Sue Frances Pai was born on August 8th, 1962, in Toledo, Ohio. She is a former model and actress who has retired to a life of privacy since the early 1990s. She is mainly known as Suzee Pai.
What is her ethnicity?
Suzee Pai’s ethnicity is usually listed simply as “American” in most biographies, but she appears to have some Indonesian or Vietnamese ancestry. However, due to her private nature and lack of information, this is hard to confirm.
We know this 5’ 5” (1.65 m) actress has brown eyes.
How did her career start?
Suzee Pai’s career began with fashion modeling in New York City. She was also a Liberty Bells cheerleader for the Philadelphia Eagles. Beyond that, her early career and education are unknown.
Suzee, at the age of 18, would appear in the January 1981 issue of Penthouse magazine. She would appear in a pictorial in the same publication in June of 1982. She would also be seen in Playboy in a 1982 feature on “Sex and the Cinema,” with pictures from her cut scene from First Blood.
In 1984 she would compete in the Spokesmodel category of Ed McMahon’s Star Search.
What is she known for?
Suzee Pai’s first credited role was in 1981’s Sharky’s Machine. The action crime drama, directed by Burt Renolds, starred himself, Rachel Ward, and Vittorio Gassman. Suzee Pai played a blind sex worker named Siakwan.
Pai would later film a scene for 1982’s Rambo: First Blood that was cut but is ultimately included in archival footage. She would be in a flashback scene with Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo.
Big Trouble In Little China
The most significant role of her career was in the 1986 film Big Trouble In Little China. She would play the green-eyed beauty Miao Yin, who is kidnapped by the evil sorcerer Lo Pan. Big Trouble In Little China would become a cult classic directed by John Carpenter and starring Kurt Russel and Kim Cattral.
Before retiring, one of her final roles was as a recurring character in the short-lived series Tattinger’s. In this comedy-drama series on NBC, she would play a pianist named Billie Low. The show followed those who worked in the New York restaurant Tattinger’s. The show starred Stephen Collins, Blythe Danner, and Jerry Stiller. The show ran for one season from 1988 to 1989.
How did she get the part in Big Trouble In Little China?
Suzee Pai revealed how she was cast in the cult classic Big Trouble In Little China in an interview with the Observer-Reporter in Washington, PA, in 1982:
“They needed a Eurasian girl with an exotic look. But to be honest, I don’t know why they picked me, because I had no acting experience,” the 19-year-old admits…It seems Burt, who stars and directs in his new shoot-‘em-up adventure “Sharkey’s Machine,” wasn’t too impressed with the 500 girls that he had considered for the bit part…The former cheerleader for the Philadelphia Eagles’ football Liberty Bells, Suzee was doing some fashion modeling in New York before Burt’s offer came in. She was commuting from Philadelphia to New York for her $1,200 a day shooting sessions.
Ultimately, much of Suzee Pai’s career resulted from some good luck, as her quote suggests she had no real training and happened to have a suitable look for Burt Reynolds and then later Big Trouble In Little China.
What is she doing now? Is she still acting?
Suzee quit acting in the 1990s and what she has been doing since is unknown. Her last credited role was in 1993 in an episode of an Italian comedy series Detective Extralarge.
Is she married? Who is her husband?
Suzee Pai’s relationship history is challenging to determine as there is not much published about her, and sources are hard to verify. Most websites do not include any relationship history, but IMDB suggests she was married to director and producer Roland Joffé for a time. However, the IMDB entry fails to provide dates, only noting that the two are now separated.
Does she have kids?
There is no indication that Suzee Pai has had children. As she is not a public figure these days, she has not indicated having children.
Is she on social media?
Suzee Pai has continued to keep a low profile and does not have any known social media accounts. Her retirement has been a complete mystery to fans everywhere.
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