Susanne was raised and educated in Southern California. Her father was an accountant and her mother was a secretary. When she was eighteen, a photographer saw some snapshots that had been taken of her by a friend and showed them to a top modelling agent who signed her on the spot. With her healthy California looks and fun personality, she started working right away and was soon a top West Coast model and sought-after TV commercial actress. Her television debut came when she was cast together with Jeff Conaway (Taxi) to co-host two 90-minute TV specials for ABC, "California Jam 2," the rock concert held at Ontario Motor Speedway.

Susanne kept busy in popular TV shows and some films, while continuing with modelling, voice-overs, and commercials. She moved to Europe in the 90s where she continued her career very successfully, appearing in several TV shows, including a leading role in a top-rated nighttime European soap, movies, and industrial films. She also had a one-woman cabaret show on the life of Marlene Dietrich which she performed in Europe. She is married to Tony van Renterghem, former assistant cameraman and one of Hollywood's top motion picture researchers.