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Susan Ziegler

Susan Ziegler

Actor

Best known for her work with director Madeleine Olnek (multiple Independent Spirit nominations). In their most recent collaboration, Susan co-starred with Molly Shannon in, "Wild Nights With Emily", which premiered at SXSW and garnered a wide release. Susan is also known for "TiMERS", "Hello, My Name Is Doris", and "Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same". Besides her work in film and television, Susan is a dedicated theatre actor, having performed onstage in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York and at the world-renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Susan is also an active member in the award-winning New American Theatre Company, based in Los Angeles. Susan resides in Los Angeles with her husband, actor Michael Albala, and daughter Oona.

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Biography from IMDb.

Works as
Actor
Titles
10 on MovieCove · 17 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 15% in 30 days

What are Susan Ziegler's films like?

Across a limited sample of 3 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
56%
Morality
11%
Survival
9%
Society
9%
Power
7%
Ideas
7%
Romantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 3 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 3 · Serious 0 · Dark 0

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 0 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 1

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 2 · Charged 1 · Intense 0

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 1 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0

Funny: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their funny movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 3

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 0 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 2 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 1 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

2 analyzed roles

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
2
Bittersweet
2
Absurd
1
Contemplative
1
Romantic
1
Other
1

How their films linger

Bittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Susan Ziegler's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 10 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Susan Ziegler's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

17 credits, 10 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Sperm Bank (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    as Mom

  • The Early Inauguation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as POTUS Chief of Staff

  • Wild Nights with Emily(2018)

    as Susan Dickinson

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Search Party(2016)

    Show 1 episode · as Pammy · as Woman at Vigil #2

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

  • Hello, My Name Is Doris(2015)

    as Prim Organizer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • A Play on Words (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Sally

  • The Foxy Merkins(2013)

    as Kinky Republican Lady

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same(2011)

    as Zoinx

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Timer(2009)

    as Detractor

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Dollhouse(2009)

    Show 1 episode · as Mother

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • The Middleman(2008)

    Show 1 episode · as Jessica

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • Countertransference (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Therapist

  • Without a Trace(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as Nurse Rhonda

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • Lying in Wait (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Miss Cray

  • The West Wing(1999)

    Show 1 episode · as Local Reporter

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Hollywood Passions (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    as Nina

  • Jade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Judith

Career shape

Star power in the 60th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 17 titles, 16 of them dated from 1995 to 2023; peak year 2018.

Biggest box office

Wild Nights with Emily (2018)

$524K worldwide

Highest rated

Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same (2011)

Midcredits 64th

Most popular right now

Wild Nights with Emily (2018)

Film career

19952023

Peak 2018 · steadily prominent in film for years. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting17 of 17: 17 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score65th

By decade

1990s2 · acting2000s6 · acting2010s7 · acting2020s1 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Susan Ziegler's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 59th percentile, the median of all 5; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 61st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Approval · how many liked their films

51stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Reach · how many have seen their films

50thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Midcredits score across 10 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th1

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 10 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Mixed1

Most divisive · actor

The Foxy Merkins (2013)

83rd percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015)

Midcredits 66th · 58% liked

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Susan Ziegler work with?

People who share at least 2 of Susan Ziegler's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Madeleine Olnek shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Editors

Producers