Susan Lowe

{{short description|American actress, educator and painter (born 1948)}}

{{Infobox person

| image = Mink Stole, John Waters and Susan Lowe - 2014 (27653043468) (cropped).jpg

| name = Susan Lowe

| alt = Susan Lowe

| caption =

| birth_name = Laura Susan Lowe

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1948|1|19}}

| birth_place = Reidsville, North Carolina, U. S.

| alma_mater = Maryland Institute College of Art

| occupation = Actress, Educator, Artist

| nationality = American

| death_date =

| death_place =

| other_names =

| children = 2

| years_active =

| known_for = Dreamlanders

| spouse =

| website =

}}

Susan Lowe (born Laura Susan Lowe on January 19, 1948 in Reidsville, North Carolina) is an American actress, educator and painter. She has appeared almost exclusively in the works of John Waters for most of her career, starring in ten of his films.{{Cite web|url=http://www.wypr.org/post/conversation-susan-lowe|title=A Conversation with Susan Lowe|last=Simmons|first=Dan Rodricks, Melody|website=www.wypr.org|language=en|access-date=2019-01-03}}

About

Lowe was born in Reidsville, North Carolina on January 19, 1948.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2009-03-05-0903040071-story.html|title=Welcome to the 'Nuthouse'|last=Gunts|first=Edward|date=5 March 2009|website=The Baltimore Sun|language=en-US|access-date=2019-01-03}} She was a student at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in the 1960s, when she became friends with Divine and other Dreamlanders.

Her first role with Waters was playing an asylum inmate in Mondo Trasho. She continued to play small parts in many of his films, but played the lead role of Mole McHenry, the ultra-butch bleach blonde lesbian, in Desperate Living.

She has taught art history classes at MICA, Catonsville Community College, and University of Maryland.

Personal life

Lowe has been married twice, and has two children. Her first husband, surnamed McLean, was a drawing teacher at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), where Lowe had worked as a model. They wed in Ireland and had two children, Ruby and Ramsey McLean. The marriage ended seven years later.{{Citation needed|date=January 2019}} She later married Frank Tomboro of Baltimore. That union also ended in divorce.{{cite web|url=http://www.geraldpeary.com/interviews/wxyz/waters-p-town.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021019020235/http://www.geraldpeary.com/interviews/wxyz/waters-p-town.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=October 19, 2002|title=John Waters and his Dreamlanders in P-Town|first=Gerald|last=Peary|publisher=Gerald Peary|access-date=2008-07-28}}

Filmography

class="wikitable sortable"

|+Filmography

!Year

!Title

!Role

!Notes

1969

|Mondo Trasho

|as an asylum inmate

1970

|Multiple Maniacs

|as Suzi (Cavalcade Pervert)

1974

|Female Trouble

|as Vikki, the receptionist

|Her son, Ramsey McLean, appeared as the infant "Taffy" in this 1974 film. During her scenes in the film, Lowe was visibly pregnant; the birth scene was filmed a few days after Lowe gave birth.

1977

|Desperate Living

|as Mole McHenry, a lesbian heroine

1981

|Polyester

|as Mall Victim

1988

|Hairspray

|as Angry Mother

1990

|Cry-Baby

|as Night Court Parent