Susan Brewer, whose full name is reported as Susan Jane Brewer, is primarily known for her connection to one of America’s most recognizable acting families. She was the former wife of actor and filmmaker Peter Fonda and the mother of former actress Bridget Fonda and actor Justin Fonda. Although Susan Brewer has attracted public interest because of these family connections, detailed information about her personal and professional life remains limited.
Several biographical and genealogy sources provide different details about Susan Brewer’s birth date, birthplace, and other personal information. Because she has largely remained outside the public spotlight, some commonly repeated details should be treated as reported information rather than independently verified facts.
Susan Brewer’s association with the Fonda family began with her marriage to Peter Fonda in 1961. Their relationship lasted for more than a decade and resulted in two children. Through Peter Fonda, Susan also became connected to the wider Fonda family, including legendary actor Henry Fonda and actress Jane Fonda.
Who Is Susan Brewer?
Susan Brewer is an American woman known primarily as the former wife of Peter Fonda and the mother of Bridget Fonda and Justin Fonda.
Her full name is commonly given as Susan Jane Brewer, although some sources have also reported the name Susan Parsons Brewer. Information about her own career is considerably less extensive than information about the members of her family. She has reportedly worked as an artist, but detailed records about her artistic career, exhibitions or professional achievements are limited in publicly available biographies.
Unlike her former husband and daughter, Susan Brewer did not establish a major public profile in the entertainment industry. Much of the information available about her comes from references to her family relationships.
Her connection to Hollywood is therefore largely through the Fonda family. Peter Fonda became a prominent actor, writer, and director, while their daughter Bridget Fonda went on to establish her own career as a successful actress.
Susan Jane Brewer: Early Life and Background
Susan Jane Brewer was born in the United States. However, sources disagree about the exact details of her birth.
Some biographical sources report that Susan Brewer was born on May 12, 1939, while another genealogy source gives her birth date as July 31, 1941. The reported birthplaces also differ. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Medford, Oregon, have both been listed in different sources.
These inconsistencies make it difficult to state one birth date or birthplace as definitively established.
If the May 12, 1939 date is correct, Susan Brewer would be 87 years old as of September 28, 2026. If the July 31, 1941 date is correct, she would be 85 years old.
Genealogy records identify her reported parents as Chauncey Marble Brewer and Mary Alice Sweet. Public information about her childhood, education and early adult years remains limited.
This lack of information is partly consistent with Susan Brewer’s relatively private public profile. Unlike members of the Fonda family who pursued acting careers, she has not maintained a substantial media presence.
Susan Brewer and Peter Fonda
Susan Brewer became widely known through her marriage to Peter Henry Fonda, the actor, writer, and director who became an important figure in American cinema.
Peter Fonda was born into the famous Fonda acting family. His father was celebrated actor Henry Fonda, while his sister was actress and activist Jane Fonda.
Susan Brewer and Peter Fonda married on October 8, 1961.
Their marriage took place during the early part of Peter Fonda’s acting career. Peter had begun establishing himself as an actor, and his later career would make him internationally recognized.
The couple had two children together: Bridget Jane Fonda and Justin Fonda.
Their marriage eventually ended in divorce. Sources differ about the exact year, with 1972 and 1974 both appearing in reference material. Depending on which date is used, the marriage lasted approximately 11 to 13 years.
Susan Brewer and Peter Fonda subsequently went their separate ways, and Peter Fonda later married other partners.
Susan Brewer’s Children
Susan Brewer’s most prominent family connections are through her two children, Bridget Fonda and Justin Fonda.
Both followed their father into the entertainment industry, although their careers developed differently.
Bridget Fonda
Bridget Jane Fonda is Susan Brewer’s daughter and became a well-known American actress.
Born into a family with a long history in Hollywood, Bridget Fonda established her own acting career rather than relying solely on her family’s reputation.
She appeared in numerous films during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. Some of her best-known movies include Single White Female, Point of No Return, A Simple Plan and Jackie Brown.
Her performances helped establish her as a recognizable actress of her generation.
Bridget Fonda eventually stepped away from acting and has maintained a comparatively private life. Her withdrawal from Hollywood has also contributed to continuing public interest in the Fonda family’s private lives.
For Susan Brewer, Bridget’s career became one of the major reasons her name continued to appear in biographical and celebrity-family references.
Justin Fonda
Susan Brewer’s son is Justin Fonda, who also worked as an actor.
Justin Fonda was part of the same Hollywood family that included his father Peter Fonda and grandfather Henry Fonda. Although his acting career did not reach the same level of public recognition as some other members of the family, he participated in the entertainment industry.
His career further illustrates the connection between Susan Brewer’s immediate family and the broader Fonda acting tradition.
Susan Brewer and the Fonda Family
Through her marriage to Peter Fonda, Susan Brewer became connected to one of Hollywood’s best-known acting families.
Her former father-in-law was Henry Fonda, the acclaimed American actor whose career spanned decades. Henry Fonda was known for films such as The Grapes of Wrath, 12 Angry Men and On Golden Pond, among many other productions.
Susan’s former mother-in-law was Frances Ford Seymour, Peter Fonda’s mother.
Susan Brewer’s former sister-in-law was Jane Fonda, who became a major Hollywood actress as well as an activist and fitness entrepreneur.
This family connection placed Susan Brewer within a remarkable Hollywood lineage that included several generations of actors.
The family relationship can be summarized as follows:
| Family Member | Relationship to Susan Brewer | Known For |
| Peter Fonda | Former husband | Actor, writer, and director |
| Bridget Fonda | Daughter | Former actress |
| Justin Fonda | Son | Former actor |
| Henry Fonda | Former father-in-law | Acclaimed American actor |
| Jane Fonda | Former sister-in-law | Actress, activist and fitness entrepreneur |
| Frances Ford Seymour | Former mother-in-law | Peter Fonda’s mother |
| Chauncey Marble Brewer | Reported father | Listed in genealogy records |
| Mary Alice Sweet | Reported mother | Listed in genealogy records |
Susan Brewer’s Reported Profession
Susan Brewer has been described in some sources as an artist.
However, detailed information about her professional career is limited. There is considerably more documentation surrounding the acting careers of Peter Fonda, Bridget Fonda and Henry Fonda than there is regarding Susan Brewer’s own professional activities.
There are no widely documented records that establish a lengthy public career comparable to those of her former husband or children.
For this reason, descriptions of Susan Brewer as an artist should be treated as reported biographical information rather than as a fully documented career history.
Her public recognition has primarily come from her family relationships rather than from a highly publicized professional career.
Susan Brewer’s Marriage and Divorce
Susan Brewer married Peter Fonda on October 8, 1961.
At the time, Peter Fonda was building his acting career. Their marriage connected Susan with the Fonda family and placed her alongside a growing Hollywood name.
The couple eventually had two children, Bridget and Justin.
Different sources place their divorce in either 1972 or 1974. Because of this discrepancy, it is more accurate to describe their marriage as lasting approximately 11 to 13 years rather than assigning one definitive duration without qualification.
Following the divorce, Susan Brewer largely remained outside the Hollywood spotlight.
Peter Fonda continued his career and became known for films and projects that established his reputation as an actor and filmmaker. Susan’s life, by comparison, remained considerably more private.
Was Susan Brewer an Actress?
There is no established evidence that Susan Brewer had a major acting career.
Her former husband Peter Fonda was an actor, writer and director, while their daughter Bridget and son Justin also worked in acting. This family history can sometimes create confusion about Susan Brewer’s own profession.
Available biographical information instead describes her as an artist or identifies her primarily through her family relationships.
Susan Brewer should therefore not be confused with an actress simply because she was married to Peter Fonda and was the mother of Bridget Fonda.
Susan Brewer’s Connection to Hollywood
Susan Brewer’s relationship with Hollywood is significant even though she did not become a major public figure herself.
Her marriage to Peter Fonda connected her to Henry Fonda, one of the most respected actors of classic American cinema. It also made her part of the family network surrounding Jane Fonda.
Her children extended that connection into another generation.
Bridget Fonda became a successful actress with prominent film credits, while Justin Fonda worked as an actor. Through them, Susan Brewer remained connected to an entertainment dynasty spanning multiple generations.
The Fonda family is notable because acting careers appeared across several generations, beginning with Henry Fonda and continuing through Peter and Jane Fonda and later Bridget Fonda.
Where Is Susan Brewer Now?
Susan Brewer has maintained a very private life in recent years.
Public appearances associated with her are very limited, and she has largely stayed away from entertainment-industry publicity.
Her current residence has not been reliably confirmed through widely available public information. Claims about where she currently lives should therefore be treated cautiously.
There is also no verified official public social-media account clearly associated with Susan Brewer.
Her private lifestyle contrasts with the extensive media coverage received by Peter Fonda, Jane Fonda and Bridget Fonda throughout their careers.
Is Susan Brewer Still Alive?
Available information does not provide a reliable source reporting Susan Brewer’s death.
As of September 28, 2026, there is no reliable information in the supplied biographical records indicating that Susan Brewer has died.
Because some online biographies can contain outdated or contradictory information, claims about her current status should be checked against authoritative sources before being treated as confirmed.
Her limited public presence also means that the absence of recent appearances should not be interpreted as evidence of a particular event or circumstance.
Susan Brewer’s Net Worth
Susan Brewer’s net worth has not been publicly verified.
Unlike Peter Fonda and Bridget Fonda, whose professional careers generated substantial public documentation, Susan Brewer has not had a comparable public career profile.
Online estimates of celebrity or family-member net worth can be speculative, particularly when reliable financial records are unavailable. There is therefore no dependable figure that can be presented as Susan Brewer’s confirmed net worth.
Her financial circumstances should not be inferred from the wealth or earnings associated with other members of the Fonda family.
Why Is Susan Brewer Known?
The main reason people search for Susan Brewer is her connection to Peter Fonda and the wider Fonda family.
She was Peter Fonda’s first wife and the mother of Bridget Fonda and Justin Fonda. Through Peter, she was also connected to Henry Fonda, Frances Ford Seymour, and Jane Fonda.
Bridget Fonda’s successful film career has kept public attention on her family background. Movies such as Single White Female, Point of No Return, A Simple Plan and Jackie Brown made Bridget one of the more recognizable members of the younger Fonda generation.
Susan Brewer herself, however, has maintained a much lower public profile.
Conclusion
Susan Brewer remains a relatively private figure whose public recognition comes largely from her connection to the Fonda family. Her marriage to Peter Fonda placed her within one of Hollywood’s most prominent acting families, while her children, Bridget Fonda and Justin Fonda, continued the family’s association with the entertainment industry.
Biographical information about Susan Brewer contains several discrepancies, particularly regarding her birth date, birthplace and divorce date. Some sources identify her birth date as May 12, 1939, while another gives July 31, 1941. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Medford, Oregon, have also been reported as her birthplace.
What is more consistently reported is her marriage to Peter Fonda in 1961, her two children, and her connection to Henry Fonda and Jane Fonda through that marriage. Her own professional history is less extensively documented, although she has been described as an artist.
With very limited public appearances and no verified public social-media presence, Susan Brewer appears to have maintained a private life away from the entertainment industry. Her story is therefore best understood through the documented family relationships that connected her to the Fonda dynasty while recognizing the gaps and inconsistencies in publicly available biographical information.
FAQs
Who is Susan Brewer?
Susan Brewer, also known as Susan Jane Brewer, is an American woman best known as the former wife of actor Peter Fonda and the mother of Bridget Fonda and Justin Fonda.
When did Susan Brewer marry Peter Fonda?
Susan Brewer married Peter Fonda on October 8, 1961. Their marriage reportedly ended in divorce in either 1972 or 1974, depending on the source.
How many children did Susan Brewer have?
Susan Brewer had two children with Peter Fonda: Bridget Fonda, a former actress, and Justin Fonda, who also worked as an actor.
What is known about Susan Brewer’s career?
Susan Brewer has reportedly been an artist, although detailed information about her professional career is limited in publicly available biographical sources.
Where does Susan Brewer live today?
Susan Brewer’s current residence has not been reliably confirmed. She has maintained a private life and has made very few public appearances in recent years.
