Acting
Susan Douglas
Susan Douglas Rubes, an accomplished actress and producer, was born Zuzka Zenta in Vienna, Austria, to Alfred and Charlotte Burstein. Her early life saw her family relocate to a ranch in central Bohemia, Czechoslovakia, where her love for the arts blossomed through frequent visits to the theater in Brno and her grandmother, a manager at the Burgtheater in Vienna. In 1939, to escape the turmoil of World War II, her Jewish family emigrated first to Paris, and then in 1940, Zuzka and her mother moved to the United States. They managed to enter the country due to an unfilled immigration quota from Italy, thanks to Charlotte's Italian heritage. Zuzka learned English by immersing herself in films, and she graduated from George Washington High School in New York City in 1943, adopting the name Susan Douglas.
Her career kicked off in 1945 and spanned several mediums, including radio, television, theater, and film. She made her film debut in 1947's *The Private Affairs of Bel Ami* and turned down a lucrative contract with MGM to pursue her passion in New York. Between 1946 and 1959, she became a familiar face on hundreds of television shows, notably in the soap opera *The Guiding Light*.
In 1959, she relocated to Toronto, where she founded the Young People's Theater in 1965, later renamed the Susan Douglas Rubes Theater Center, aimed at introducing children to theater. She served as artistic director until 1979 before taking roles at CBC Television and as head of CBC Radio Drama from 1982 to 1986. Married to Czech-Canadian opera singer Jan Rubes from 1950 until his death in 2009, Susan had three children. Her legacy in the arts continues to inspire future generations.
