Harry Crumb?
Who's Harry Crumb? is a comedy-mystery film featuring John Candy as the title character.Paul Flaherty directed the film, which co-stars Annie Potts, Jeffrey Jones and Shawnee Smith...
, and Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey is a 1993 American remake of the 1963 film The Incredible Journey, which was based on the best-selling novel The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford. Directed by Duwayne Dunham, it was released on February 3, 1993...
. Other recent projects are the 2008 BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
/HBO docudrama
Docudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
House of Saddam
House of Saddam
House of Saddam is a 2008 drama that charts the rise and fall of Saddam Hussein. A co-production between BBC Television and HBO Films, the series was first broadcast on BBC Two in four parts between 30 July and 20 August 2008. The mini-series has been very well received across the Arab...
and Dilli 6, scheduled for release in 2009.
Bluestein and Davis were married in 1979 and had one child, Alex. In 1985, Davis was diagnosed HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
-positive, a condition the couple kept secret until just prior to his death by assisted suicide
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
in 1991. Shortly after his passing she wrote the memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
After Midnight: The Life and Death of Brad Davis with Hilary De Vries. Bluestein continues to be an AIDS activist.
Casting Filmography
| Project Title | Project Type | Year | Other Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCIS: Los Angeles | TV Series | 2009 - Present | |
| NCIS NCIS (TV series) NCIS, formerly known as NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an American police procedural drama television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S... |
TV Series | 2003 - Present | |
| The Dresden Files The Dresden Files (TV series) The Dresden Files is an American television series based on the books by Jim Butcher. It premiered January 21, 2007 on the Sci Fi Channel in the United States and on Space in Canada. It was picked up by Sky One in the UK and began airing on February 14, 2007.The series ran for a single season of... |
TV Series | 2008 | original casting |
| House of Saddam House of Saddam House of Saddam is a 2008 drama that charts the rise and fall of Saddam Hussein. A co-production between BBC Television and HBO Films, the series was first broadcast on BBC Two in four parts between 30 July and 20 August 2008. The mini-series has been very well received across the Arab... |
TV mini-series | 2008 | U.S. casting |
| Spellbound | TV pilot | 2007 | |
| Pu-239 Pu-239 (film) PU-239 is a 2007 film directed by Hollywood producer Scott Z. Burns based on the book PU-239 and Other Russian Fantasies written by Ken Kalfus.... |
Film | 2007 | U.S. casting |
| A Little Thing Called Murder A Little Thing Called Murder A Little Thing Called Murder is a 2006 drama film starring Judy Davis and Jonathan Jackson and directed by Richard Benjamin. This film made for television, by Stonemade Entertainment for Lifetime TV, was based on a true story, as told in the book Dead End by reporter Jeanne King.-Synopsis:Judy... |
TV movie | 2006 | Artios Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Casting for a Television Movie |
| Mermaid | TV pilot | 2005 | |
| JAG JAG (TV series) JAG is an American adventure/legal drama television show that was produced by Belisarius Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television and, for the first season only, NBC Productions... |
TV series | 2003 - 2005 | |
| Vegas Dick | TV pilot | 2003 | |
| Providence Providence (TV series) Providence is an American drama series that aired on NBC starring Melina Kanakaredes. The show ran for five seasons from January 8, 1999 until December 20, 2002.-Synopsis:The show revolves around Dr... |
TV series | 1999 - 2002 | |
| The Learning Curve | Film | 2001 | |
| Murder on the Orient Express Murder on the Orient Express (2001 film) Murder on the Orient Express is a 2001 made-for-television movie, based on the 1934 novel Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, featuring Hercule Poirot. This version is set in the present day and has a smaller cast than the novel. The original music score was composed by Christopher... |
TV movie | 2001 | |
| Voyage of the Unicorn Voyage of the Unicorn Voyage of the Unicorn is a 2001 television film starring Beau Bridges, Chantal Conlin and Heather McEwen. The movie is based on James C. Christensen's book Voyage of the Basset. It is featured on TV1000 channel. Directed by noted fantasy/action director Philip Spink.-Plot:Dr... |
TV movie | 2001 | |
| Chestnut Hill | TV pilot | 2001 | |
| A Vision of Murder: The Story of Donielle | TV movie | 2000 | |
| Aftershock: Earthquake in New York Aftershock: Earthquake in New York Aftershock: Earthquake in New York is a 1999 four-hour disaster miniseries that was broadcast in the United States on CBS in two parts, with the first part aired on November 14 and the second on November 16. It was released to VHS in 2000, and on DVD in 2001. It is based on a book written by Chuck... |
TV mini-series | 1999 | |
| Creature Creature (TV movie) Creature is a 1998 made for TV movie starring Craig T. Nelson, Kim Cattrall and Matthew Carey. The movie is based on the 1994 novel White Shark by Jaws author Peter Benchley... |
TV movie | 1998 | |
| The Price of Heaven | TV movie | 1997 | |
| A Face to Die For | TV movie | 1996 | |
| Sweet Temptation | Film | 1996 | |
| Riders of the Purple Sage | TV movie | 1996 | |
| Ink Ink (TV series) Ink is a television sitcom which aired on CBS from 1996-1997 that starred real-life husband and wife Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen as newspaper journalists, allegedly inspired by the film His Girl Friday. The show was also produced by Danson and Steenburgen. The show was canceled after one season... |
TV series | 1996 - 1997 | |
| Kidnapped: In the Line of Duty | TV movie | 1995 | |
| Children of the Dust Children of the Dust (TV miniseries) Children of the Dust is a TV miniseries that aired on February 26 and 28, 1995 on CBS, featuring an ensemble cast led by Academy Award winning actor Sidney Poitier... |
TV mini-series | 1995 | |
| The Haunting of Seacliff Inn | TV movie | 1994 | |
| Shadows of Desire Shadows of Desire Shadows of Desire is a 1994 television film starring Nicollette Sheridan, Joe Lando, Adrian Pasdar, Richard Roundtree, Piper Laurie and Brandon Smith. It was directed by Sam Pillsbury and written by Joyce Eliason.... |
TV movie | 1994 | |
| Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills | TV movie | 1994 | Artios Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Casting for a Television Movie |
| Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All | TV movie | 1994 | Artios Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Casting for a Television Movie |
| NYPD Blue NYPD Blue NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan... |
TV series | 1995 | Emmy Award Emmy Award An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various... win & Artios Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Casting for a Drama Series |
| Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey is a 1993 American remake of the 1963 film The Incredible Journey, which was based on the best-selling novel The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford. Directed by Duwayne Dunham, it was released on February 3, 1993... |
Film | 1993 | |
| The Last Hit | TV movie | 1993 | |
| Casualties of Love: The Long Island Lolita Story Casualties of Love: The Long Island Lolita Story Casualties of Love: The Long Island Lolita Story was the third made-for-television movie based on the story of Amy Fisher and Joey Buttafuoco, written and directed by John Herzfeld. Alyssa Milano and Jack Scalia played the main characters in this movie for CBS... |
TV movie | 1993 | |
| Alex Haley's Queen Alex Haley's Queen Alex Haley's Queen is a miniseries adaptation of the 1993 Alex Haley/David Stevens novel Queen: The Story of an American Family, directed by John Erman and starring Halle Berry in the title role. The film tells the life story of a young slave girl named Queen, and illustrates the problems faced by... |
TV mini-series | 1993 | Artios Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Casting for a Mini-Series |
| Double Edge | TV movie | 1992 | |
| Heart of Darkness | Film | 1993 | Los Angeles casting |
| Angel Falls | TV series | 1993 | |
| We're Talking Serious Money We're Talking Serious Money We’re Talking Serious Money , also known as Serious Money, is an Action/Comedy directed by James Lemmo. He also co-wrote the screenplay with Leo Rossi, who also stars in the movie. Cinematography by Jacques Haitkin. It also stars: Dennis Farina, Fran Drescher, John LaMotta, Peter Iacangelo. It was... |
Film | 1992 | |
| Saturday's | TV pilot | 1991 | |
| Dillinger | TV movie | 1991 | |
| When You Remember Me When You Remember Me When You Remember Me is a 1990 fact-based television movie based on the story of Mike Mills, a teen with muscular dystrophy, who is placed in a state nursing home by his destitute single mother... |
TV movie | 1990 | |
| Tripwire Tripwire (film) Tripwire is a 1990 American film directed by James Lemmo.It is an action/adventure movie about a terrorist and government secret agent personal vendetta that began when a train hijacking goes badly awry and the terrorist son is accidentally killed. The original music score was composed by Richard... |
Film | 1990 | |
| Rock Hudson | TV movie | 1990 | |
| The Final Days | TV movie | 1989 | Artios Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Casting for a Television Movie |
| Who's Harry Crum Who's Harry Crumb? Who's Harry Crumb? is a comedy-mystery film featuring John Candy as the title character.Paul Flaherty directed the film, which co-stars Annie Potts, Jeffrey Jones and Shawnee Smith... |
Film | 1989 | |
| The Edge | TV mini-series | 1989 | |
| Dream Breakers | TV movie | 1989 | |
| Red Earth, White Earth | TV movie | 1989 | |
| Dance 'Til Dawn Dance 'til Dawn Dance 'til Dawn is a 1988 made for television teen movie directed by Paul Schneider.-Plot:Shelley Sheridan and her jock-boyfriend Kevin McCrea are Herbert Hoover High's most popular students. When she refuses to sleep with him, they break up shortly before their senior prom and are forced to find... |
TV movie | 1988 | |
| Something Is Out There Something is Out There Something Is Out There is the title of a 1988 American science fiction television miniseries that aired on NBC, and a short-lived weekly series that followed in the fall of 1988.... |
TV mini-series | 1988 | |
| My Two Dads My Two Dads My Two Dads is an American sitcom that starred Staci Keanan, Paul Reiser and Greg Evigan. It aired on NBC from 1987 to 1990 and was produced by Michael Jacobs Productions in association with TriStar Television and distributed by TeleVentures.-Show synopsis:The show begins when Marcy Bradford , the... |
TV series | 1987 - 1990 | |
| Daddy | TV movie | 1987 | |
| A Different World | TV series | 1983 | original casting |
| Thompson's Last Run | TV movie | 1986 | |
| Crimes of the Heart Crimes of the Heart (film) Crimes of the Heart is a 1986 American black comedy film directed by Bruce Beresford. The screenplay by Beth Henley is adapted from her Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name.-Plot:... |
Film | 1986 | |
| Our Family Honor Our Family Honor Our Family Honor is an American dramatic television series aired in the United States on ABC as part of its 1985 fall lineup.Launched as a two-hour TV-movie, Our Family Honor was about two New York City families who had known each other since their childhoods and who were involved in competing... |
TV series | 1985 - 1986 | |
| Anatomy of an Illness | TV movie | 1984 | |
| Punky Brewster Punky Brewster Punky Brewster was an American sitcom about a girl named Punky Brewster being raised by her foster parent... |
TV series | 1984 - 1988 | |
| Choices of the Heart Choices of the Heart Choices of the Heart is an award-winning television movie based on the lives of Jean Donovan, Archbishop Oscar Romero, and the three other churchwomen who were killed in El Salvador during their Civil War.-Plot:The movie is based on actual events... |
TV movie | 1983 | |
| Casablanca | TV series | 1983 | |
| Private School Private School (film) Private School is a 1983 teen oriented sex comedy film, directed by Noel Black.-Cast :* Phoebe Cates as Christine Ramsey* Betsy Russell as Jordan Leigh-Jenson* Matthew Modine as Jim Green... |
Film | 1983 | |
| Another Woman's Child | TV movie | 1983 | |
| Coming Out of the Ice | TV movie | 1982 | |
| A Piano for Mrs. Cimino A Piano for Mrs. Cimino A Piano for Mrs. Cimino is a 1982 American television movie produced and directed by George Schaefer. The teleplay by John Gay is based on the novel of the same name by Robert Oliphant. It was broadcast on February 3 by CBS.-Plot:... |
TV movie | 1982 | |
| The Nashville Grab | TV movie | 1981 | |
| The People vs. Jean Harris | TV movie | 1981 | |
| The Killing of Randy Webster | TV movie | 1981 | |
| Mark, I Love You | TV movie | 1980 | |
| A Christmas Without Snow A Christmas Without Snow -Plot:A divorced woman moves to San Francisco from Omaha with her young son. She's trying to re-build her life after her divorce, she leaves her son with his grandmother. She joins the choir of a local church. She has some issues with the choirmaster who tries to get the choir into shape before... |
TV movie | 1980 |