![]() Supposedly Oliver supplied a significant amount of funding for the DWW. She was a member of the first class of the American Film Institute’s Directing Workshop for Women, or the DWW. Oliver had an obsession with the American influence on Japanese culture that can be traced back to her time spent in Japan with her father. Oliver had been working as a director since the previously mentioned 1978 short film that she wrote based on her time in Japan, titled Cowboysan. But, she was not given the chance, the reason being her limited experience with visual effects, despite the fact that a knowledge of visual effects was not a director’s requirement for the series. Susan always wanted to bring her Star Trek experience full circle, and direct an episode for the 2nd iteration, Star Trek: The Next Generation. So prominent that a 2014 documentary about Susan Oliver’s life was called The Green Girl. Many people referred to her as “the green girl.” An image of Susan Oliver’s Vina was often used in the end credits for Star Trek earning her a special place in the hearts of Trekkies everywhere. Susan Oliver played Vina, and although she was about to go on vacation and had no prior experience in dance, Studio Executive Oscar Katz got his girl, painted her green, taught her how to dance, and together created an unforgettable look. Her most iconic role came in 1964 on the very first pilot episode of a brand new sci-fi show, Star Trek. The Green Girl STAR TREK, Susan Oliver, as an Orion slave girl, in the Pilot episode, ‘The Cage’ (repeated in Season 1, ‘The Menagerie’) November 17, 1966. But she was about to dance herself out of the stratosphere, no longer a green-eyed Blonde, she’s going All Green. Her TV career was still motoring too and in 1966 she joined the prime-time soap opera Peyton Place for 49 episodes as Ann Howard. And finally, she played Audrey Williams, the wife of country music legend Hank Williams. ![]() Their relationship is super innocent and showcases Lewis in peak form. And then a little more light-hearted, as a destitute patient alongside the slapstick god, Jerry Lewis in The Disorderly Orderly. In 1964 she had 3 more film chances, first co-starring with Charles Bronson in the western, Guns of Diablo. Other notable appearances are 2 episodes of Clint Eastwood’s Rawhide, 3 episodes in the very popular Route 66 – and then a double-parter of The Fugitive in 1963. Oliver tried to champion her own series a few times, one pilot for a new series called Apartment in Rome just didn’t sell. ![]() If a show needed a blonde guest star, Susan was among the first considerations for the job. Oliver’s main draw was her versatility and likability. A stand-out guest star that could do it all. This was her bread and butter, one-off episodes on all the great shows. She guest-starred on Wagon Train four times, twice in 1960 – once along with Leonard Nimoy as an American Indian. But the ironic thing is that Susan would become pretty well known for her trademark blue eyes… Oh, movie magic. This was the only film that Oliver received top billing for. Oliver’s film debut was in the 1957 independent drama The Green-Eyed Blonde, as the titular character known as, Green Eyes. She quickly appeared on some 50s staples like Father Knows Best and Bonanza. Oliver’s first television role was in 1955 on the live drama series, Goodyear TV Playhouse. Susan with her high cheekbones and rosebud lips was prominent in film and tv for 3 decades. ![]() The Blue-Eyed Green-Eyed Girl YOUR CHEATIN’ HEART, Susan Oliver, 1964 / Everett Collection
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