Heidi Swedberg

Heidi Swedberg
Swedberg performing at the John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina in 2024
Born
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actress, musician
Years active1989–2010
Spouse
Philip Holahan
​
​
(m. 1994; div. 2019)​
Children2

Heidi Swedberg is an American actress and musician, best known for playing Susan Ross, the fiancée of George Costanza, on the television sitcom Seinfeld.[1]

Early life

Swedberg was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and raised in New Mexico. She attended Sandia High School in Albuquerque from 1980 to 1984.[1]

Career

Acting

After graduation, Swedberg moved to Kentucky, where she spent a year at the Actors Theatre of Louisville. Her first film role was in Norman Jewison's In Country (1989). She then appeared in Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael and Kindergarten Cop (both 1990); and in Too Much Sun, and the Jim Abrahams comedy spoof Hot Shots! (both 1991).

She also had guest roles in a number of television series, including Matlock, Thirtysomething, Quantum Leap, Brooklyn Bridge, Northern Exposure, Sisters, Roc and Touched by an Angel.

She then took on the role of Susan Ross in the long-running TV comedy Seinfeld (11 episodes in season four, 16 episodes in season seven, and in a flashback in season nine's 'backward' episode).

Swedberg appeared regularly in other television shows, including Empty Nest, Murder, She Wrote, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Grace Under Fire. She also made a guest appearance in Wizards of Waverly Place as Jennifer Majorheely.

After acting, Heidi taught music at Saint Brendan Elementary School in the Los Angeles Hancock Park neighborhood. While living in Hawaii, Swedberg grew up playing the ukulele.[2] In 1992, when playing a singer/songwriter for a television pilot, she began playing the instrument again. She plays it and sings in her band, Heidi Swedberg and The Sukey Jump Band, with whom she has released the albums PLAY! (2009) and My Cup of Tea (2013).

Swedberg appears at ukulele festivals and nightclubs with her other band, The Smoking Jackets, with multi-instrumentalists Daniel Ward, Craig McClelland and John Bartlit.[3]

Personal life

Swedberg was married to Philip Holahan from 1994 until their divorce in 2019. They have two daughters.[4]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1989 In Country Dawn
1990 Too Much Sun Sister Agnes
1990 Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael Andrea Stein
1990 Kindergarten Cop Joshua’s Mother
1991 Hot Shots! Mary Thompson
1996 Up Close & Personal Sheila
1997 A Parking Lot Story Car Owner Short film
1998 Dennis the Menace Strikes Again Alice Mitchell Video
1999 Galaxy Quest Brandon's mother
2000 75 Degrees in July Kay Colburn

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1989 Matlock Sister Katherine "The Priest"
1990 Thirtysomething Miss Jackie "The Guilty Party"
1991 Quantum Leap Valerie Nevski "Private Dancer"
1991 Northern Exposure Linda "Only You"
1991-92 Brooklyn Bridge Miss McCullough "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling", "The Gift"
1992 Sisters Jill Parkins "Troubled Waters", "Working Girls"
1992 Roc Helen "Roc Throws Joey Out", "Joey Messes Up"
1992–1997 Seinfeld Susan Ross Recurring role in 29 episodes
1993 Roc Helen "You Don't Send Me No Flowers"
1994 Empty Nest Patty Olsen "Love a la Mode"
1994 Murder, She Wrote Lorna Thompson "Proof in the Pudding"
1994 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Rekelen "Profit and Loss"
1994 Father and Scout Donna Paley TV film
1994 Grace Under Fire Ramona "Jimmy's Girl", "Cold Turkey"
1995 If Not for You Melanie McKee "Pilot"
1996 Touched by an Angel Marty Dillard "Secret Service"
1997 The Ticket Rita TV film
1997 Breast Men Eileen TV film
1999 Evolution's Child Elaine Cordell TV film
2001 Roswell Meredith Dupree "Disturbing Behavior", "How the Other Half Lives"
2001 Gideon's Crossing Mrs. Cabochon "Flashpoint"
2001 Strong Medicine Celia Farber "Rebirth"
2002 ER Robin Turner "Lockdown", "Chaos Theory"
2002 Gilmore Girls Debbie Fincher "One's Got Class and the Other Ones Dyes"
2003 Oliver Beene Cynthia Vogel "A Day at the Beach"
2003 Becker Mrs. Whitford "Mr. and Ms. Conception"
2006 Without a Trace Laura Worth "911"
2008 Bones Alice Elliot "The Finger in the Nest"
2009 Wizards of Waverly Place Miss Majorhealey "Art Teacher"
2010 Hawthorne Olivia Maxwell "Hidden Truths"

References

  1. ^ a b Jewel, Dan (March 25, 1996). "George's Girl". People. Archived from the original on March 30, 2011. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  2. ^ "Heidi Swedberg – Sukey Jump Music". sukeyjumpmusic.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2010. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  3. ^ "Smoking Jackets | Ukulele Adventures". ukuleleadventures.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  4. ^ Trock, Gary (October 29, 2019). "'Seinfeld' Star Who Played Susan Ross Files for Divorce from Longtime Husband". The Blast. Retrieved June 3, 2020.


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