Suzanne Somers’ Lookalike Granddaughter Vows To ‘Celebrate’ The ‘Three’s Company’ Star’s Life After Her Tragic Passing

Jun 29, 2021 by apost team

Suzanne Somers was an American actress, author and businesswoman who left an indelible mark on the entertainment industry. Her life story is one of resilience, determination, and triumph over adversity. From her early struggles to her rise to stardom, Suzanne’s journey is a testament to the power of hard work and perseverance. Suzanne tragically passed on Oct.15, 2023, after a long battle against breast cancer, just one day shy of what would have been her 77th birthday. However, there’s no doubt her star will continue to shine as brightly as her famous smile.

Suzanne's journey in the entertainment industry began in the late 1960s when she moved to California. She first worked as a model, appeared in small television roles, and even had a brief stint as a prize model on the game show "Anniversary Game." Her career reached new heights when she was cast as Chrissy Snow in the popular television series "Three's Company" in 1977. Her portrayal of the lovable, somewhat naïve blonde character made her a household name and catapulted her to stardom. Her comedic timing and charm endeared her to audiences, and the show's success contributed significantly to her career.

While "Three's Company" brought Suzanne fame and fortune, it also led to some professional challenges. In 1980, she demanded a significant pay raise, leading to a highly publicized contract dispute with the show's producers. Ultimately, Suzanne was written out of the series.

It's no secret that Suzanne was exceptionally attractive, a trait that has carried on in her family. Her granddaughter, Camelia Somers, strikes a stunning resemblance to her. Read on to find out more about Suzanne’s life and career, and see the stunning look Camelia has inherited from her.

Suzanne Somers was born on Oct. 16, 1946, in San Bruno, California. Her faith was essential to her during her younger years as she attended San Francisco College for Women, a college that was run by the Catholic Society of the Sacred Heart. She married her first husband, Bruce Somers, in 1965, when she was still a teenager. The couple had one son together, Bruce Somers Jr., later that year, in November. Unfortunately, the romance was short-lived, and the couple divorced in 1968.

Suzanne’s controversial moments in the industry began early in her career when she had her first set of nude photos taken by Stan Malinowski in February 1970. Soon afterward, she became a Playmate candidate for Playboy and later appeared in two nude pictorials for the magazine in 1980 and 1894. The first pictorial was from the photoshoot with Malinowski, while the second was from a shoot with photographer Richard Fegley. 

Suzanne had a few issues with the magazine as they had published her photos without her approval the first time, but the parties were able to reconcile their differences, which prompted the second pictorial. Even though she struggled to feel comfortable in her skin when she was younger, Suzanne grew to love herself and her body and even uploaded a nude photograph of herself to Instagram in April 2021.

After becoming a prize model on “Anniversary Game,” a game show that involved married couples, she met host Alan Hamel. The two quickly fell in love and lived together for a few years before they finally got married in 1977. Although the couple didn’t have any children together, Suzanne had one from her previous marriage, and Hamel had two from his first marriage to Marilyn Hamel. Suzanne and Hamel remained together right up until her final days.

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Suzanne expressed her love for the arts early on when she appeared on various talk shows to promote her book of poetry and her minor roles in movies and television series. She landed minor roles during the late 1960s and early 1970s and appeared in “American Graffiti,” “Lotsa Luck,” “The Rockford Files,” and “Magnum Force.” She continued landing more roles as the 1970s progressed and earned a spot on “One Day at a Time” in 1976 and “The Six Million Dollar Man” in 1977. Suzanne was also a celebrity panelist on “Match Game” in 1977 and later appeared on “Tattletales” with Hamel that same year.

This was also the year that the actress landed her most notable role in her career as Chrissy Snow on the ABC sitcom “Three’s Company.” Suzanne portrayed the stereotypical dumb blonde character who worked as an office secretary. Centered around three friends who find themselves in plenty of shenanigans, the show was an instant success and co-starred John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt. It even prompted a spin-off series, “The Ropers,” but the show only lasted one year.

A fan favorite, Suzanne was launched into stardom, instantly becoming a breakout star and dubbed a sex symbol by the media. But despite the audience's adoration of her, Suzanne had her own disputes with the network as she struggled to get her salary raised in later seasons of “Three’s Company.” According to Business Insider, ABC denied her raise, resulting in Suzanne refusing to appear in some of the episodes of the fifth season.

Even though she finished the remainder of her contract, the network showed their distaste for Suzanne’s actions by limiting her screen time to a mere 60 seconds per episode. Suzanne was fired shortly afterward, and her contract was officially terminated, leading the star to sue the network for $2 million. Suzanne won $30,000 from the case.

The character of Chrissy Snow and Suzanne’s fantastic acting skills led other networks to be inspired by the actress, and CBS signed her to a contract with a developmental deal for her own show. However, ABC had intervened and inadvertently halted the project before it was able to see the light of day. Suzanne revealed more details about the ordeal in her 1998 book titled “After the Fall: How I Picked Myself Up, Dusted Myself Off, And Started All Over Again.”

During the 1980s, Suzanne found work as a spokeswoman for infomercials for the exercise equipment called the Thighmaster. Once again, audiences and potential buyers fell in love with Suzanne and her stunning looks as she demonstrated how to use the simple piece of exercise equipment. Suzanne promoted the Thighmaster, along with plenty of other beauty, health and wellness products. She was later inducted into the Infomercial Hall of Fame in May 2014.

Suzanne returned to television in the 1990s and appeared in a handful of made-for-TV movies, including “Rich Men, Single Women” and “Exclusive.” She also landed a role in the television series “Step By Step,” starring opposite Patrick Duffy. The show did well on the ABC network and lasted for six seasons until it moved to CBS and wrapped up in 1998.

In April 2000, tragedy struck for Suzanne as she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a lumpectomy, a surgical procedure to remove a lump on the breast, in order to remove her cancer that was followed by rounds of radiation therapy. However, Suzanne opted to forgo chemotherapy despite her doctor’s suggestions. Instead, she used a fermented mistletoe extract called Iscador.

While Suzanne was beloved by many for her appearances in film and television, her statements about various medical subjects made her a polarizing and controversial figure. She interviewed 16 practitioners of bioidentical hormone therapy for her book “Ageless: The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones,” but also used her platform to highlight the Wiley Protocol. Author T. S. Wiley devised and advocated for the subject, which claims to relieve the symptoms of menopause and increase overall health by using rhythmic doses of standardized hormones.

According to WebMD, Suzanne took Iscador to boost her immune system. Suzanne’s publicist, Sandi Mendelson, explained that this was a “personal decision” for the star. “Ms. Somers is absolutely adamant that she is not advocating this treatment for anyone,” Mendelson said. “She really urges women to consult their own doctors before pursuing any alternative treatments.”

Jeffrey White, director of cancer, complementary and alternative medicine at the National Cancer Institute, explained how there wasn’t enough information about the mistletoe extract in 2001, which was when Suzanne was taking it, to know if it really worked. “The information about Iscador is just too preliminary to make any recommendations about its effectiveness,” he said. “There is no clinical trial comparing Iscador to conventional treatments.”

According to Life Science, although bioidentical hormones are identical to hormones in the body at a biological and chemical level, they do not match endogenous hormones. While there are some benefits to these hormones, like being naturally sourced from plants, there are downsides, such as the lack of evidence and the fact that they are typically created in a factory. Life Science explained that although the United States Food and Drug Administration has approved several bioidentical hormones, they are not the ones that Suzanne had urged her fans and readers to consider, as the ones she referenced came from mixing ingredients in a pharmacy. According to Life Science, a third of the 29 unregulated compounded pharmaceuticals tested by the FDA in 2003 failed the standard quality test. These pharmaceuticals are similar to the ones that Suzanne had suggested using.

According to an article from The Seattle Times, the American Medical Association scrutinized the drugs and challenged the claims in Suzanne’s book. The news outlet also reported that a 2002 government study found that bioidentical hormones increased the risk of breast cancer and heart attacks. Since the pharmaceuticals’ ingredients are not always identified, it is unknown how safe they are to take and what the real benefits are.

Suzanne opened up about the aftermath of her breast cancer during an appearance on “The Meredith Vieira Show” in October 2014. She explained how she lost two-thirds of her right breast during surgery but was able to get some of it back in 2011.

“I was the first person to legally regrow my breast using my own stem cells,” she said. “It took me three years to get the approval.”

During an interview with People in June 2020, Suzanne talked about an injury she suffered. “I had a setback this year that I had never experienced – I fractured my hip,” she said. The private tram to her house in Palm Springs stopped halfway up the tall hill, resulting in Suzanne having to jump out. “It was dark and I landed very badly,” she explained. The actress yearned to be able to move and exercise again, as it was something she had been used to doing frequently to help with aging. “We don’t have to fall apart as we age,” Suzanne said.

“Find a movement protocol that turns your on. If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.”

Suzanne had another accident that same year. According to TODAY, Suzanne and Hamel both fell down the stairs in their home. Although Hamel wasn’t injured, Suzanne hurt her neck and required surgery to fix it. “The moment the surgery was complete the neck and shoulder pain she had experienced slowly went away and the only residual pain is from the surgery itself, which is now dissipating,” Hamel said.

Suzanne left behind three granddaughters, including Camelia Somers, Violet Somers and Daisy Hamel-Buffa. Camelia was born on Oct. 2, 1995, and became an actress, just like her grandmother. She first started out as an intern for “The Bold and the Beautiful,” before making the jump in front of the camera on the same daytime soap opera. Camelia is no stranger to sharing her life with the public, as the star is a pro at using social media to keep her fans updated on what she’s up to.

Camelia shared a sweet graduation photo of herself to her Instagram account in May 2018 wearing a maroon and gold stole to represent her school. She attended the Marshall School of Business and Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences at the University of Southern California.

The rising star also showed her love and appreciation for her famous grandmother back on Mother’s Day 2017 with a heartwarming post that read, “And to my fabulous grandmother, you inspire me constantly.” 

Just six months before Suzanne’s passing, the beautiful grandmother and her granddaughter both shared the same photo on their respective Instagram accounts, of them both sporting leg-baring denim shorts.

“Who wears short shorts? Twinning with my granddaughter,” the elder Somers captioned her post. “I have always told the kids, ‘I’m a different kind of grandmother!’” Camelia posted the same photo with the caption: “Didn’t expect to twin with my grandma when I threw on these shorts this morning. SHE’S HOT!!!!

Standing side by side, the striking resemblance between Suzanne and her granddaughter couldn’t be denied. The same could be said after Camelia posted a tribute to her beloved grandmother after her passing. In the Oct. 17, 2023, post alongside a beautiful portrait of the two of them together, Camelia wrote a lengthy note about her “Zannie.”

“She was the first person to hold my hand, and we’ve been bonded ever since,” she wrote.

Camelia added that Suzanne was “different,” but it “wasn’t just because she wore daisy dukes and mini dresses. It was because of her ability to make every single person feel like they were the most special in the world.”

She added that she would remember her grandmother most for the way she “celebrated life,” which in turn has inspired her to “celebrate hers for the rest of mine.”

What do you think about Suzanne Somers and her granddaughter Camelia? Do you think they look alike? Let us know, and be sure to send this to your family and friends who’d love to reminisce about Suzanne’s good old days.