See The Brady Bunch star Susan Olsen’s stunning transformation from child star to today as she turns 65
The youngest member of every sitcom family always knows best how to stir up trouble. In the case of The Brady Bunch, it was Susan Olsen’s Cindy Brady that was adept at uncovering secrets and adding to the family antics by soon spreading them through the family. Read on to see her transformation over the years and find out what she’s been up to…
Susan Olsen’s success came at an early age
1969
In 1969, Susan Marie Olsen debuted her career-defining role: youngest Brady child Cindy on The Brady Bunch.
Her first credited role came the year before, in a 1968 episode of Julia. Born on 14 August 1961, she hadn’t even reached double digits when fame came calling.
Cindy Brady was the youngest Brady sibling
1973
Cynthia ‘Cindy’ Brady was the youngest of all the Brady children. Known for her trademark braids and pronounced lisp, viewers watched the character grow and learn over the course of 5 seasons.
Cindy had something of a reputation as a tattletale, enjoying the art of discovering secrets… and sharing them once she had.
The Brady Bunch Variety Hour reunited the cast for 9 episodes
1977
The Brady Bunch wrapped up with its fifth season in 1974, but that wasn’t the end for the cast who had worked as a family over the show’s run.
They’d already released an animated series The Brady Kids in 1972, and Cindy went on to appear in The Brady Bunch Hour (1976-1977) and TV movie The Brady Girls Get Married (1981).
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Susan was living life away from the spotlight through the ’80s and ’90s
1999
Susan Olsen largely disappeared from the screen throughout the ’80s, apart from an appearance in TV drama Divorce Court.
In 1990, she returned for six-episode series The Bradys, which provided a glimpse into the lives of the next Brady generation. She also appeared in a segment for the 1993 MTV movie awards and guested on a 1999 episode of Pacific Blue.
In 2004, The Brady Bunch celebrated its 30th anniversary
2004
In 2004, the cast reunited for The Brady Bunch 35th Anniversary Reunion Special: Still Brady After All These Years and Susan was there on stage to mark her formative role.
The same year, Susan officially split from her second husband Mitch Markwell, with whom she shares a son, Michael. They wed in 1995, five years after her separation from Steve Ventimiglia in 1990.
Susan paid tribute to her late TV mother Florence Henderson on the TODAY show
2017
In 2017, Susan joined Barry Williams, Christopher Knight and Mike Lookinland on the TODAY show to pay tribute to their late on-screen mother Florence Henderson, who passed in late 2016.
She’d returned to the screen after an 11-year break between 1999 and 2010, appearing in The Young and the Restless, Child of the ’70s and Holiday Road Trip.
Susan was there to support her former producers’ success
2020
In 2019, Susan appeared in music video John 5: Zoinks! and two years later, starred in her last role to date as Valerie in Blending Christmas (2021).
In 2020, between her screen engagements, Susan showed up to support Sid and Marty Krofft, who produced The Brady Bunch Hour, as they accepted a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Susan now works as an acting coach
Present day
Susan has largely left acting behind, instead focussing her energy on encouraging the talents of the next generation as an acting coach in California.
She also continues to appear in nostalgic callbacks to her time on The Brady Bunch, attending The Hollywood Show at a Los Angeles convention centre and guesting on podcasts like The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan.